Hollow Knight is one of the most impressive games I've ever played.

[SofNascimento]

Let me try to explain why I mean by that as I'm not sure I can.

Hollow Knight is obviously a great game, but by impressive I don't mean that. I mean how every single aspect of the game seems to be made with a surgical precision. Every decision seems to be made in a way that minimizes the need for resources and gives the maximum amount of quality. For example, the animations. If you separate one particular animation to look closely, from any character or enemy, they tend to be very simple. Yet the effect they have on the player is always what it should be. It always feel good.

It's been a while since I finished it but I decided to reinstall to try the godmaster DLC, and I don't think there is another game with so many bosses that feel so well done. Not that every boss is equally great, but there was not a boss that felt cheap or unncecessary. And always felt the people behind this game were making the correct decision to make the most of that particular foe. The most fun, the most challenge, the best it could be.

And this Hollow Knight as a whole. Every decision in this game feels like the correct one. There was no effort put into something that wouldn't add much to the game, or would be superfluous. There was no waste. The game is like a impossible machine that runs at 100% efficiency, even if there are machines out there with more overall output.

 

[Theef]

decent game 3/10

 

[Deleted member 19767]

I agree, I was pleasantly surprised by the bosses and how well the relatively simple combat just worked so well throughout the game.

 

[NediarPT88]

Not that every boss is equally great, but there was not a boss that felt cheap or unncecessary.

Click to shrink...

You say that because you didn't face the pre-nerf Godmaster Uumuu xD

But yeah, regarding bosses that are all about pattern recognition and no gimmicks nothing touches Hollow Knight in 2D games, at least from the games I've played.

Pure Vessel, Sisters of Battle, Nightmare King Grimm, Lost Kin, Soul Tyrant, Hornet, etc... they are just incredible fights that never get old.

Also fuck Absolute Radiance.

 

[Deleted member 249]

Probably one of the best games of all time

 

[SofNascimento]

You say that because you didn't face the pre-nerf Godmaster Uumuu xD

But yeah, regarding bosses that are all about pattern recognition and no gimmicks nothing touches Hollow Knight in 2D games, at least from the games I've played.

Pure Vessel, Sisters of Battle, Nightmare King Grimm, Lost Kin, Soul Tyrant, Hornet, etc... they are just incredible fights that never get old.

Also fuck Absolute Radiance.

Click to shrink...

I must have. I finished the game before that DLC was released. I do remember it was a tough fight but you had help, no?

 

[SnakeXs]

I love 2D. Grew up with it, adore it, admire it. Sprites and animations are my jam.
That being said, if you woulda told me in 2018, post strong, post new FO and Skyrim, post VR even, that a 2D world would be one of my favorites to have been invited to, to explore, to admire, to wonder about, to feel part of a world that I melt into as I jump and thwack and use super gamey mechanics to fight and move I'd have laughed in your face.

Obviously Hollow Knight is all of those things. A modern masterpiece and beacon of the heights indie development can reach.

 

[Deleted member 3017]

You're damn right. Hollow Knight is a masterpiece. Silksong is going to consume me when it launches.

 

[TheMink]

I thought you were going to talk about the team of three guys basically that made it.

But I agree with you anyway.

 

[Xiaomi]

Incredible game. I've talked about it at length since 2017 but yeah it's condensed goodness and Silksong needs to be out tomorrow.

 

[danhz]

Top 10 of the gen to me for sure

 

[Lotus]

Legitimate masterpiece, I still can't believe I got so much game for the price I paid for it.

 

[Lant_War]

It's simply the best Metroidvania ever made. I'd go as far as saying it's the best 2D game out there.

 

[Glass Arrows]

my favorite metroidvania by far

everything about it from the music, art direction, gameplay, etc speaks to me

also a ridiculous amount of content for the price

 

[NediarPT88]

I must have. I finished the game before that DLC was released. I do remember it was a tough fight but you had help, no?

Click to shrink...

In the main game the fight is really easy and you have Quirrel's help so you are able to damage the boss. In the DLC (which is basically a boss rush mode) there's no Quirrel when you face him again, the fight was a pain in the ass before he got nerfed (it could be really random since you needed to use those exploding jellyfish to break the boss defenses and they spawned in places that weren't ideal).

It's super easy now though, it went from annoying to a joke.

 

[byDoS]

Masterpiece.

Top 3 games of this gen.

 

[Cup O' Tea?]

One of the best games ever made and my favourite indie title. It's an incredibly polished metroidvania with beautiful presentation and just a touch of dark souls style risk/reward mechanics. Can't wait for the sequel.

 

[SofNascimento]

In the main game the fight is really easy and you have Quirrel's help so you are able to damage the boss. In the DLC (which is basically a boss rush mode) there's no Quirrel when you face him again, the fight was a pain in the ass before he got nerfed (it could be really random since you needed to use those exploding jellyfish to break the boss defenses and they spawned in places that weren't ideal).

It's super easy now though, it went from annoying to a joke.

Click to shrink...

I'm curious now, what exactly changed?

 

[affeinvasion]

Unfortunately its the game that proved I don't have the time or patience for Metroidvanias anymore. Bosses are difficult but fair, but having to trek my way back to the boss after dying gets really old.

 

[balgajo]

I feel happy everytime someone makes a thread like this about Hollow Knight. The atmosphere of this game is phenomenal. Until now it's my GOTG.

 

[NediarPT88]

I'm curious now, what exactly changed?

Click to shrink...

A lot of things, copied from the patch notes:

Several changes to Uumuu's Godmaster incarnation:

• Reduced Uumuu's HP
• Uumuu calls for Uoma more often
• Uoma rise more slowly
• Uumuu's speed down
• Explosions do more damage to Uumuu
• Reduced the size of the explosion hitbox that damages hero
• Extended vulnerability time for Uumuu
• Greatly reduced recoil on Uumuu when getting hit by an explosion

Click to shrink...

Uoma are the exploding jellyfish. They appear from below and you have to attack them when they are lined up with Uumuu so they could hit him, since he was constantly chasing you it could be really hard to get in the right position to send the jellyfish to him without getting caught in the explosion (which causes 2 masks of damage). Sometimes he could take quite a while to call them and when he did it only spawned one, which could come from a terrible position depending on where you were.

It was a mess basically.

 

[Anno]

I'm happy whenever a positive thread pops up from this game. I remember when I played the game for a few hours on launch day from my Kickstarter code and immediately ran to the GAF Steam thread to talk about how special it is. It's nice to see that so many people agree.

 

[N.47H.4N]

You are right,my favorite game in my Switch by far.

 

[Master Chuuster]

Couldn't agree more. One of my favourite games of all time.

 

[stan_marsh]

Top 5 GOAT for me.

It's perfect in my eyes.

 

[Servbot24]

Yep. It's on the level of Super Metroid and SotN.

I'm currently on Hallownest Pantheon to get he platinum... slowly losing hope, lol

 

[DC5remy]

decent game 3/10

Click to shrink...

See them trolling...

 

[moonsofvenus_]

I like hollow knight a lot, but there's a lot about it that can feel rather unfun imo.. some of the bosses can really just be exercises in frustruation rather than "fun", and its not because knowing what to do or what not to do, or even having the skill to execute it, its mainly how much damage they can do vs how much you can do to them.

 

[ckareset]

It's okay. I think the overall level design combined with the map system is extremely lacking and time wasting. The locations and power ups don't have that metroid polish

 

[SofNascimento]

A lot of things, copied from the patch notes:

Uoma are the exploding jellyfish. They appear from below and you have to attack them when they are lined up with Uumuu so they could hit him, since he was constantly chasing you it could be really hard to get in the right position to send the jellyfish to him without getting caught in the explosion (which causes 2 masks of damage). Sometimes he could take quite a while to call them and when he did it only spawned one, which could come from a terrible position depending on where you were.

It was a mess basically.

Click to shrink...

I can see how that would make him more challenging. Although I think the key element of this fight is that he is following you. That's a good thing. When I realized I could put him where I wanted it's when I thought I nailed this fight. Although I learned never to underestimate any fight in the pantheons that could take two bars of health with one attack.

 

[ThisOne]

Best game of the generation. Played through it twice (once on Switch, once on PS4). Best Metroidvania of all-time.

 

[thebishop]

I loved it so much. Portions of the last third dragged a bit for me, I think because the openings to some of the last major areas hinge on finding fairly well-hidden secrets. Can't remember the details now because the game is so big. But damn, I did not expect that the first 2 hours would eventually lead to something 80 hours, and that wasn't even close to 100% unlocked. After getting an *ending*, I just youtubed other stuff. I still see major areas and bosses in youtube videos that I never saw in my playthrough.

All the elements of it hang together so perfectly. The satisfaction of finding a new area. The times when it's legitimately scary. The deeper-than-expected interactions between charms. The NPCs... and being able to read their thoughts! The tough, but mostly beatable bosses. Trailing Hornet through the woods.

I'm super excited for Silksong.

 

[Bjomesphat]

Unfortunately its the game that proved I don't have the time or patience for Metroidvanias anymore. Bosses are difficult but fair, but having to trek my way back to the boss after dying gets really old.

Click to shrink...

Nah, Metroidvanias are still great, Hollow Knight just isn't a great Metroidvania. It's tedious, needlessly dense, over-designed, and there's a distinct lack of satisfying character growth and gameplay evolution from acquiring new traversal systems.

It's still a great game, and it's even more impressive that it was only made by a few people, but at the same time, you can kind of tell it was only made by a few people.

 

[Eggiem]

It's okay. I think the overall level design combined with the map system is extremely lacking and time wasting. The locations and power ups don't have that metroid polish

Click to shrink...

This. I absolutely hate the map system and confusing level design. I dont even know where I should go to and the backtracking is horrendous. (I finished all Soulsborne, 2D Castlevania and Metroid games).

 

[Deleted member 3017]

The map system is probably my favorite aspect of the entire game tbh

 

[PersianPrince]

It's an almost perfect game, but I feel like I'm the only one who thinks the game doesnt have enough save benches or stag stations. Traversal can be a real drag sometimes considering how big the map is.

 

[Deleted member 9100]

It's a fantastic game and in my opinion one of the best bang for your buck games ever released.

For the launch price compared to the content you get, it's incredible. Can't wait for the sequel.

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

I dunno, a lot of the map design felt very cubical and pieced together rather than organic. That and its just massive so there's a lot of superfluous exploring, and while the enemy variety is great the knight himself feels mostly the same the whole game.

The main abilities he does get are very, very uninspired too. Like the most typical metroidvania movement upgrades. The only thing I can remember that felt particularly unique is the bouncing off enemies when you're hitting downwards.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

I personally thought it was good, not great, then again it was made by 3 people so it's impressive regardless. Still I liked Ori, Bloodstained, Guacamelee all more but I do still need to go back and play it again for a true opinion.

 

[Luigi87]

An incredible game. One of the most satisfying in its genre.

 

[Phellps]

I went into it knowing little to nothing about it. Discovering everything about the game, from the plot to the controls to the gameplay to the skill level the game expected of me, it was absolutely incredible. It's one of my all-time favorite games, for sure, and I can't wait for Silksong.

 

[StreamedHams]

The aesthetic had to grow on me, but the absolute air-lock right controls and gameplay made me stay.

The world building (and cast) over time is what makes this game so utterly spectacular.

 

[Servbot24]

The map system is probably my favorite aspect of the entire game tbh

Click to shrink...

I wouldn't say it's especially great, but I've never noticed anything wrong with it. Always kind of surprising to see people calling it out. It's a fairly nice map, and you can call it up in an instant which is great.

 

[Pharaun]

Nah, Metroidvanias are still great, Hollow Knight just isn't a great Metroidvania. It's tedious, needlessly dense, over-designed, and there's a distinct lack of satisfying character growth and gameplay evolution from acquiring new traversal systems.

Click to shrink...

This is pretty much my feelings on Hollow Knight exactly. It's not a good metroidvania, and was distinctly not fun to play at all.

 

[RochHoch]

It still annoys me how awful the backtracking in this game is. It REALLY needed more fast-travel points, the Dream Nail can only mitigate the issue so much.

I consider the backtracking to be a rather large blemish on what is otherwise an absolute masterpiece, so hopefully Silksong improves on that.

 

[Pascal]

Hollow Knight is even more impressive when you realize that it was made by such a small team. It must have taken an astonishing amount of work to turn out such a high quality product with so few people. But maybe the fact that Team Cherry is such a small team is one of the reasons why Hollow Knight always seems to make the correct decision and carries itself with such clarity of vision. It's a masterpiece for sure, and one that I will always cherish.

Now we've gotta wait for Silksong cause we all know it's gonna be even better lol.

 

[JaseMath]

Nah, Metroidvanias are still great, Hollow Knight just isn't a great Metroidvania. It's tedious, needlessly dense, over-designed, and there's a distinct lack of satisfying character growth and gameplay evolution from acquiring new traversal systems.

It's still a great game, and it's even more impressive that it was only made by a few people, but at the same time, you can kind of tell it was only made by a few people.

Click to shrink...

I think it's a great Metroidvania, although I agree with a lot of what you said. Traversal is often tedious and vague, and the game is bloated to a fault. In fact, I was somewhat disappointed when a full-blown sequel was announced. I'm not sure how Team Cherry expounds upon the HK formula without rehashing.

 

[Baphomet]

is the charm for getting all the grubs worth it?

 

[Lotus]

Hollow Knight is even more impressive when you realize that it was made by such a small team. It must have taken an astonishing amount of work to turn out such a high quality product with so few people. But maybe the fact that Team Cherry is such a small team is one of the reasons why Hollow Knight always seems to make the correct decision and carries itself with such clarity of vision. It's a masterpiece for sure, and one that I will always cherish.

Now we've gotta wait for Silksong cause we all know it's gonna be even better lol.

Click to shrink...

Hornet can talk, GOTG!

 

[Dabanton]

I DL'ed on gamepass and will give it a go when I'm done with Hitman