Hollow Knight

I won't spend too much time saying what's been said thousands of time : this is a wonderfull game, the art style is amazing, the music is delightful, the combats are intense, the controls feel good, it is long, it is rich with great content, secrets, abilities, hidden lore, optionnal bosses. It is worth your time and your money. But... I'd like to talk about the two reasons you may NOT like this game, and give you some advice that may help you go through this : 1. It is hard. Hollow Knight is a game that is meant to challenge you and it will. You may pass the first few bosses quite easily but the game will quickly require that you learn specifically how to beat the bosses, and this will often take more than just a few tries. This may feel frustrating if you're used to more casual games. Luckily, the world of Hollow Knight is very vast, so you're not forced to headbutt the same opponent again and again until you get mad. Go explore, do a sidequest, try to sharpen your skills on common ennemies... The good thing is, once you understand how to deal with a boss, it starts feeling easy, even though it felt impossible at the start. It feels really rewarding to know that, since there's no grinding mechanic in this game, it's only due to your commitment. 2. You'll get lost. This also may feel frustrating if you're used to other systems, but will get very satisfying in the long run. You start with no map, no quill and no compass, and the three are to be bought separately so you can start to update a little bit of map once in a while at a checkpoint. At the beginning, this will be very confusing. Please don't let that discourage you. Just pick one path and carry on. Pick another if it seems too difficult. You'll soon become addicted to this mechanic that pushes you to explore every corner, and by the time you reach the edges of this world, you'll find yourself wishing there was still more uncharted land to uncover.

(Previously bought on Steam where I've clocked 133 hours so far) This has become my favorite game. As big Zelda fan I'd never imagine I would like this game more than any Zelda title, but I do. Being a metroidvania, the progression is similar to the non-linear Zelda games. The world is a blast to explore, and everytime you find an upgrade or ability you can reach new areas. This game is difficult (platforming and particularly combat) and before this game I thought I didn't like difficult games. But Hollow Knight taught me that difficulty can be fun if the game is fair and you notice you are getting better each try. The artstyle is gorgeous and the soundtrack was way better than expected. You are robbing yourself if you don't but this game.

Here's rarity. An actually fun metroidvania game! An extremely well balanced game that challenges you but also does not delve into cheapness. The art style is wonderful with cartoony, cute characters but also exuding a palpable atmosphere of mystery, desolation and real mystery. The music is beautiful and well fitting to the atmosphere. It is almost subliminal the way that adds to the world and context of where you are. There is a bit of a dark souls atmosphere, perhaps not as difficult but just as rewarding. One of the best modern 2D games I've played in decades.

Hollow Knight is a gorgeous metroidvania that gets right into the game. It does not spend forever on tutorials, and when you get something new, it gives you one screen telling you how to use your new ability. The game encourages exploration, with many ways to get from place to place, and a non-linear power-up unlock sequence. It is not like some Metroid games, where each powerup gives you access to just one other powerup. In Hollow Knight, when you find a powerup, you have a variety of new areas that you can now access with your new ability. Combat in the game is fast and focused. You have a melee attack that you can swing in four directions, and unlock a couple of more ranged/aoe magic attacks through the game. Enemies have simple patterns and telegraph their attacks, so getting through any enemy is just a matter of learning the pattern and having the skill to exploit it. Attacks being so simple, and lacking combos, means that learning your own abilities is easy. The game's main weakness is how abstract the story is. I read an outline on a wiki before playing the game, and I think I enjoyed it more, knowing all what everything is hinting at and finding where the wiki is getting some obscure lore piece from. It does not explain enough in the game to understand on your first playthrough. Great game, I ended up buying it again for the Nintendo Switch because I liked it enough to want on the go.

This is one of my favourite games ever made. If this is on sale - don't think twice. I'd even recommend getting the full version including DLCs and Soundtracks. Have fun!