Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition

 Xbox One
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Xbox Tavern
    Sep 28, 2018
    Metroidvania games can often fall short as far as gameplay balance is concerned, typically requiring the player to contently progress and backtrack like a non-stop yo-yo. What makes Hollow Knight particularly special is that it leans on this very design, yet does so without at all wearing thin, thanks largely to its fluid play and its wonderfully dark, intriguing world.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Xbox One Game of 2018
29
#29 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 151 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 133 out of 151
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 151
  3. Negative: 11 out of 151
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Sep 29, 2018
    9
    In terms of content the game has a huge amount for you to get to grips with and without a doubt the many secrets the content has will keep youIn terms of content the game has a huge amount for you to get to grips with and without a doubt the many secrets the content has will keep you coming back for more. The presentation side of the game is absolutely fantastic in all areas and both the visuals and sound design bring the game to life in every way possible. I really enjoyed the boss fights in the game because they actually felt like they mattered and they were thrilling from start to finish. Technically the game holds up really well throughout and I was very pleased to find that the controls remained tight and responsive at all times. Exploration is rewarded handsomly because there’s so much to find and finding something always gave me a great sense of achievement. Every mechanic in the game feels extremely polished and it makes the game an absolute joy to play. It can be a little too difficult at times which can cause you to be a bit frustrated every now and then. Hollow Knight is an absolute gem of a game and without a doubt one of my favourite game’s of all time because everything about it oozes class and charm and it takes you on an unforgettable journey that you won’t forget for a very long time. Everything about the game just seems to click from the fantastic boss fights to the excellent platforming elements and you’ll definitely be more than satisfied with what the game throws at you. You’ll be pleased to know then that the game throws a lot at you because in terms of content the game has a huge amount for you to sink your teeth into. This content also has a huge amount of variety present in it as well and exploring the various amount of content delivers a lot of secrets to you as well which means the game has a lot of replaybility and you’ll find it very difficult to put down. At the end of the day I can’t recommend Hollow Knight enough because it just gets so much right and it really doesn’t have any problems so I urge everybody to add this game to their game library.… Full Review »
  2. Jobbo
    Nov 8, 2018
    0
    The biggest praise i can give Hollow Knight is that i have been playing this over Red dead redemption 2 on it's launch week. If that in itselfThe biggest praise i can give Hollow Knight is that i have been playing this over Red dead redemption 2 on it's launch week. If that in itself doesn't do it for you then i will try my best to put my feelings on this game into words.

    I know this gets banded around a lot but Hollow Knight feels like a natural 2D version of Dark souls. It is also one of the greatest Metroidvania's ever made.

    You begin the game, with no context as to why you have entered the kingdom of Hollownest and you can only access a few small areas from the outset, but just like the aforementioned Souls, the game branches off in several different directions. There is no set linear path to the end, you are left to feel your way through using the abilities you have at your disposal. You may venture deep into a new area only to find that there is a ledge that you cannot reach or a chasm that you cannot see the other side of. You can then use the games map system to make notes of areas that you need to revisit ( if you have purchased the proper supplies to do so of course! ) once you obtain new abilities.
    This does cause a lot of back tracking, but this is a staple of these kind of games and it always affords you the ability to kill some more enemies and amass some more Geo ( the games Currency ).

    As you venture deeper into the game, you will learn more about the knight and various NPC characters that you come across. They will all give you some cryptic dialogue before moving on to a new location or taking up residence in Dirtmouth ( Hollownests version of Firelink shrine from the souls series ). You can easily miss some of these entirely, in fact your are likely to miss them due to how well hidden they can be. If you do manage to track them down, they often feature unique quest lines that can lead to upgrade items.

    All of these upgrades are highly useful when it comes to tackling the games huge list of incredibly bosses. At the time of writing, there are 42 Bosses in hollow knight.Many of them are deeply ingrained in the games lore if you read their description in the hunters log that keeps track of the beasties that you have slain. Each boss has their own attack pattern that you will need to learn and overcome. Some of which may seem impossible when you first attempt them but as you spend more and more time with them, your movements feel like they take on a kind of zen like quality that i have not experienced since Wipeout and its brilliant "zone" mode. Watch some of these boss battles on youtube and you will see the dance like qualities these duels seem to take. Noe of them are unfair in any way. they simply require skin and knowledge.

    I could talk about more of the games systems ( like Charms, Collectable bugs and Fast travel systems that all have their own storylines ) but this would spoil the sense of discovery. You need to experience the excellent artwork and soundtrack for your self in order to appreciate what can be achieved by a relatively small group of developers. My current playtime is just around 35 hours but upon completion i discovered that i had achieved the worst ending and missed huge amounts of content, including 3 DLC Drops that were provided by team Cherry in the months after release and contained new areas, bosses and lore reveals..... all completely free.

    In summary, what Team Cherry have achieved here puts most triple A releases to shame for the price of a cheap dinner out. In this day and age big multi billion dollar publishers have convinced us that you need to pay £60 for your game plus huge amounts for micro transactions, DLC packs and Cosmetic purchases because they will starve otherwise when games like Hollow Knight have more content, charm and clever game design than i remember seeing in any triple A game this generation. We need more projects like this, Dead cells and inside to push the industry forward.

    Hope you have as much fun with this as i did    … Full Review »
  3. Moby_Samus
    Nov 15, 2018
    10
    Finally got to play it and its good from start to end. I recomend the game, if you have a taste for little dungeon like adventures with simpleFinally got to play it and its good from start to end. I recomend the game, if you have a taste for little dungeon like adventures with simple but charming art styles.… Full Review »
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