Its sense of mystery is a double-edged sword: many of its opportunities for advancement or improvement are hidden so well that I'd never have found them without internet guidance. The joy of discovering a new room, or of finally unlocking a door you've passed by, is even more poignant in the face of Hallownest's dark and mysterious hostility.Īfter I gathered some more upgrades, I even went back to the Hive to get revenge on those motherfuckin' bees! That felt pretty great.īut there is a, er, "dark" side to Hollow Knight that goes beyond its pitch-black environments and sometimes- evil challenges. comforting, I guess, that a little bravery was enough to get me back in the game.Īnd "when it works," which is most of the time, Hollow Knight delivers a sharply-focused take on the Metroidvania subgenre. With the low visibility and the crawling noises and the surprise spiders.) Hell, last time I said that I "lacked the courage" to keep going. Hollow Knight's literally-dark aesthetics and eldritch lore can make the thought of delving its depths intimidating. I fully expected my return trip to end in a quick death - but I actually made progress, uncovered some new territory, and it wasn't long before I'd knocked off the Dreamers that'd been haunting my world map since last year. for all the progression in Hollow Knight, its fundamentals stay pretty simple. For all its ability unlocks and upgrades and technical nuance.
The good news is that, when I finally did jump back into Hallownest, it didn't feel like I'd missed much. That's why it's been sitting in my "Playing" section for the last 11 months. In my 2019 review, I made a promise - to myself, I suppose - that I would attempt Hollow Knight again.