I just lost my entire weekend to this insanely beautiful game, and additionally, I haven't sworn so much in ages.
I need to first off, give this game a slow, drawn-out clap of approval. Hollow Knight was made by Team Cherry which is a mega indy studio in Australia. For the love of all things magical, click that link up there, and check them out.
I'm completely floored at how a THREE PERSON TEAM could make something so amazing, and in such a short amount of time. The game itself is a classic Metroid-Vania Platformer, and traditionally animated. Essentially, this type of game is everything to me.
I truly wish I would have known about their Kickstarter Campaign back in 2014 so that I could have gotten some of that sweet swag.
So let's talk about this crazy game....
First things first, there will be no spoilers, as I have only just started playing, and have only unlocked a handful of abilities.
The gist is that you are a little insect, and arrive in the remnants of a town which has faced some type of cataclysm. There is barely any civilization left. You need to venture into the ancient ruins below the ground, and the assumption is that as you excel in the game, you bring life back to the town.
What's neat is that the enemies are all insects too, but they appear as though they've been infected by some sort of evil spirit, or sickness. Many of them walk around like zombies, and many also wear a mask similar to yours. You become paranoid of anything that moves. I would highly recommend playing with the sound turned on, because the NPCs can be heard singing or talking to themselves up ahead. You can at least know that you're close to a resting place, shop, or a tidbit of story.
You also are not given a map, or parchment in which you write your map as you go. Oh, no. You need to pay for maps, and you can obtain them from a cartographer who wanders around the world. Only then can you get a clear view of where you are, or where you've been. I've unlocked three maps so far, and can tell that this game is going to be massive.
The game itself is brutal. The platforming element is extremely difficult, and combat is very specific. You do not get save states like most typical games nowadays. Your progress is saved at various resting places (benches) which are scattered around the world.
So if you die, you are flung back to the last bench that you rested, and you lose your soul and Geo (currency). The only way to get this back is to venture back to the place where you died, fight your ghost, and only then will you get your Geo back.
If you fail to get to your ghost before dying again, well, that's it. The first (of many) times this happened to me, I lost 800 Geo, which takes a long time to collect in the beginning of the game.
I played aimlessly for a total of 11 hours this weekend, and I eventually rage-quit because I didn't know where to go, and I kept on losing all of my Geo due to my inability to play a game this hardcore.
I intend to return to it next weekend, and slay the area where I got stuck, but I really do need a week off after today. In my honest opinion, I do wish that it had an easy mode, which would allow you to save a state. I'm just not skilled enough with it yet, and it's really frustrating losing all of your money and time if you get killed far away from a bench. The next time I sit down with this one, I'll have a guide open.
Aside from that, I can't wait to see what I'm going to unlock next in Hollow Knight. This is by far, the most amazing and challenging game I've ever played. You can't argue the price either.
The truth is, I will always be biased about these types of games, but I have never ever seen anything like this. Everyone who enjoys Platform, or Metroid-Vania games should own Hollow Knight.