Hollow Knight

The most amazing 2D game from the whole history of games. That's it. Even Dark Souls lore wasn't so interesting like this one!

The amount of content in this game for this price is just ridiculous. Can't recommend it enough. A few key things: -) Game starts out too slowly, I didnt just enjoying this game until about 10 hours in, a faster start would have helped a lot in regards to first impressions. -) There is so much hidden content, I am 30 hours in and still found new charms, NPCs and even bosses. -) the controls are extremly tight and responsive. However, for reasons I don't understand the game becomes very sluggish when used with a Steam Link AND when turning on AA. I have read some reviews on steam who critizied "sluggish controls" and I believe this is why. -) Combat is simple but gets more complex as you play - especially in regards to arial combat.

Let's just say that this is the first time I ever buy a game. After I pirated this game I just had to buy it. Not just cause of the free DLCs but cause the devs deserve it. Just.... Wow. Wow. Wow... It doesn't get any better this this. Wow. The game starts out slowly but you have to be willing to explore. There is no linear gameplay route, it's about going around and exploring. This is how every single adventure game should be. Let alone the progression and the brilliance of the puzzles of this game, the art, the soundtracks and the vastness of the playstyle and the experience. This is hands down the best game I have ever played so far in my entire life. This is just the gem I have been looking for. Rich in content, extremely challenging, great progression system and perfectly designed maps and bosses. It's so much fun you're always looking forward to the next thing exploring going back and forth and figuring things out. This game is such a masterpiece. I'm happy to support the devs with whatever paid DLCs they'll be putting out in the future. This game is pure genius. No amount of words in any order will describe how lucky I felt stumbling across this game. At first it didn't seem like much but as I played it more and more I got hooked after a couple of hours. To think that human beings are capable of creating such engaging fun mentally stimulating content has really put things into perspective for me. Maybe this raised the bar way too damn much. Maybe I'll never find anything to ever compete with it. I surely hope they'll still be releasing more and more DLCs. Cause I know that for as long as I'll be playing this game, it's going to be a blast. Thank you for this.

Hollow Knight is one of those games that reminded me that I #loveindies. I don't need the big budget part of the industry at all if titles like that continue to crop up. The game has a unique spirit. Tells a story unlike any other. Through it's graphics, music, text and gameplay. Tells it in a way that is very engaging, feeding you tiny bits of narrative, leaving you to put the pieces together yourself, purposefully leaving a lot of blanks for you to fill, unanswered questions that keep the mystery until the very end and beyond, but it still feels cohesive and deliberate throughout. The metroidvania approach of freely roaming the world is reflected in the approach to storytelling, which unfolds freely, not linearly. Figuring out what this world and its inhabitants are about is a game in itself. And what they are about is not just another set of game-story clichés, it's original, it's fresh, they devs didn't pander to anyone but told a tale that they wanted to tell, that they believed in and you can feel it. There's humour, there's darkness, there's seriousness, there's wackiness and weirdness. The gameplay is tight, and will test your intelligence, speed, precision. It's not a game for a lazy afternoon to just go through the motions, it engages you, keeps your brain active, challenged. It requires persistence and frustration tolerance and rewards that with a strong feeling of accomplishment. The only problem is that sometimes it's hard to tell if that difficult part is required to progress or is it there just as a test of skill, for bragging rights, and if those items are important or just collectibles for completionists and achievement hunters.

I'm now well on my way to 100% and finally feel comfortable drawing a few conclusions about this wonderful game. In many aspects from the gorgeous art and graphic design, to the exceptional music and sound, to the deeply satisfying combat system, this is one of the greatest installments I have ever played in the action-platforming genre of which I have long been a fan. There are a few minor gripes that mar an otherwise near-perfect experience however. 1) Strange gamepad control scheme. Why exactly does the spell cast button have to be mapped to both the dedicated R1/RB button AND dual mapped to the heal button (B/circle) as well? This only serves to ensure that the player will occasionally accidently use a spell when attempting to heal or back out of a menu. There NEEDS to at least be an option to use only the R1/RB button to cast. Frankly, it would be a more sane default. In addition, on PS4 controllers the button to open the inventory menu is mapped to the touchpad even though the "share" button is unused and would be much more convenient in my opinion. If only this function were remappable like most others... 2) Charm balancing needs some work. A few examples (item spoilers ahead): Spore shroom is mostly useless, particularly late-game. It could be made more usable by scaling damage per tick with maximum health and releasing the cloud at the beginning of healing rather than after. Grubberfly's Elegy is not worth 3 notches in current form. 2 would be more reasonable. Baldur Shell simply sucks. Allow healing to continue until broken, or refund the soul used afterward. Hiveblood needs an overhaul. Regenerating continuously up to full health, but blocking focus a la Joni's Blessing would be more worthy of 4 notches. Overall, my complaints are minor and fixable, and do not detract much from the journey that is Hollow Knight. I bought it on sale for $10. Normal price is $15. To me this game would be worth every penny of $20-30. Absolutely recommended.