Hollow Knight

Very interesting game, great lore, good gameplay. I loved fights (fighting strong but not annoying bosses such as Mantis Lords or Hornet was amazing!) and beautiful level design. Also this is the first metroidvania I know that requires a player to build a meaningful strategy to fight EACH boss. Still there are flaws. There is a fast transportation mechanism but it is absent in some places. One has to walk a looooong way just to get out from certain area. Also this explicitly stupid save-load system that allows a player to save only in limited number of points instead of letting them use, for example, their "soul" to save the game (as in Ori). There are mods that allow you to save wherever you want to, and I highly recommend playing with them installed: they will rescue you from annoying ten-minute walks after each two-minute attempt to defeat a boss. But despite all the flaws I still recommend this game. Fight system, plot, and design can forgive almost anything.

This is one of the best games ever, PERIOD!

At the best of times I enjoyed Hollow knight quite a bit. I love the snappy controls and bouncing on enemies feels very nice, not least because of the beautiful art. Ultimately, though. I was left with a more sour taste than I would have liked. I saw a video discussing the game, which stated that the game's biggest problem is its pacing and I shared that experience in two ways: Firstly I agree that the game takes too long to give you your full moveset: What you're given at the start doesn't stay exciting for very long. Secondly, and this is my biggest issue with the game, I don't like how long the walks back to the boss fights are. I don't know why the decision was made to make them that long, but to me it just feels like a waste of time. The final boss makes you go through an easy, but not entirely trivial pre-boss every time you die to it, and that was a little too much for me, so I gave up at that point. I do have to qualify that second point by saying that I am of fairly average skill when it comes to this kind of game. I imagine somebody much better than me might enjoy the tension that a greater penalty to failure adds. Me, I need a few attempts to get the patterns down and the long walks make that a frustrating experience.

This game may feel a little on the harder side, but its one of the best metroidvania experiences I have ever had. The boss fights become a lot harder in the end, but its all worth it for this amazing lore. Tip: by following the story telling method of dark souls, this game tells its lore by the details in the map, so pay attention to everything.

Hollow Knight's world is unmatched in extent and ambiance by any side scrolling game I have played. The areas feel distinct not only by their backround color but vegetation, enemies, hazards, music and effects. Finding a new one is always intriguing. The map is interconnected with more and less obvious connections between areas in addition to the fast travel system. The combat is extremely tight, satisfying and easy to follow but also punishing. Getting hit rarely feels unfair, one only needs to learn the attack patterns of enemies. Granted, this may take a while. The exploration feels satisfying and the game features many secrets, although disappointingly most things found are either lore or items to exchange for money. Unlike many metroidvanias, the game is quite sparse in upgrades. For me having to explore some areas without a map was a unique and refreshing navigation challenge while being distressing. The platforming never quite clicked with me. The controls are very responsive but the game demands a lot of precision in some sections and never felt quite as good as a dedicated platformer would. The music and art direction are amazing. With so many indie games using a pixel art style, the hand-drawn look is a welcome change of pace. It looks stylish without ever compromising on clarity. The music sets the appropriate mood for every moment of gameplay. The sheer amount of content in this game continues to amaze me with even more available as DLC. I played the game to an ending and feel as if I have only scratched the surface of the challenges this game has to offer. The game also features a lot of variety in the item builds allowing one to adapt their playstyle to suit them. The shade system, while mostly providing a good challenge and punisment for death, actively discourages exploring a different area from the one one just died in. The incredible boss fights are sometimes bogged down by having to trek to them again and again from a faraway save point.