User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 151 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 11 out of 151

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  1. Jun 27, 2019
    10
    Hollow Knight is that kind of easy to learn, hard to master game. It starts out as a simple Zelda alttp / Ori and the blind forest and it turns out to be even harder than Salt and Sanctuary, Ghouls n Ghosts and Dark Souls, but as a metroidvania it delivers more. This is a masterpiece title. It feels like Silent Hill 2, Ori, Super Metroid, supermeatboy, dark souls and castlevania are heldHollow Knight is that kind of easy to learn, hard to master game. It starts out as a simple Zelda alttp / Ori and the blind forest and it turns out to be even harder than Salt and Sanctuary, Ghouls n Ghosts and Dark Souls, but as a metroidvania it delivers more. This is a masterpiece title. It feels like Silent Hill 2, Ori, Super Metroid, supermeatboy, dark souls and castlevania are held together to offer you a metroidvania 2.0 exploration system. By far, the best metroidvania ever made. Expand
  2. Apr 18, 2020
    10
    Simply perfect! This game is a masterpiece. Can’t wait for the second chapter .
  3. Nov 13, 2018
    10
    Depois que eu joguei Hollow Knight, acabei me tornando uma pessoa muito rigorosa, no quesito "qualidade" para os Metroidvanias. Não consigo imaginar um jogo de plataforma superior à Hollow Knight, pois praticamente tudo nele é perfeito. Sua dificuldade, a história, os gráficos, e entre muitas e muitas coisas boas que o jogo possui. Digno de estar em meu TOP 10.
  4. 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 simple but charming art styles.
  5. Dec 13, 2018
    10
    Masterpiece. I ran around lost in this game figuring everything out. It took me 75 hours to unlock the first ending. I prioritized all the mapping tools like the map and quill, wayward compass, pins, and map markers. Bought every map. When I started new games I was surprised how high the replayability was. Aside from unlocking other endings and beating the TRUE final boss of the game, IMasterpiece. I ran around lost in this game figuring everything out. It took me 75 hours to unlock the first ending. I prioritized all the mapping tools like the map and quill, wayward compass, pins, and map markers. Bought every map. When I started new games I was surprised how high the replayability was. Aside from unlocking other endings and beating the TRUE final boss of the game, I was also able to speedrun the game and beat it in under 5 hours. This game can be very challenging and confusing. I like difficult games so that works for me. The controls are flawless. The gradual character development is great, it actually goes by very quickly once you know where you are supposed to be going. After all the time running around in the Hollow Nest my favorite setup involved making my nail as long as possible (longnail + mark of pride) along with quickslash and fragile/unbreakable strength. Plus collecting all the pale ores and fully upgrading my nail at the blacksmith... it's just a lot of fun to run around with that setup. I highly recommend running around lost in this game for a long time. Don't memorize the path by watching it on YouTube first. My first run through was my favorite. If you liked games like super metroid you will love this game. Expand
  6. Jul 28, 2019
    10
    This game is the most fun I have had in a game in 2 years. It is challenging but fair, and the upgrade system is fair. It is the perfect Perfect Metroid Vania.
  7. Nov 10, 2019
    10
    El mejor metroidvania de los últimos años.
    Totalmente imprescindible para los amantes del género.
  8. Jan 12, 2020
    10
    HOLLOW KNIGHT Hollow knight is the most visually pleasing 2d game, that I have ever seen. The mystery of the world and the characters is interesting and exiting. The best indie game of the decade.
  9. May 13, 2020
    10
    This game is just near perfect! You can play by hours and hours and not be tired because all of the universe in Hollow Knight is a Masterpiece.
  10. Apr 4, 2020
    10
    Hollow knight es el renacer de los metroidvanias de esta generación, simplemente una de las mejores maravillas indies de los últimos tiempos capaz de ponerse al tu por tu con títulos como ori y shovel knight, simplemente una obra de arte de este género
  11. Aug 28, 2020
    10
    This is literally the best game I’ve ever played. It’s forever changed my life.
  12. Nov 22, 2021
    10
    The most perfect style game of the decade and the best gaming experience I've had lately.
  13. Oct 31, 2020
    10
    Such a great game, would recommended, I feel bad for people that give this game bad review because they can't play it, because they playing game like journalist. Anyway this game have good gameplay, great music, and great art, and I'm surprised that this game made by 3 person, thanks team cherry for this great game, even this game 2d and metroidvania type I feels immersive playing this game, 10/10
  14. Dec 8, 2021
    10
    A treasure in the gamepass, I launched it because I saw the game in a twitch stream and loved it. Wonderful level design, music, gameplay, lore, this game has everything.
  15. Jan 31, 2021
    10
    Hollow Knight is a masterpiece, what initially appears to be just a decent metroidvania, ends up being an amazing game, with a beautiful soundtrack, with incredibly detailed scenarios, interesting characters, and a good story that is subtly told throughout the game, really worth playing.
  16. Feb 15, 2021
    10
    Gaming perfection! If you like running around and exploring different environments, you'll love this. The story and characters are intriguing, the combat is tough (especially on your first run before you figure things out). Similar to the Ori games, but better imo.
  17. Jun 13, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is perfect it might be though getting through the first sections, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes one of the greatest experiences ever. Expand
  18. Mar 27, 2023
    10
    Combats understandable and difficult and platforming is unique replay is awesome and valuable exploration is plentiful and story is detailed all great in this masterpiece of a game
  19. 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 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 feltIn 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. Expand
  20. Nov 18, 2018
    9
    Hollow Knight takes you to a vast and alive world of insects inmersed in a creepy but beautiful darkness. This game made me fell in love with its way for creating an atmosphere that encouraging to you to explore and discover all secrets includes. Beautiful Story, universe and heady soundtrack. My respetcs to Team Cherry and Christopher Larkin.
  21. Jun 26, 2020
    9
    Gran Metroidvania. El lote sombrío me encantó mucho. En su contra sólo que me hubiera gustado la historia fuera más visible y no sólo al ver descripciones, y el mapa, deberían hacerlo más similar a juegos como guacamelee, SOT, o blood stained, ya que en ovaciones había zonas que no había explorado, pero por el mapa pareciera ya las había visto
  22. Mar 13, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. İ hate absolute radiance and pure vessel btw still good game
    And also this game gives you Hard times but when you pass it oh that feeling
    Expand
  23. Aug 16, 2020
    9
    A vast world with hidden lore. Wandering through this world you will learn of its wonders hidden but one must search hard or you may miss it. Strong and emotional music echoes as you go through this journey as a small bug. But not with out your trusty nail by your side. One must have patience and timing to play a game like this. If you decide to go through it. It will be hard and very hardA vast world with hidden lore. Wandering through this world you will learn of its wonders hidden but one must search hard or you may miss it. Strong and emotional music echoes as you go through this journey as a small bug. But not with out your trusty nail by your side. One must have patience and timing to play a game like this. If you decide to go through it. It will be hard and very hard like WTF hard but it's well worth it . Expand
  24. May 11, 2021
    9
    Super challenging metroidvania, I´ve spend countless hours, a masterpiece of the genre, can´t wait for Hornet on Silks Song!!.
  25. Jan 9, 2022
    9
    Considering it's an indie game made by only five people, the quality is incredible, the strokes seem to be handcrafted, the difficulty is average, in summary, it's a wonderful game, if you think about playing it, don't hesitate, play it! Note: Does this version not support mods?
  26. Apr 8, 2021
    8
    This is my second time through Hallownest (first time on PC), and, although just as daunting the second time, also just as beautiful. It's atmospheres that truly express the beauty of the bugs below, but there's also an acute melancholy to it all. Darkness in the City of Tears doesn't get illuminated by the Radiance, and that's okay; here the light is the antagonist, let us blend into theThis is my second time through Hallownest (first time on PC), and, although just as daunting the second time, also just as beautiful. It's atmospheres that truly express the beauty of the bugs below, but there's also an acute melancholy to it all. Darkness in the City of Tears doesn't get illuminated by the Radiance, and that's okay; here the light is the antagonist, let us blend into the shadows. Team Cherry pulls out a fantastic metroidvania that not only reinvigorates the genre, but sells an entirely new generation on the older games too. Masterful. Expand
  27. Sep 1, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Jogaço!
    Um dos melhores metroidvania com pegada de soulslike já feitos.
    Arte, trilha sonora, mapa, tudo muito bem elaborado e de qualidade.
    O mapa expande muito mais do que parece ser possível. Ao encontrar habilidades escondidas pelas áreas praticamente todos os ambientes tem algo a ser revisitado.
    Inclusive, é uma das coisas que tira um pouco da nota é a demora em conseguir acesso às habilidades. Fica repetitivo demais até ser possível encontra-las.
    Outra coisa que é característica de soulslike, mas que poderiam melhorar, é o acesso aos diálogos que acontecem no jogo. Ter um "diário". Isso facilitaria o entendimento da história.
    Fora esses pontos, o jogo é muito bom mesmo.
    Até o momento fiz 3 finais e já me sinalizaram que tem mais coisas para fazer.
    Atingi 93%, disseram que dá para chegar em 112%.
    Joguei no Xbox Series S via gamepass. FPS boost, 4k/60hz. Sensacional!!! Mais que recomendado
    Expand
  28. Dec 12, 2021
    6
    For me this is a game with middle rating. I waiting that this game will be similar of Ori, but its different games. I dont saw story in the start of this game. I dont saw story in the end of this game. Very difficult fight with boss and no monitoring of current target+very small explain about fight details and amulet's
  29. 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 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
    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 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
    Expand
  30. Aug 22, 2019
    0
    L'étron foireux en 2D 32 couleurs de la semaine (en étant large) con-siste en une sorte de "jeu" de plate-formes minable avec un petit bonhomme cocu qui s'est perdu dans les égoûts (bleus et bleuâtres) qu'il doit nettoyer -on ne sait pourquoi- de fond en comble.

    Pourtant, il suffirait d'un coup de Destop pour déboucher ce merdier mais c'est vous "l'élu" (poil au cul) qui avez été élu
    L'étron foireux en 2D 32 couleurs de la semaine (en étant large) con-siste en une sorte de "jeu" de plate-formes minable avec un petit bonhomme cocu qui s'est perdu dans les égoûts (bleus et bleuâtres) qu'il doit nettoyer -on ne sait pourquoi- de fond en comble.

    Pourtant, il suffirait d'un coup de Destop pour déboucher ce merdier mais c'est vous "l'élu" (poil au cul) qui avez été élu (DTC) à l'insu de votre plein gré, très apparemment. Donc, il faut sauter et bourriner la même touche pour éradiquer la vermine et tenter de s'orienter via une pseudo-carte dessinée avec le fion (c'est pas facile).

    ça ne sauvegarde que sur des bancs pour mieux recommencer des morceaux entiers de ces sous-niveaux de crevards "programmés" (un bien grand mot) par des crevures qui doivent se prendre pour des génies après avoir pissé les quelques lignes de code en Basic de ce jeu-étron creux, très creux et extrêmement répétitif.

    C'est pas tout ça mais il faut vidanger cette chienlit numérique dans les chiottes. En espérant que les chiottes ne protestent pas.
    Expand
  31. Mar 11, 2020
    0
    platform was meh, graphic rigid and uninteresting. There are way better metroidvania out there, this is overhyped.
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. Jul 4, 2022
    80
    Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition is an eventually great game. It requires a ton of patience to see through, so even though it’s on Game Pass you need to make sure you’re willing to commit that much time because boy does it both start slow and make some head-scratching decisions when it comes to the map and exploration.
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 18, 2018
    90
    A beautiful, challenging and enchanting game that shouldn't be missed. [Christmas 2018, p.86]
  3. Oct 24, 2018
    90
    Hollow Knight will stick with me for a while. It blends a Metroidvania and Dark Souls in near-perfect fashion. Its tight gameplay as well as its fantastic look and music immersed me into caring about a mysterious civilization of bugs. If Soulsvainia is a new sub-genre, then count me in. Also, count me in for the next thing that Team Cherry releases.