Hollow Knight Review

11/3/21, 3:10 PM Hollow Knight Review - IGN
HOLLOW KNIGHT
Hollow Knight Review

Hollow Knight’s rich world and incredible depth of content will make you
want to explore its caves for dozens of hours.
Updated: 20 Apr 2020 9:16 pm
Posted: 22 Jun 2018 12:10 am
By Tom Marks
It’s not hard to get lost in the deep, subterranean world of Hollow Knight – and I
mean that in more ways than one. The expansive catacombs of Hallownest have
countless paths to explore and secrets to find. But more than that, it’s rich with lore,
history, and purpose that drew me into a 2D Metroidvania kingdom I wanted to
uncover every inch of.
https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/22/hollow-knight-review 1/23
The deeper I went into Hollow Knight, the more I was surprised at just how much
content and freedom it has to offer. I could wander in basically any direction and find
bosses to fight, upgrades to collect, and secrets to uncover. But what’s truly
captivating about the exploring this long-dead kingdom is its atmosphere. Art, music,
color tone, sound, and a million other little details combine to give each area of the
map a distinct sense of place, and those areas jigsaw together in a way that feels
intentional and alive.
World Wide Web
There are far more of these distinct biomes than I ever expected to discover, and the
edges of each one blend together with the next in ways that help them make sense
in the world. For example, walls on the border of the Fungal Wastes, even impassable
ones in other areas, will be dotted with its telltale mushrooms. The lush environment
of an area called Greenpath feels bustling and humid, a stark difference to the cold,
dark caves of the Forgotten Crossroads. The bubble-filled region of Fog Canyon isn’t
technically underwater, but the muffled filter over all of its audio goes hand-in-hand
with jellyfish enemies and a brighter blue tone.
Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch Teaser - E3 2018
1:36 Autoplay setting: On
Hallownest’s capital city, the City of Tears, is a metropolis in a huge cave where it’s
always raining. But it wasn’t until 10 hours after I first discovered this place that I
stumbled across the Blue Lake, a massive body of serene water positioned just
above the underground city. Hollow Knight doesn’t shove this connection in your face,
it just lets you explore its world and piece together the story for yourself as you sit
down and enjoy a moment of quiet.
Hollow Knight's larger story is told in a

subtle way, but its lore is so deep that I
feel like I could write a book on it.
“
In fact, Hollow Knight tells you very little about what’s going on, and instead sends
you into a world full of monumental events that all happened long before you arrived:
wars and heroes, love and culture, disease and destruction. The aftermath of
Hallownest’s troubled past is left for you to discover and comes through loud and
clear, but only if you take the time to listen. It’s told in a very subtle way, but teaches
you so much about Hallownest in the process that I feel like I could practically write a
book on it.
It’s a tragic tale, one full of fallen heroes and terrible decisions, but it still manages to
make time for beautiful, calm, and hopeful moments throughout. And it’s easy to
enjoy those moments, because Hollow Knight’s hand-drawn art is simply beautiful.
It’s a world that manages to feel cohesive despite its citizens being adorable bug-
people in a dying cave.
The story (and your place in it) is picked up as you go. Some of it through dialogue
with the adorable and quirky characters who still reside in this decrepit kingdom,
some through important story events, and some just by observing your surroundings
and the clues strewn about it. After my second playthrough, I have a fairly clear
picture of Hallownest’s history, but it’s a picture I assembled myself.
SLIDESHOW PREVIEW
49 IMAGES
As much as I genuinely loved being pushed out of the boat and told to start kicking,
Hollow Knights’ first few hours can be a predictably sink-or-swim experience as a
result. It’s an unashamedly challenging game that does a great job of silently
teaching you how to play, but it still felt a little bit daunting to start — especially when
death means having to fight your way back to your corpse to reclaim your money,
called Geo.
You have to find a map seller named Cornifer in each area before you can start
keeping track of where you’ve been, and even then you have to equip a specific
charm to see where you are on it in real time. That, coupled with fact that getting
good at the combat takes practice, means I spent my first couple hours just trying to
fi H ll K i ht t
figure Hollow Knight out.
But once I picked up the rhythm of its combat and the pattern of exploring its initially
restrictive cave systems, Hollow Knight clicked in a way that made me never want to
put it down. After Greenpath, the second major area, you reach a point where there’s
no clear “correct” direction anymore. Like any Metroidvania, your path options are
gated behind things like ledges too high to reach or gaps too far to jump until you
find the necessary upgrades, but there are enough options that don’t result in dead
ends to keep to you exploring for quite a while.
Hidden around the Kingdom of Hallownest are traditional Metroidvania abilities like a
dash and a wall climb to help you better navigate its caves and reach new places.
These new movement abilities also allow you to move through new paths in familiar
terrain faster and more efficiently, giving the obligatory need to retread old ground
(which does happen a fair amount) fresh life. Suddenly your wall climb turns that small
gap between platforms into a shortcut instead of a hazard.
New movement abilities allow you to

move through new paths in familiar
terrain, giving the obligatory need to

retread old ground fresh life.
“
Thankfully, there is also a flavor-filled quick-travel system called the Stagways. Stag
stations can be found and unlocked across Hallownest, allowing you to call The Last
Stag to take you between them. What could just be a jump between points instead
becomes a quest in itself, and I almost always spoke to The Stag after unlocking a
station not to travel, but to hear his gruff but optimistic take on whatever new stop I
brought him to.
Hollow Knight’s world also undergoes more concrete changes as you progress.
Railways and elevators will unlock permanently, opening shortcuts that loop back to
earlier sections and easing the burden of backtracking. One early area eventually
even morphs into a much harder late-game section in a way that makes it feel like
your actions in Hallownest have real weight.
Hammer Meets Nail
The combat in Hollow Knight is relatively straightforward, but starts out tricky as you
learn to time quick directional sword slashes with jumps and dashes. It rewards
patience and skill massively — killing enemies is a matter of sharp timing, learning
attack patterns, and having quick reflexes more than just the upgrades you earn
along the way. You can find upgrades to your weapon damage, increase your max
health, and equip charms with a variety of abilities, but more importantly, I just got
better as I went. A boss that gave me tons of trouble at the start of the game was a
pushover when I returned for a second playthrough.
And while your timing requires precision, the combat itself is somewhat forgiving.
Hitting enemies lets you collect a resource called Soul which you can stop and
channel at any time to heal, as long as you don’t get hit. So while the all-or-nothing
nature of dropping your Geo on death gives exploration a sweaty-palmed tension,
Hollow Knight also gives you the tools to take a breath, gather Soul, and get your
health back up.
There are a decent amount of smaller enemies scattered around each level as well,
acting as weaker baddies that let you recover Soul and collect Geo in relative safety.
But there are just as many scary opponents too, and dying far from a checkpoint is a
real risk. The enemy variety is impressive to say the least, with nearly 100 different
types to fight, and even ones with similar behaviors looking dramatically different
depending on what area of the map you find them in.
A charm system allows you to customize your own methods for killing those enemies
as well. Each charm takes up a set number of notches (which you can earn more of
along the way) and range from small effects, like extending your attack distance or
gathering more Soul on hits, to large trade-off changes, like doubling your health but
preventing you from healing at all, which can dramatically change how you play.
Thankfully, you can freely swap them out whenever you sit at a bench, which also
serve as Hollow Knight’s save points and healing stations. That meant I could come
up with specific combinations to counter different scenarios on the fly. I had my
favorite loadout for general use, a loadout that upped the amount of Geo I got and
collected it automatically, and a loadout for moving more quickly. If you prefer using
Hollow Knight’s Soul-consuming damage abilities instead of swinging your sword
(called a Nail) you could equip charms that increase Soul damage and even change
your attacks entirely.
For some harder boss fights that didn’t give me an opportunity to heal, my loadout
even shifted to maximizing my temporary health at the cost of unequipping charms I
had grown to rely on. Through all that experimentation, it never felt like there was a
wrong choice. All the charms are good, and they all work, and it’s up to you to
determine which you like the most and which work best for the scenario in front of
you.
And if any situation will push you to test those choices out, it will likely be one of
Hollow Knight’s copious amount of boss fights. Seriously: there are dozens of
different bosses, ranging from small and quick enemies to large, deadly brutes.
Th i d h ll
https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/22/hollow-knight-review f h b h ill il bl b h f 8/23
These contained challenges are some of the best thrills available because they force
you to find a strategy, learn when it’s safe to attack or heal, and get better each time
you get crushed
Because believe me, you will get crushed. Those hard losses occasionally slowed my
momentum, but there is almost always some other path to explore. If I was having
trouble pushing through in one direction, I’d just wander down another until I got
stronger (or just better) and decided to face that tough fight again.
Soul-Searching For Secrets

In fact, a staggering amount of Hollow Knight’s best content is entirely optional. You
could probably beat the campaign without seeing two-thirds of what it has to offer,
though the quest to get an alternate (and much better) ending will pull you in front of
significantly more. Bosses, thoughtful story, and whole sections of the map can
remain hidden, which adds to that feeling of actually exploring this world when you
do stumble upon them.
None of Hollow Knight's optional content

feels like filler
feels like filler.
“
The key here is that none of this optional content feels like filler. I actively wanted to
find every secret I possibly could and learn what was actually going on in the story. It
all felt unique, significant, and wonderfully put together. Even after the 30+ hours it
took me to truly beat Hollow Knight, I was excited to go back for more.
Having so much to do at any given time can admittedly be overwhelming at points.

There can be so many open paths on your map that the burden of deciding which to
explore next can make you doubt which is the “right” way. But the beauty of
Hallownest is that there is very rarely a right or wrong choice, and it’s unlikely two
players will explore these caves in the same order.
Hollow Knight has also been getting free post-launch content updates since its
launch on PC last year, all of which are included on Switch (and more updates are on
the way, according to developer Team Cherry). Those patches have added new areas
and new bosses, and one even added the ability to add custom markers to your map.
The simple act of being able to visually track when I need to revisit an area or which
paths I’ve yet to go down is a godsend. It has helped me take stock of what needs to
be done alongside the other late-game amenities Hollow Knight makes available for
completionists, like maps that will eventually track certain collectibles.
But so much of what’s worth finding past the point where you can “beat” Hollow
Knight is pure, concentrated lore. To really get a picture of what you’re doing (and to
properly inform an important choice you have to make) you need to explore. I love
that those key moments in the story tie into some of the best gameplay challenges it
has to offer as well.
For example, one of the final secret areas basically transforms Hollow Knight into a
Super Meat Boy-style platformer with very little combat. Platforming challenges exist
all throughout the world, with some of the most thrilling requiring you to use your Nail
as a pogo stick while you bounce across spikes, Duck Tales-style — but this area is
something else entirely, and tells you about the history of that location with its
themes.
And, as I mentioned before, the music adds to that setting and art one thousand
times over. While each location has its own theme and boss fight music, individual
melodies and instruments will shift in and out as you move from screen to screen.
The mood and tension of a scene are often driven by that music and the soundtrack11/23
https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/06/22/hollow-knight-review
The mood and tension of a scene are often driven by that music, and the soundtrack
has quickly become one of my favorites.
Verdict
Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania with a well of content to discover that’s as deep as its
labyrinthine caves. The world of Hallownest is compelling and rich, full of story that’s
left for you to discover on your own, and built with branching paths that offer an
absurd amount of choice in how you go about discovering it. With such a high density
of secrets to find and fun, challenging enemies to face, it’s worth spending every
moment you can in Hollow Knight.
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In This Article
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is an action adventure game set in the vast, inter-connected underground kingdom of Hallownest.
Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
Developers Release Date

Team Cherry February 24, 2017
Publishers Platforms
Team Cherry, Skybound Games PC, Linux, Macintosh, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,
Franchises Genres
Hollow Knight Action
HOLLOW KNIGHT REVIEW
9.4
EDITOR'S CHOICE
AMAZING
Hollow Knight’s rich world and incredible depth of

content will make you want to explore its caves for
dozens of hours.
PC LINUX MACINTOSH NINTENDO SWITCH

PLAYSTATION 4 XBOX ONE WII U
WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Have you played Hollow Knight?
YES NO
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Conversation 777 Comments
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What do you think?
Sort by Best
LordMolecule · 22 June, 2018

This, Shovel Knight, Celeste, Ori, Hyper Light Drifter, Inside.
I gotta say, these games are some of the best games this decade!
Reply 29
Sir_Loxley · 22 June, 2018
also... Axiom Verge, Guacamelee, SteamWorld Dig 2, Rogue Legacy.
Reply 10
2 replies
Show 1 more reply
Uneeda_Slap · 22 June, 2018

I picked this game up a few days ago and it's taken over my life. I'm going in blind and stupid
and I'm loving every second of it.
Soulstroidvania
Reply 19
3 replies
Saganage
This game.· This
25 June,
was2018
NOT the snackable 15 dollar indie I thought I was getting. I have put more
time into this game than anything else I can think of this year. Team Cherry, I think I owe you
more money on this one.
Reply 15
Reply 15
1 reply
Chilli · 22 June, 2018

Tom's review pretty much had me sold (his recommendation of Celeste was excellent) but then
reading the comments..... I was shocked to not see one condescending/negative comment, in
fact it was nothing but praise below.... looks like I'm snagging this over the weekend!
Reply 14
3 replies
dbro7383 · 22 June, 2018

Anyone else not able to see the score? I can’t
Reply 12
neurohuman · 22 June, 2018
I haven’t been able to see scores on games for a while now. Maybe they need to update
the iPhone app.
Reply 10
1 reply
LordMolecule · 22 June, 2018

9.4
Reply 7
ItsOnlyMirrors · 22 June, 2018

Thankfully this game isnt a............................hollow experience.
Reply 12
1 reply
Smashbound88 · 22 June, 2018

This is a great game. At first from the screen shot's I didn't like the art style, but in motion in
the game it is very beautiful and has great music and gameplay. For $15 it is a steal.
Reply 10
fluggy2003 · 22 June, 2018
Best Metroidvania style game ever (including Super Metroid and Symphony of the Knight - 2 of
my fave games ever)! Hollow was fave game of last year (including Odyssey and Breath ot
Wild)! First run through took me 70+ hrs. Its a bit tough to get into but once you unlock fast
travel and the map rea...See more
3 replies
3 replies
Reply 10
FanboyPsychologist · 22 June, 2018
This game doesn't require much power so the Switch is PERFECT.
You get portability without sacrificing much in the way of performance.

Reply 7
1 reply
Mercury_1969 · 22 June, 2018

At least it looks A LOT more fun than that kiddie game, fortnite. I'm being serious, fortnite is
horrible. Why is it so popular is beyond me.
Reply 7
2 replies
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11/3/21, 3:10 PM Hollow Knight Review - IGN

Updated: 20 Apr 2020 9:16 pm

Posted: 22 Jun 2018 12:10 am

World Wide Web

Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch Teaser - E3 2018

1:36 Autoplay setting: On

Hollow Knight's larger story is told in a

New movement abilities allow you to

terrain, giving the obligatory need to

Hammer Meets Nail

Soul-Searching For Secrets

None of Hollow Knight's optional content

Having so much to do at any given time can admittedly be overwhelming at points.

Was this article informative?

Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood

Developers Release Date

HOLLOW KNIGHT REVIEW

Hollow Knight’s rich world and incredible depth of

PC LINUX MACINTOSH NINTENDO SWITCH

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Have you played Hollow Knight?

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Popular in the Community

Conversation 777 Comments

What do you think?

LordMolecule · 22 June, 2018

Uneeda_Slap · 22 June, 2018

Chilli · 22 June, 2018

dbro7383 · 22 June, 2018

LordMolecule · 22 June, 2018

ItsOnlyMirrors · 22 June, 2018

Smashbound88 · 22 June, 2018

fluggy2003 · 22 June, 2018

You get portability without sacrificing much in the way of performance.

Mercury_1969 · 22 June, 2018

Show More Comments

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