Kept an eye on this one ever since its reveal, but I was taken aback over just how good this one turned out. More than the majority of other of its modern-day peers in the genre, Hollow Knight nails the essence of what makes a Metroidvania stand out. Recent-ish games like Ori & The Blind Forest, Guacamelee, Outland or Momodora are far removed from being bad games and even excel in different areas Hollow Knight does not primarily focus on, but to me they've always resembled pseudo-action platformers rather than iterating on a genre that innately instils wanderlust, given their heavily guided nature and subsequently removing a gratifying sense of exploration.
Hollow Knight, much like Breath of the Wild shortly before it released, understood the importance of leaving players to their own devices. You're dropped into a massive, interconnected and densely packed world to explore by your own choosing - one finely crafted to potentially allow for wildly differing routes between multiple players - and it does not hold your hand in the process. By the developer's own admission, Hallownest is a playground where 60% of its content is entirely optional and this in a game where the map system deliberately leaves out information you'd otherwise find in a Metroidvania, like pinpointing your current location... or even initially
showing the next portion of the map. What could easily be perceived as a genuine flaw works here, because the lack thereof is substituted by ample landmarks on the map itself as well as sufficient in-game signposting (sometimes literally) as you're gallivanting about. It is not an adventure devoid of guidance, especially if you want a nudge in the right direction to continue treading the main path, but you either have to specifically seek these other means out via the correct NPC's or through other optional methods (which require a minor balancing act) without it being forced down your throat. It's a withdrawn trek if the player wants it to be and Hollow Knight's kingdom of Hallownest is very much built to respectfully keep this sort of immersive, borderline isolated experience in mind.
What made traversing through Hallownest such a joy for me, is how rewarding it is to meander off to the wayside. Hollow Knight does not fall for common trappings that are almost ubiquitous (to a fault) to the genre by now; unlike even the classics such as Super Metroid, side-collectibles do not largely consist out of generic health / magic / ammo upgrades for starters. In fact, those are surprisingly kept to a minimum! Instead you meet new charismatic faces who could prove valuable, new objectives or events that adequately encourage revisits, new tools which could help create a specialized build due to a Materia-lite sort of system, sighting one of the 130+ enemy types tied to a contextually appropriate bestiary and more. Benches, known as the de facto save points, are also relatively scarce without feeling too rare in number. Significant shortcuts are fairly prominent as well; fast travel stations need to be earned and there exist a healthy number of wrap-arounds that tightly weave together large chunks of the overarching layout so that areas don't feel disposable in the long run. Most of these elements, but especially the latter two, are a stark contrast to how most of the aforementioned modern-day Metroidvanias handled their mechanical or structural vision. It's quite frankly refreshing!
To top it all off: the setting just feels wholly cohesive. The presentation is already top notch in between the outstanding
soundtrack + audio design, the
cutesy yet somber hand-drawn aesthetic, the slick interface and a puzzle-like narrative that isn't excessively opaque, but what really drives this point home is Hollow Knight's attention to detail. Oft negligible yet frequently employed for the sake of believability or visible culture, these touches (be it on your character or elsewhere) demonstrate the craftsmanship put into this game down to even miniscule elements you wouldn't think twice about anymore by today's standards. I mean,
shit; trivial as it may be, there's even a plausible explanation as to why money drops automatically gravitate towards you should you have the corresponding perk equipped:
Given the
meager crowdfunded budget the
bite-sized development team asked for, their debut title is nothing short of a legitimately impressive accomplishment.
