Hollow Knight

 PC
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 2265 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,028 out of 2265
  2. Mixed: 123 out of 2265
  3. Negative: 114 out of 2265

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  1. kings7
    Feb 25, 2017
    10
    This game isn't getting enough mainstream press. Really... the controls are the best I've ever felt in a side-scrolling game. The graphics and the music... there really are no words. The story is interesting and philosophical, although it does require you use your imagination. The game is difficult, yet accessible (with modes that make it 'Dark Souls' difficult, if you're enough of aThis game isn't getting enough mainstream press. Really... the controls are the best I've ever felt in a side-scrolling game. The graphics and the music... there really are no words. The story is interesting and philosophical, although it does require you use your imagination. The game is difficult, yet accessible (with modes that make it 'Dark Souls' difficult, if you're enough of a masochist). No qualms and no regrets, except that I wasn't an original Kickstarter backer. If you like video games at all, buy this. 9.8/10.… Expand
  2. Ananisapta
    Mar 20, 2017
    3
    There's a lot to be said for Hollow Knight in terms of design, but I found the boss fights too hard and there's no way to dumb it down so if you're not a hyperactive youngster, LOOK OUT!
  3. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 2, 2018
    8
    Hollow Knight
    Cute and Brutal
    Hollow Knight is a metroidvania game where you play as a little adorable I don’t even know what it is. and before yall go clicking away because this is a metroidvania.. I get it.. I don’t like metroidvanias either.. Bit I fell in love with hollow knight.. The first couple hours of this game is brutal.. you hop down the well and its sink or swim… youre    Hollow Knight
    Cute and Brutal
    Hollow Knight is a metroidvania game where you play as a little adorable I don’t even know what it is.
    and before yall go clicking away because this is a metroidvania.. I get it.. I don’t like metroidvanias either..
    Bit I fell in love with hollow knight..
    The first couple hours of this game is brutal..
    you hop down the well and its sink or swim… youre killing these little bug creatures exploring the areas you can with oyur initial abilities.. and the game is just chewing you up and spitting you back out to the last bench you rested on..
    this feels like a 2d dark souls game while youre getting the hand of things, helped by the fact that if you die you drop all of the cash you’ve collected along the way.. to get it back you have to defeat the ghost version of you…
    thankfully though hollow knight does difficulty right,
    This game isn’t unfair, it isn’t annoying.. its challenging in a genuine and addictive way..
    it forces you to learn its rules, learn the patterns of the creatures that surrounds you.. it slowly builds you up.. makes you stronger throughout your journey of uncovering secrets, unlocking new moves and abilities.. slaying bosses.. and exploring this forgotten kingdom.
    Every area here feels so different despite simultaneously feeling connected, they all have their own adorable little enemies that are out to drain your soul, little caterpillar worm creatures for you to save, bosses and secrets to enhance your stats or abilities..
    This is such a special risk and reward game, collecting coins, attacking enemies to gain some soul juice to heal yourself and push forward inching closer to the next checkpoint, or trying to travel to the closest fast travel area to go spend your hard earned money on a new upgrade or map…
    and exploring the world is such a thrull from start to finish… I felt an urge to see it all, despite the game trying its hardest to stop me with its challenging platforming and enemy encounters..
    I couldn’t believe how deeply I fell in love with hollow knight.. pun intended…
    this is by far the best metroidvania game ive ever played.. and every gamer type should give this game a chance at least until its first boss battle.. it was then that I fell in love.. its then when I realized how special of a ride I was about to go on..
    I give Hollow Knight
    an 8.5/10    … Expand
  4. Chinchiller
    Mar 5, 2019
    10
    This is without a doubt the best Metroidvania-Game ever made! Excellent world building, story, combat and music. Once you start playing you just can't stop until you get the next discovery, powerup or boss battle. A masterpiece!
  5. Sozdanie
    Jan 28, 2019
    9
    Очень атмосферная игра с красивой графикой и отличной боевой системой. Игра в меру сложная, но зато когда закончишь с очередным боссом по настоящему получаешь желаемое наслаждение. Сюжет кстати тоже очень интересный.
  6. F3T1W
    Aug 27, 2021
    8
    A very elaborate universe and world, side quests, a bunch of easter eggs, nice animation
  7. Godlikereviews
    Feb 18, 2023
    10
    Hollow knight is a truly godlike game that is not over-hyped by any means. Frankly, if you don't have this game in your steam library you don't have a good steam library no matter what else you have in it. The ambiance, music, bosses, environment, enemies, locations and more encapsulate you in this beautiful world. If you don't play this game in your life you have not lived. Might be myHollow knight is a truly godlike game that is not over-hyped by any means. Frankly, if you don't have this game in your steam library you don't have a good steam library no matter what else you have in it. The ambiance, music, bosses, environment, enemies, locations and more encapsulate you in this beautiful world. If you don't play this game in your life you have not lived. Might be my favorite game DEFINITELY in my top 3. I can't find 1 thing I don't like about this game :). Thank you team cherry!! :)… Expand
  8. EspadaRota
    Mar 30, 2018
    9
    Un metroidvania muy bueno lo recomendó por poco que te guste este genero es un gran juego.
  9. manticoremaster
    Dec 16, 2017
    9
    i've had recently the pleasure to be immersed in this great game, and it has been quite a ride. the animations made by hand look quite unique and go with the whole dark and gritty art style that they aiming for. the game's difficulty can be really brutal at times, and its difficulty, boss fights arent put to shame by the likes of dark souls, ninja gaiden etc games. the combat plays likei've had recently the pleasure to be immersed in this great game, and it has been quite a ride. the animations made by hand look quite unique and go with the whole dark and gritty art style that they aiming for. the game's difficulty can be really brutal at times, and its difficulty, boss fights arent put to shame by the likes of dark souls, ninja gaiden etc games. the combat plays like most metroidvenia games, with unlocking further abillities. though, the main character has a lot of upgrades types under its belt, so the game is a little bit more complex then the average metroidvenia game, with health upgrades, souls (mana), weapon upgrades, the charm system (which are these power ups you can wear), notches (determines the number of charms being wear by opening more slots for them), grubs ( which are these warms creatures you get rewarded with items and money, determined by how many you picked), also there's a resource called essense which lets you a couple of unlocks, a couple of different melee attacks besides the different abillities. so yeah while it doesn't have the depth of an average rpg in each of them, its still doesn't pale in comparison by a lot then different games maybe. there are many enemy types and bosses. the game's focus is on the combat by a lot relativly then to its story. the story while having an interesting theme with the hubris of the bugs nation hallownest, it does lack in lore.

    so with this many advantages the shortscoming dont detract much of the game, and it still stands on its own very good. so lets get to it. firstly, the order of the many zones areas you're getting in the game are put in a order that gets the player easilly disoriented, and by that confuses the players especially at the start of the game where you've tons of areas to go from the main hub area (the crossroads), and you have not an ounce of an idea where to go because of the bad level design of the hub area. some more metroidvenia locks more early instead of later couldnt have hurt to help in this matter. in addition the art style, i feel like since i've played a game like ori and the blind forest, which the looks of it really appealed to me, i sometimes during the game wondered how this could have looked if it had the same engine as ori, but with still the same dark and gritty art style.

    to summerise, this game really's one of the best metroidvenia games i've got to play, and defiently the longest i tried by far. each area i've traveled in the game, i felt very engrossed in its atmosphere (especially greenpath, city of tears). im looking forward to what these new developers of this game got more under their sleeves, as their dedication on this game to great detail is very tengible. a score of 8.6/10 from me.    … Expand
  10. WizzMaw
    Oct 25, 2018
    9
    I am personally not a fan of metroidvania because I have a hard time to really get invested in them. Hollow Knight however really sets a tone of wonder and mystery, which makes me wanna find out more about the world. It has some unique mechanics that are not really mind-blowing but they work and feel fresh and organic compared to many other metroidvanias simply trying to copy-paste SuperI am personally not a fan of metroidvania because I have a hard time to really get invested in them. Hollow Knight however really sets a tone of wonder and mystery, which makes me wanna find out more about the world. It has some unique mechanics that are not really mind-blowing but they work and feel fresh and organic compared to many other metroidvanias simply trying to copy-paste Super Metroid. Everything design-wise is nearly perfect. Rarely I play a game that is so extremely well thought out. I've never played a game that I would give a higher score than this one. It's not my favorite game of all time, but that's because it's still less appealing to me than other types of games. It's obviously not perfect, but it's one of the best games I ever played design-wise.… Expand
  11. rulezfin
    Apr 22, 2018
    9
    Very good Metrodavia game, with a high level of difficulty and challenging but rewarding game play. The controls are very good, graphics are also nice,the story is interesting and the price was good for this kind of game. The only shortcoming are the related to the game designs decision of some areas that look rather out of place
  12. michaelb1928
    Dec 8, 2018
    8
    l that is possibly the best Metroidvania I have ever played (and I'm always desperately searching out any that is released because on average, there is only like one good one per year) and thus find that the game
  13. TuioxBull
    Feb 10, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Are all of the people who gave negative's that bad at this game? Yeah, it's hard, but if I, a 12-year-old can do it, *100%, by the way,* then so can you, and while yes, the shade system sucks, and the bosses can be hard as **** *The moth who is a deadly laser* the thrill of doing it by rethinking my style, ie* (should I go spells or attack? Far more health or more range and quicker slashes? Invest notches for a charm which rewards you for not getting hit? High Spell Damage but low range?) and practice can make it feel really rewarding. As for the shade system, well... I can't argue about that but Geo doesn't even matter halfway. As for the positives, music, calm, action! I love it! And the art style, it is amazing. Overall, a good game with IMO, a small problem which won't matter later on.… Expand
  14. Trenity
    Jan 18, 2021
    9
    If you love souls games and 2D platformers you probably gonna fall in love with this game.
  15. Loop2zer0
    May 2, 2023
    10
    من افضل الالعاب اللي لعبتها في حياتي لعبة تستحق تقييم 10 بكل راحة ال gameplay مش طبيعي وال music من افضل ما سمعت والقصة الغامضة وجمال المناطق 10/10لعبة للتاريخ✅
  16. GuapoGrande
    Nov 22, 2017
    9
    First, the good:
    - fluid, addictive gameplay
    - Tough-but-fair difficulty level that makes it genuinely gratifying to beat a tough boss or Colosseum challenge, without becoming a chore - absolutely STUNNING art and music, possibly the best-looking 2D game I've ever played - Big map with tons of enemy and environment variety, while maintaining signature whimsical-yet-spooky aesthetic    First, the good:
    - fluid, addictive gameplay
    - Tough-but-fair difficulty level that makes it genuinely gratifying to beat a tough boss or Colosseum challenge, without becoming a chore
    - absolutely STUNNING art and music, possibly the best-looking 2D game I've ever played
    - Big map with tons of enemy and environment variety, while maintaining signature whimsical-yet-spooky aesthetic throughout
    - Lots of rewards for diligent exploration and effective combat, your character constantly grows stronger and more capable
    - Insanely good value for the money. I bought it on sale for $10, it was easily worth 3x that much

    For the sake of thoroughness, a couple cons:
    - People like me who are not hardcore gamers should probably use a guide for the midgame, since it is not always great about nudging you where to go next and there are many, many different paths you can explore. I see many negative reviews are by people who got frustrated with all the dead ends and false starts, and I see their point. Some people like that kind of thing, but others should find a spoiler-free guide that at least points them in the right direction. The game is challenging enough without constantly being lost.
    - Similarly, unless you are thorough about locating stag stations and breakable walls to help you get around, all the traversing and backtracking can eventually become dull. I eventually cheated and looked at a map to find these things and I'm glad I did, the game would've dragged badly without knowing where they are (I also regret not getting the Dream Gate until very late in the game).
    - Although I like lots of individual story elements, I don't really like the overall story itself. Your character is basically a pawn in the conflict between the Pale King and the Radiance, both of whom are vaguely defined, sinister, and unsympathetic. The different endings all just give a sense that your character has been used, not that you did the right thing and saved the day. I get that they're going for a Dark Souls thing that's all about ambiguity and ambiance, but I don't think it really works. Ultimately a story needs a clear conflict with clear motivations or you can't get emotionally invested and there's no catharsis.

    Overall though it's a phenomenal game (it still blows me away that the development team is just 3 people) and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys 2D platformers and Metroidvanias.    … Expand
  17. fuLmentLatheist
    Jan 18, 2018
    10
    You enter Hollow Knight's world long past its prime—a dying kingdom, its society torn to pieces and its heroes already fallen. There's nothing but a desolate and dark landscape on the surface and a winding catacomb filled with the stink of death below. You control an emotionless knight, your purpose not entirely clear at the outset, and delve into that land to ward off the evil within.You enter Hollow Knight's world long past its prime—a dying kingdom, its society torn to pieces and its heroes already fallen. There's nothing but a desolate and dark landscape on the surface and a winding catacomb filled with the stink of death below. You control an emotionless knight, your purpose not entirely clear at the outset, and delve into that land to ward off the evil within.

    Except you're really an adorable little bug-man, fighting and befriending other adorable bug-people. While Hollow Knight is set in what is ostensibly a medieval fantasy kingdom, it's got a buggy carapace stretched over everything. The devastation and loss in Hallownest's history is palpable, but the cute art style means the tone never feels overbearing or depressing. The heavy themes have a light-heartedness about them without slipping into parody.

    The NPCs I meet are all quirky and cartoonish, but still feel like coherent parts of the world. A few of my favorites include a pudgy shopkeeper who can't stop giggling, a kindly wandering swordsman who has lost his memory, and the tiny but boisterous Zote the Mighty—who, later in the game, will explain to you all of his 57 precepts if you care to listen that long. These characters bring sparks of life to the otherwise dying caves, many of them reappearing at fixed points around the map, and sometimes even during boss fights to provide a few of Hollow Knight’s most thrilling moments.    … Expand
  18. TwoEars
    Jan 15, 2020
    9
    A beautiful, original and nearly perfect metroidvania type game, if you like these types of games you can stop reading now. You're going to like this game, probably a lot. If there are any criticisms to be made I will say that:

    1) The game is a little bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until maybe 3h in that the game really clicked for me. You don't have many abilities in the beginning    A beautiful, original and nearly perfect metroidvania type game, if you like these types of games you can stop reading now. You're going to like this game, probably a lot. If there are any criticisms to be made I will say that:

    1) The game is a little bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until maybe 3h in that the game really clicked for me. You don't have many abilities in the beginning and at first I didn't realize how big the game was going to be, or how advanced the combat and movement would become.
    2) The difficulty is quite high in places and there is no "easy mode". This is by no means a casual game but one which will force you to learn enemy attack patterns, unlock all movement options and get all the upgrades you can find. I think a difficulty selector would have made the game accessible to more people.
    3) I would have welcomed the possibility to equip more "charms", maybe 15 notches or so would have been nice. It would have made the playstyle a bit more flexible so you're not locked into "either a sword or magic or health focus" type build. It would also have gone some ways towards alleviating the difficulty concerns for a lot of people.
    4) Late game traversing the game world can be a bit of a chore since fast travel is quite limited. I think they're rolling out some kind of feature to fix that now but when I was playing this wasn't available.

    I will also say that a game controller is highly recommended, I used an xbox controller and that worked great. And if you also have a 100hz monitor or more that's even better, this game is quite fast and has tight timings so a slow TV might not be the best option.    … Expand
  19. sh4dow
    Mar 23, 2017
    9
    I find it odd - one almost can't throw a stone without hitting a criticism about this game.
    Bad performance, bugs, bad map system and so on.
    Yet... I feel that is possibly the best Metroidvania I have ever played (and I'm always desperately searching out any that is released because on average, there is only like one good one per year) and thus find that the game deserves much more    I find it odd - one almost can't throw a stone without hitting a criticism about this game.
    Bad performance, bugs, bad map system and so on.

    Yet... I feel that is possibly the best Metroidvania I have ever played (and I'm always desperately searching out any that is released because on average, there is only like one good one per year) and thus find that the game deserves much more praise than it gets.

    Why?

    For one thing, no other Metroidvania has ever made me observe enemy attack patterns and adjust my own THIS much. If you blindly strike at enemies, chances are you won't get very far. Which is in fact also something that people have complained about. Probably because they simply don't realize that with this game, you need to take your time in most battles. And learn to dodge. Which is probably why there is the dash move instead of a double jump (which does exist but you get only very late in the game).

    For another, it is gorgeous AND really well-designed. Yes, those two are separate things. By the latter I mean the way things work in the game. It's not just the combat system that has obviously been thought about a lot and that is REALLY unique (the person at Rock Paper Shotgun who wrote that review IMO has no clue what they're talking about). Also the many details and mechanics in the world, such as the many characters one can find and interact with. Also like being e.g. able to achieve piece with a faction in the game which not only affects the bosses but also the surrounding environments. Widespread change in behavior that I don't think I've seen in a Metroidvania before.
    It is also HUGE! I've been playing for over 25 hours now and I'm still on my first playthrough! And it's not just that the world is big but there are over 100 different of those hand-animated enemies. The amount of work gone into that must've been insane! Now... I must admit that probably because of that, the animation quality varies. Some elements were obviously drawn with less frames per second than others and thus stutter a bit. But still... for a game priced this low, it's mind-boggling and I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth and then some.

    All of that said, Hollow Knight definitely has the flaws mentioned in the beginning. While I have not encountered bad performance myself (and I'm running this on a 4 year old midrange graphics card), nor any bugs, I doubt that people would make this up. (While it may be up to optimization in this case, I actually feel that it's great if a 2D game has so much going on visually that it requires an at least somewhat beefy graphics card.)

    And I do find the map system bad and also don't appreciate the relatively infrequent save points. Once the map is uncovered and you have some abilities unlocked and you can plan a reasonable route, it's not so bad but getting there does feel annoying at times, since one can't just play the game at one's own pace but has to look for the next save point if one wants to take a break. Plus, it always seems like a cheap way of making games seem longer than they are - having you repeat areas leading up to a boss over and over. And the game world is so huge that it wouldn't be needed - so I really don't get why they decided to do this.

    In the end, in my opinion the many original aspects of the game make the negative aspects lose almost all importance. Of course I hope that the sequel (there simply has GOT to be a sequel. Or at least a spiritual successor) will not suffer from these issues. But I'm still having one hell of a time with this game.    … Expand
  20. ExcAverage
    Dec 25, 2018
    9
    I was never a fan of most Metroidvania games. I played a few select titles from the genre and found myself lost and uninterested, but the world and art style of Hollow Knight has sucked me in for hours and hours, and despite a few moments of anger I never really felt the game was unfair. In my opinion the only thing holding the game back is a few weak bosses, but I'd recommend this game toI was never a fan of most Metroidvania games. I played a few select titles from the genre and found myself lost and uninterested, but the world and art style of Hollow Knight has sucked me in for hours and hours, and despite a few moments of anger I never really felt the game was unfair. In my opinion the only thing holding the game back is a few weak bosses, but I'd recommend this game to anyone who seems remotely interested in it for any reason, whether it be the art or the world or the gameplay, it's all solid and engaging.… Expand
  21. nichochar2
    Mar 27, 2017
    10
    I'm giving this game 10/10, and I'm weighing my choice. This game manages to do a bunch of things absolutely perfectly, here are a few:
    * The physics and mechanics feel great, and have a high skill ceiling
    * the world is beautiful and mesmerizing, whilst being very diverse * Enemies are challenging and plentiful (144 different types) * Spells are found at good times, and make the game    I'm giving this game 10/10, and I'm weighing my choice. This game manages to do a bunch of things absolutely perfectly, here are a few:
    * The physics and mechanics feel great, and have a high skill ceiling
    * the world is beautiful and mesmerizing, whilst being very diverse
    * Enemies are challenging and plentiful (144 different types)
    * Spells are found at good times, and make the game shift every few hours
    * Some bosses will have you retry a _BUNCH_ of times    … Expand
  22. Ignotum
    Jul 9, 2017
    10
    Easily one of the best metroidvanias to arise from the current genre revival. A captivating and otherworldly environment, challenging combat, rewarding exploration and secrets, fascinating lore, and a gorgeous art style.
  23. gozu
    Mar 19, 2017
    9
    A well executed metroidvania game with a very unique and enticing art style. The gameplay is rock solid with good control mechanics, challenging bosses and competent level design. The game is a labor of love and if you like metroid or castlevania (and if you don't, what is WRONG with you??) you should buy this game with your eyes closed.

    Congratulations to Team Cherry for a fantastic    A well executed metroidvania game with a very unique and enticing art style. The gameplay is rock solid with good control mechanics, challenging bosses and competent level design. The game is a labor of love and if you like metroid or castlevania (and if you don't, what is WRONG with you??) you should buy this game with your eyes closed.

    Congratulations to Team Cherry for a fantastic job! You guys rock! Can't wait to play what you make next.

    The only reason I'm giving it a 9/10 instead of 10/10 is because the map can be confusing and I found myself getting lost and doing a lot of backtracking. I think I am below average when it comes to memorizing map layouts in general though, so take it with a pinch of salt.    … Expand
  24. Vok
    Mar 14, 2017
    9
    To say Hollow Knight is a 2D action adventure game is to say that an Aston Martin is a car. Both statements are true but simultaneously grossly inadequate. Hollow Knight is so much more than the sum of its parts and trying to create a concise, yet complete description is difficult at best. It is massive, beautiful and challenging and while it isn’t perfect it’s few flaws are easilyTo say Hollow Knight is a 2D action adventure game is to say that an Aston Martin is a car. Both statements are true but simultaneously grossly inadequate. Hollow Knight is so much more than the sum of its parts and trying to create a concise, yet complete description is difficult at best. It is massive, beautiful and challenging and while it isn’t perfect it’s few flaws are easily forgiven thanks to its sheer brilliance.

    From the outset Hollow Knight provides few hints on the direction forward. The game proper begins when you descend to the ruins under the town of Dirtmouth where you face your first decision – left or right.

    What begins as a slightly maddening lack of direction soon becomes an exhilarating sense of freedom. While Hollow Knight has its share of rewards in items and the game’s currency, geo, the real reward is just seeing what’s on the other side. After 30 hours Hollow Knight was still able to surprise me in both presentation and diversity of location, characters and enemies. Make no mistake, this beautiful game.

    The art direction and animations are stunning, as is the soundtrack, and the NPCs have a surprising amount of character. Exploring this world is a pure joy and a reward unto itself. Even having finished the game I still have an incredible desire to examine every inch, to find every secret and to see every single thing the game has to offer.

    It’s a massive world and the map system is unique and worth addressing because it can be challenging. Upon entering a new area you will not have a map until you discover the NPC Conifer. He’ll sell you a map but only the parts of that area you’ve been in will display. It is then updated at check points, assuming you have purchased the quill, as you continue to explore.

    It’s an interesting design decision and one that I really came to enjoy as I progressed. I can navigate around most of the zones in Hollow Knight better than the streets in my own suburb, because I actually need to remember the way.

    As you traverse the huge game world below Dirtmouth you will encounter a vast array of enemies. Your foes begin with the simplest of attacks, as do you, a simple swing of your nail. While your foes will become more difficult and combat both quick and mobile, the pacing in the early parts of the game is very slow. If you came expecting a Diablo click fest you are going to be sorely disappointed, especially early on.

    That being said, do not expect to stroll through Hollow Knight without breaking a sweat. … or possibly a controller or two. The difficulty of the game ramps up significantly and there are some particularly difficult boss encounters, as well as a couple of maddeningly hard platforming sections. Boss encounters are a huge highlight of the game and a great reminder that games are meant to be challenging. If you expect to roll up to an encounter and successfully completely it within one or two attempts this game is probably not for you. It certainly doesn’t have a Dark Souls level of difficulty, but you really do need to learn each encounter – and then execute the combat well – before being able to proceed. The payoff is an incredible relief and satisfaction when overcoming a particularly hard section of the game. It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced such a rush at victory in gaming and it’s a welcome and highly addictive return.

    The difficulty of the some sections highlights, painfully, the one major issue I have with Hollow Knight, the checkpoint system. The game auto saves regularly, but you respawn at the last bench you rested on and there are generally only two or three in each area. While I’m sure there is some rhyme or reason behind their placement I couldn’t see it and they are occasionally frustratingly far from difficult encounters. This means spending a couple of minutes making your way back to your most recent defeat, often through a number of enemies, before engaging in an encounter that has already been kicking your ass for far longer than you would care to admit. More often than not you’ll respawn pretty close, but it happens enough to make some deaths far more painful than they should have been.

    The other purpose the rest stations serve is to let you change your charms. Charms cater to the RPG element, allowing players the choice of powered up abilities, increased survivability or simple quality of life improvements. There are far more charms than slots available so some thought is required when it comes to charm selection..

    Hollow Knight is a triumph of the metroidvania genre. Team Cherry have created an incredible world, filled with variety, charm and wonder. It was a pure joy to explore Hallownest and incredibly satisfying to finish the game. The combat is challenging with a number of particularly memorable boss encounters and the old school difficulty is well balanced and hugely gratifying. Put simply, Hollow Knight is magnificent.    … Expand
  25. skohl
    Dec 5, 2018
    10
    This is a pure action-platform gaming experience, based on the careful timing and spacing of your jump, attack, dash, and other abilities. The enemy variety and detail blows other metroidvania games out of the water! The bosses are more like something out of Mega Man, which is unusual in a genre of poorly balanced, janky bosses.

    It's a beautiful game with a gigantic world. I love the    This is a pure action-platform gaming experience, based on the careful timing and spacing of your jump, attack, dash, and other abilities. The enemy variety and detail blows other metroidvania games out of the water! The bosses are more like something out of Mega Man, which is unusual in a genre of poorly balanced, janky bosses.

    It's a beautiful game with a gigantic world. I love the sense of exploration when first entering a new area, before I have its map. This is the least linear metroidvania I've played, and that's a good thing. There were so many places I wanted to investigate at once, that I missed things that I could have found hours earlier. Only I didn't really miss out, because I was exploring to my heart's content the entire time, mapping out uncharted territory, killing bosses, and discovering secrets.

    The difficulty might be overstated, I guess it depends on your previous gaming experiences. I grew up playing every platformer on the SNES, every Mega Man X game multiple times, SotN and most other metroidvanias. For me this is perfectly balanced gameplay..    … Expand
  26. roachzc
    Aug 15, 2017
    9
    Feels a lot like dark souls. A very challenging and rewarding experience and would be a great fit if you are bored with games that hold you hand too much. The music and graphics are just on point. However, the developers need to adjust some of the bosses and areas. They can be super imbalanced or poorly designed sometimes and are so frustrating that I don't enjoy it and want to quit.
  27. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    9
    If I had to describe this game in three words, these would be: hard, beautiful and addictive. That's what this game is. Magical atmosphere, great graphics and music, interesting story and fun gameplay, but a bit hard for me, but still good. Love this game. Pickens approves!
  28. Floyderhead
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    I am truly amazed by Hollow Knight. The game starts off slow; it feels a bit cartoony at first but later into the game you realize that it's a pretty dark game full of rich areas and even richer characters. The game is definitely influenced by Dark Souls, and it fuses that influence in a Metrovania style game beautifully.
  29. Prodromus
    Mar 20, 2017
    10
    Where so many metroidvania style games fail, Hollow Knight knocks it out of the park in terms of game play and presentation with some of the best 2D animation I've seen for a game. I won't lie, Hollow Knight is a brutal game and not for a casual play through. The game starts off pretty easy but ramps up exceedingly after roughly the second boss at which point you really need to investWhere so many metroidvania style games fail, Hollow Knight knocks it out of the park in terms of game play and presentation with some of the best 2D animation I've seen for a game. I won't lie, Hollow Knight is a brutal game and not for a casual play through. The game starts off pretty easy but ramps up exceedingly after roughly the second boss at which point you really need to invest yourself into the game and how it's mechanics and upgrades work in order to succeed. Many a time I found my self hitting a wall, getting frustrated and having to take a break, only to come back more composed and crush said wall with such satisfaction that I've only felt from Dark Souls and Blood Born.

    When I found my sweet spot I was suddenly blitzing through area after area looking for secrets and treasure being surprised and how many things are hidden. The game is a very decent length but totally doesn't feel it, by the time you're wrapping up all things in order to get the true final boss you can easily clock 30+ hours with very little of it feeling tedious.

    My biggest flaws with Hollow Knight are mostly to do with things like "end lag" on abilities and not being able to "jump cancel" others. With such a fluid, tight controlling game it's shame the combat doesn't go that little bit extra but these are very niche personal complaints that many people won't notice.

    Over all Hollow Knight represents the highest form of a challenging game play and should be treated as a such with any negatives reviews mentioning difficulty being void.    … Expand
  30. Metacook
    Apr 7, 2017
    10
    Honestly one of the best games I have ever played. Make sure you persist through the initial couple of areas as the game gets more and more beautiful as you go on. The enemy and boss designs are wonderful and the amount of content is unbelievable considering the size of the development team. Can't recommend this game enough.
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2017
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017
77
#77 Most Shared PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Hooked Gamers
    Jul 29, 2018
    100
    Hollow Knight is one of the best 2D platformers I’ve ever played - it is a beautiful, quirky and dynamic game; challenging yet rewarding; mournful yet brimming with hope. When it comes to console, it’s going to cause a real stir.
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  2. IGN
    Jun 22, 2018
    94
    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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  3. GameStar
    Jan 2, 2018
    84
    A very difficult and hand-drawn Metroidvania with an enormous size for players with a lot of patience and a high frustration tolerance.
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