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Developer

Team Cherry

Genre

Action-Adventure

Other Versions

All, PC, Series

Release Dates

06/12/18 Team Cherry
(Add Date)
06/12/18 Team Cherry

Community Stats

Owners: 28
Favorite: 9
Tracked: 1
Wishlist: 0
Now Playing: 3
 
9.3

Avg Community Rating:

 

Heptagon Review - Hollow Knight

16th Jul 2018 | 2,057 views 


mZuzek

User Score
10
                         

Presentation - 10
Gameplay - 10
Value - 10
Hollow never felt so solid.

I'm not sure where to begin here. I've always known Hollow Knight was a highly-regarded game, and I love me some good Metroidvanias, so it was a no-brainer following its surprise E3 release and rather cheap price. I knew this would be a fine title, but after playing it, I can say my expectations have been absolutely shattered.

The reason it's so hard to review this one is because there's basically nothing it doesn't excel at. From the get go, it's obvious its art direction is something special, but over the course of the experience you'll realize everything is. The soundtrack is beautiful, the combat is surprisingly deep and interesting despite its simplicity, the story is actually one of the best I've ever seen told in gaming, and the world design - probably the most important aspect of any Metroidvania - is truly something else. It's certainly the largest world I've seen in a game of this kind, and not a single corner of it feels like an afterthought - it's beautiful, deep and interesting from top to bottom, and serves as a perfect home for one of the, if not the lengthiest game of its genre.

Hollow Knight's most amazing trait, then, is its subtlety in how it reveals its brilliance to the player. Subtlety is something that's always been a little lacking in gaming, so when a title comes around that allows the player to understand its world without exposition or cutscenes (while still being able to tell a deeply engaging story), it's a breath of fresh air. It's a game that never tells you anything in a straight-forward manner, instead opting for subtle hints or even nothing at all sometimes, yet there wasn't a single moment where I felt clueless as to what to do next, because exploring the world a little bit further was always so interesting and nothing ever felt completely out of reach (in fact, I even accidentally stumbled upon a crucial plot point in the game by performing a sequence break I would later find out is used in speedruns).

If anything, the only thing I can think of as a negative in this game (other than a couple of overly frustrating bosses) is its oppressive mood - of course, this isn't an actual flaw, but it is something that can restrict its audience a little. For those willing to dig in, though, it goes a very long way towards establishing an incredible atmosphere. From the moment I first booted up the game, I found myself slightly disturbed by the tone, and as I grew more used to it throughout the adventure, the game made sure to continually ramp up the tension so I would never feel completely at ease in this world. Yes, there are some truly dark secrets deep in Hallownest, but uncovering them was as intense as it was exhilariating (and genuinely scary sometimes).

I know it's a little early, and because of this I can't quite say for sure my score for Hollow Knight is definitive, but having spent most of the last month slowly exploring its depths and mysteries, I can barely find anything wrong with it. Moreso, it was a title that simply resonated deeply with me, and made me feel the kind of raw emotions that are rare for any game to provoke.

(converted to 10 out of 10)

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Shipping Total

250,000 Units
As of: June 26th, 2018

Opinion (4)

BanjoPickles posted 28/03/2019, 03:24
Even though I already own the digital copy, I plan on double dipping for the physical release! Great game!
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Jaicee posted 20/07/2018, 11:51
I've just completed this game for the Switch and it was an absolute delight in every way, from the flawlessly-crafted environmental storytelling (I LOVE this game's subtle story!) to the beautifully dark world in which it takes place. You NEED this game! It's among the very best offerings available on the Switch.
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killeryoshis posted 16/06/2018, 05:30
This game is awesome. Make sure you get it.
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killeryoshis posted 28/05/2018, 04:11
Game needs to come out faster! We had a 2018 release year for 7 months now!
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