Hollow Knight

 Switch
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 2078 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,879 out of 2078
  2. Mixed: 74 out of 2078
  3. Negative: 125 out of 2078
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  1. Kennoia
    Sep 10, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Anche se da molti considerato un capolavoro il gioco resta inetto e noioso anche provando lo per ore e ore di gioco non c'è modo di renderlo interessate e resta in gioco ad una fetta di pubblico davvero minima… Expand
  2. Zelda_fan
    Jun 9, 2023
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA hello… Expand
  3. jiaw
    May 14, 2023
    0
    i cant killllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the **** boss i cant kill manthis lord plz help me my menthal health is very bad becouse of schol
  4. mondomarsupial
    Mar 24, 2023
    3
    Beautiful art and sound design don't do much to hide a buggy (no, not in the obvious way) and lackluster example of the metroidvania formula. Progression is miniscule and largely involves abilities that act as contrived keys for nonstandard locks placed carelessly about the world rather than typically offering much in the way of new or useful traversal and combat potential. You knowBeautiful art and sound design don't do much to hide a buggy (no, not in the obvious way) and lackluster example of the metroidvania formula. Progression is miniscule and largely involves abilities that act as contrived keys for nonstandard locks placed carelessly about the world rather than typically offering much in the way of new or useful traversal and combat potential. You know something has gone wrong in your metroidvania when the response to getting a new ability is "Oh, bother. Now I have to go rub this against a half dozen points on the map that I half remember if I want to beat this game."… Expand
  5. Gayass
    Feb 26, 2023
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is the best rpg ever I really like the graphics they resemble cod, battlefield 3, and red dead redemption. I wish they could have remade it for switch but playing it on the wii is good. Even the price of 65$ its amazingly worth it. The replay value is amazing i play this with my friends and beat my mom at it everyday.… Expand
  6. sloomo
    Dec 10, 2022
    2
    This game is just not fun. It’s pretty. But it’s not enjoyable. Not relaxing.
  7. HDRip
    Nov 15, 2022
    3
    I will not write anything about the game. I'll write about the port for the Nintendo Switch. Everything is very small! The spikes on the floor/walls/ceiling are often not visible, they are too small on a small screen. Coins not only are they as gray as the rest of the environment, they are also very small. The fonts are small and hard to read unless you're in ideal conditions. In addition,I will not write anything about the game. I'll write about the port for the Nintendo Switch. Everything is very small! The spikes on the floor/walls/ceiling are often not visible, they are too small on a small screen. Coins not only are they as gray as the rest of the environment, they are also very small. The fonts are small and hard to read unless you're in ideal conditions. In addition, the game has delays and lags, and the gamepad seems to react late to any click. This is especially noticeable in the stationary mode.

    The port could be better. In some games, when porting them from a PC or from older consoles, interface elements and fonts are enlarged to make it comfortable to play on a small screen. About the performance in a two-dimensional game, I generally keep quiet!    … Expand
  8. nicktheguy
    Sep 22, 2022
    0
    It's boring but I understand why people like it. It's just not my cup of tea.
  9. Silverfish003
    Aug 13, 2022
    3
    The only thing that saves this game from its coffin is the scenery and graphics. It really looks stunning.

    However, this game suffers from one huge issue: the game does not tell you where to go. At all. It is bad if you give way too many instructions to the player, but it is also bad if you give none.
  10. Vareenkelly
    Mar 24, 2022
    2
    A gorgeous game that I absolutely would not recommend. I get the idea of being hard, but after all the difficult games, this game is punishes you in such asinine ways. Immediate spike death traps, god play dark souls for a better time that does difficulty better
  11. Was_
    Nov 17, 2021
    0
    I played this game for an hour and I found it boring and annoying. People who like this game just have no taste.
  12. quake2th
    Nov 10, 2021
    4
    Nice graphics, nice music, boring gameplay. This is good for an art museum, not a game.

    The "difficulty" is you spawning 10 screens away from the boss, forcing you to spend 45 minutes to try a boss encounter again. Plain stupid and boring gameplay.
  13. YaBoiArj
    Sep 21, 2021
    0
    The world and the lore are just amazing! Not to mention the hundreds of secret areas and meaningful upgrades.
  14. markbatson
    Aug 19, 2021
    0
    In this game when you die you loose all your money and have to make it back to where you died to get it back. This mechanic is AWFUL. It's incredibly frustrating and I'm debating quitting the game just because of how terrible this mechanic is.
  15. Berd
    Aug 12, 2021
    3
    The artstyle is amazing, but that’s about all I really enjoyed about the game. This game is very frustrating, to say the least. When you die, you spend 10 minutes hiking back to your shade just to die again in the same spot. You are almost always completely lost, save points are scarce, and the combat is incredibly bland and boring. You literally just swing in up, down, left, or right toThe artstyle is amazing, but that’s about all I really enjoyed about the game. This game is very frustrating, to say the least. When you die, you spend 10 minutes hiking back to your shade just to die again in the same spot. You are almost always completely lost, save points are scarce, and the combat is incredibly bland and boring. You literally just swing in up, down, left, or right to do a microscopic amount of damage That’s it. It’s simply not fun to play and you just end up losing interest.… Expand
  16. watch3ye
    May 25, 2021
    4
    The art is great. That's it. As beautiful as the art itself can be, when you spend more time enjoying the scenery than the gameplay itself then there's a big problem as its not a point click exploration and relaxation simulator. Mind that I'm a huge fan of both Metroid and Castlevania series, I enjoy a lot when people inspire themselves on these titles but sometimes it just goes deathlyThe art is great. That's it. As beautiful as the art itself can be, when you spend more time enjoying the scenery than the gameplay itself then there's a big problem as its not a point click exploration and relaxation simulator. Mind that I'm a huge fan of both Metroid and Castlevania series, I enjoy a lot when people inspire themselves on these titles but sometimes it just goes deathly wrong.
    Hollow Knight here is just a mix of badly executed stuff put into a Castlevania skeleton - besides visual design, as I mentioned before. But let's be honest: for a game that cheap, what one should expect of great, right?
    Your character is incapable of doing the basics any other character would in the same conditions/other titles, consequently making the combat system a big pain fest: a genuine showcase of how one should not develop a metroidvania game. Things get worse when you see every hit landed turning out as a big fireworks performance, thus affecting negatively your view by occluding important details and delaying key actions players should take.
    Because wow, designing a great and slow-going fireworks performance every hit is the ideal when you deal with an ARPG. Why not? Why they should fight under a fluid combat system with modest effects and decent movements? Meh. Unfortunately, as combat is a core mechanic that's a big letdown, making this side of the game feel both tedious and a painful experience. Dealing with bosses? Good luck, I can't see how worse then could design some of them.
    But well, lore is kinda interesting (just that, kinda) with some good elements but nothing you will ever care or keep grinding and searching for more, seeking to turn on your Switch every morning in thirst for nice puzzle resolutions, big and epic fights, potentially awesome re-playability... To be honest, for a game said to be metroidvania Hollow Knight is just sad and disappointing. Ah, the music is also GREAT, but once you finish the title you wanna ask yourself why you wasted that many hours in your life when they could be well spent avoiding this and doing anything else that crosses your mind.
    If you're curious about it, go ahead but you have been warned. At least turn the volume up and enjoy both the music and the view, as it's all it got to offer.    … Expand
  17. x2FingerTuesday
    May 15, 2021
    2
    So drab and boring. I honestly have no idea what people see in this game. Game seems aimless, pointless, and you only use like 2 buttons for AN ETERNITY
  18. valrond
    May 15, 2021
    1
    Boring AF. You know, I have loved what now are called Metroidvanias since Symphony of the Night. I have finished that game in every system it has come out, then the 3 on GBA, 3 on DS, and Bloodstained, made by IGA himself. I was playing Bloodstained again, so I decided go give Hollow Knight a go. What a joke of a "game" this is. Graphics are boring, everything looks exactly the same, theBoring AF. You know, I have loved what now are called Metroidvanias since Symphony of the Night. I have finished that game in every system it has come out, then the 3 on GBA, 3 on DS, and Bloodstained, made by IGA himself. I was playing Bloodstained again, so I decided go give Hollow Knight a go. What a joke of a "game" this is. Graphics are boring, everything looks exactly the same, the "music" is barely a thing here, compare that to the awesome OST made by Michiru Yamane.
    Then the "combat". You have ONE attack (two if you count down) and a jump. That's it. Even the original NES Castlevania was more varied that this.    … Expand
  19. Rexum
    Apr 4, 2021
    4
    Hollow Knight is literally the most overrated game I have ever played. I didn’t even bother getting too far into the game because it was just so boring. I wanted to like it but I just couldn’t. I heard so many good things about this game and was disappointed to say the least. Honestly I would probably like this game if I gave it another chance but I just don’t want to. The game just feelsHollow Knight is literally the most overrated game I have ever played. I didn’t even bother getting too far into the game because it was just so boring. I wanted to like it but I just couldn’t. I heard so many good things about this game and was disappointed to say the least. Honestly I would probably like this game if I gave it another chance but I just don’t want to. The game just feels so empty with incredibly boring gameplay and unoriginal boring mechanics. I just never understood why everyone loved this game.… Expand
  20. namonika
    Mar 7, 2021
    2
    The game is unplayable. I spent 10 hours experiencing a lot of anger and dissatisfaction with the lack of logic in this game.
  21. Link327
    Mar 6, 2021
    2
    I never finished Hollow Knight. I quit in the first few hours. I rarely quit a game. And not usually that quickly. But I was so frustrated with this game. The art style is dark yes. But it really doesn’t do much more than grey and more grey. A good example of a dark art style is the Legend Of Zelda: Major’s Mask. That game nailed it. This game however falls prey to the same trap that otherI never finished Hollow Knight. I quit in the first few hours. I rarely quit a game. And not usually that quickly. But I was so frustrated with this game. The art style is dark yes. But it really doesn’t do much more than grey and more grey. A good example of a dark art style is the Legend Of Zelda: Major’s Mask. That game nailed it. This game however falls prey to the same trap that other games fall prey too. Too dark and real. The controls are excellent but the two reasons I quit were because.
    1. I could not figure out where on earth to go. It wasn’t like Breath Of The Wild. Which gave you some direction but still made it fun to explore. This game doesn’t give you any direction. And it is not fun to explore simply due to movement and confusion. Metroid games made it so much fun to get lost but here nope. 2. Oh boy...
    *Takes glasses off like Dr. Wells.* FORCING THE PLAYER TO BACKTRACK JUST TO GET THE ABILITY TO TRY AGAIN IS NOT DIFFICULTY. Sorry for my rant there. Look, I got so bored, and so mad at the fact that you have to go BACK to where you died and fight a shadow copy of yourself just to proceed every time you die? WHY? The fun of hard games is being able to instantly try again. But this is not fun. This is annoying. So I just realized I wasn’t having fun. So I stopped.    … Expand
  22. Joschwaps
    Jan 31, 2021
    0
    Played Ori and the Blind Forest and loved it. Looking for a another Metroidvania, I stumbled upon Hollow Knight and its good reviews, and got utterly disappointed. The controls feel like playing on a PC Keyboard, but you get used to it after a few minutes of playing. The main reason why I dismissed this game is the save function. Whereas Ori lets you save your progress wherever you mightPlayed Ori and the Blind Forest and loved it. Looking for a another Metroidvania, I stumbled upon Hollow Knight and its good reviews, and got utterly disappointed. The controls feel like playing on a PC Keyboard, but you get used to it after a few minutes of playing. The main reason why I dismissed this game is the save function. Whereas Ori lets you save your progress wherever you might want, Hollow Knight allows saving only at certain save spots, and as those spots are located miles away from bosses where you are likely to die rather often, you have to walk all the way to the boss after losing a life again and again. And again. And again. This might be acceptable for pro gamers who might need only a few tries to beat a boss, but for everyone else it is just extremely annoying and makes you lose any ambition to beat the game whithin few hours of playing.… Expand
  23. Superlad12
    Jan 27, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. if anyone here makes a bad review i will change your mind becuase in every game you dont judge at the start and you may have low hp and low attack but those things you get over time and find new people and unlock new things fight fun bosses and even make new friends this game makes you unlock stuff and makes you want to learn and seek more and how i think on the game is that you should try it out and i think the game is good it has lore and stuff you have to unlock and makes you want to unlock more.… Expand
  24. quegtu
    Dec 7, 2020
    0
    Montaña rusa de dificultad, a veces muy arriba a veces muy abajo, historia ninguna ni se le espera, a veces fallan los botones de acción, tus dedos pueden ir más rápidos que el personaje. Es un 5, le doy un 0 para bajar la media de fanboys, es ilógico que un juego con tantas carencias tenga sobresaliente, es repetitivo hasta la náusea.
    En la variedad está el gusto y en la repetición el    Montaña rusa de dificultad, a veces muy arriba a veces muy abajo, historia ninguna ni se le espera, a veces fallan los botones de acción, tus dedos pueden ir más rápidos que el personaje. Es un 5, le doy un 0 para bajar la media de fanboys, es ilógico que un juego con tantas carencias tenga sobresaliente, es repetitivo hasta la náusea.
    En la variedad está el gusto y en la repetición el asco.    … Expand
  25. coisead
    Dec 28, 2020
    0
    This game is an abomination. I do NOT recommand anyone to play it. Looks like developers just threw some features in game but never played it themselves. This game is more tilting than relaxing, and trust me, I play league of legends, tilt is my middle name, but this is worse. Hitting a mob rezults in dmg, you spend literaly hours traveling inside maps beacuse you dont have a fckingThis game is an abomination. I do NOT recommand anyone to play it. Looks like developers just threw some features in game but never played it themselves. This game is more tilting than relaxing, and trust me, I play league of legends, tilt is my middle name, but this is worse. Hitting a mob rezults in dmg, you spend literaly hours traveling inside maps beacuse you dont have a fcking teleporter, developers have a problem for acid lakes and spikes. I played recently hades, undertale, dead cells, but this game is far beyond playable, they were intuitive, not like this where u need to use z x c. Ur stuck with a **** weapon with **** abilities you can never swap to a better one or range. Its dog****, dont even bother… Expand
  26. Poopoobutter
    Dec 13, 2020
    1
    I have enjoyed and beaten 20 different metroidvania but this is the only one I quit playing about 11 hours into it. There is nothing redeeming about this turd of a game. I don't understand the praise.
  27. 0range
    Dec 8, 2020
    0
    I really love this game and it's perfect for switch. An entire world in your pocket. Responsive controls, a well written narrative, and a well designed world make this a must play.
  28. Phuz
    Nov 3, 2020
    1
    If I throw a skirt and a wig on it won't make me a woman. I'd still have hairy legs and a 5 o'clock shadow. Hollow Knight was all spookily designed, yet gave off no feeling of spookiness at all, just something unpleasant to look at, just like me in a wig.

    For me the character and game world were awful looking. Felt like kiddies halloween drawings with some neon thrown on. The sound    If I throw a skirt and a wig on it won't make me a woman. I'd still have hairy legs and a 5 o'clock shadow. Hollow Knight was all spookily designed, yet gave off no feeling of spookiness at all, just something unpleasant to look at, just like me in a wig.

    For me the character and game world were awful looking. Felt like kiddies halloween drawings with some neon thrown on. The sound wasn't memorable. I couldn't tell you about the boss battles because I never got to one. It just wasn't fun to play, or nice to look at. It controlled so well but was just so unlikeable as a game that I didn't want to play it after a very short time. It didn't give off any sort of atmosphere or vibe, just felt like a neon world of bugs. I know it probably captured the look it was going for as it seems to be trying to achieve that Halloween concept but that is all it achieved, a tacky halloween concept with no substance, or atmosphere.

    Like I say the controls and the characters responses to my joypad movements were exceptionally well done but for me that mechanical response was all they got right. I don't like games that lack cohesion and character and this had neither.    … Expand
  29. enriverd
    Sep 19, 2020
    2
    I finally decided to play Hollow Knight after seeing the game success. The graphics are superb but I’ve decided to quit the game after 5 hours of gameplay because of the following reasons: the game is quite hard but becomes even harder due to a poorly implemented control system that causes the character not to jump despite having pressed the jump button or not firing despite having pressedI finally decided to play Hollow Knight after seeing the game success. The graphics are superb but I’ve decided to quit the game after 5 hours of gameplay because of the following reasons: the game is quite hard but becomes even harder due to a poorly implemented control system that causes the character not to jump despite having pressed the jump button or not firing despite having pressed the fire button, if you add to it that the respawn point is always quite far from the point where you die, you keep replaying the same zones over and over again, building up frustration. Moreover, there is no option to lower the level of difficulty, so you are forced to waste tons of hours replaying the same levels. Team Cheery: How there is not such option in such a curated game??… Expand
  30. bencrvr31
    Aug 6, 2020
    4
    People are crazy. This is just a beautiful cover on boring platforming gameplay. I gave a few hours and nothing except the art style makes me want to continue. There are many flaws right from the start. When he hits someone a gigantic splash covers a lot of the screen, that sucks. Why are there still platformers being made? It came about due to restrictions in technology at the time, itPeople are crazy. This is just a beautiful cover on boring platforming gameplay. I gave a few hours and nothing except the art style makes me want to continue. There are many flaws right from the start. When he hits someone a gigantic splash covers a lot of the screen, that sucks. Why are there still platformers being made? It came about due to restrictions in technology at the time, it was never a good game style, and this is just slathering pretty all over boring gameplay. When am I going to learn that the negative reviews on metacritic are almost always right?! $15 down the drain, no desire to ever play this again. Mark of the Ninja is a vastly superior way to approach platforming with some creativity, this is straight dumb. Rayman Legends comes to mind as well. Haven't tried Celeste, but this sucks, so I'm not hopeful that all the positive reviews on Celeste mean anything. Don't buy this, it's lame, unless it's like $2, it's worth that just for the pretty.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Switch Game of 2018
3
#3 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
15
#15 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 0 out of 28
  1. Pocket Tactics
    Oct 20, 2023
    90
    Hollow Knight is an incredible achievement that combines smart game design, a rich world, and sharp combat, with an enthralling insectoid world and a story just begging for you to find it. Team Cherry’s title is a high watermark for Metroidvanias, as the satisfying abilities and countless collectibles add variety and meaning to exploration, rewarding every discovery. Yet, while the challenge is a rewarding part of the process, I do wish that the title made some concessions and shone a bit of light in the darkness for those first fledgling steps.
    Read full review
  2. Universo Nintendo
    Sep 10, 2018
    90
    A very fun game and full of interesting characters is what await players in this incredible adventure. If you like Metroid style games, Hollow Knight will leave you satisfied.
    Read full review
  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Sep 5, 2018
    100
    There's never a low point. Only the desire for more. [Issue #35 – September/October 2018, p. 17]
See all critic reviews »