Hollow Knight
2017
Audio: German, Chinese, Russian, Korean, English, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, French · Subtitles: Spanish, Russian, French, English, Portuguese, Italian, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
- platform
- adventure
- indie
- action
- fantasy
- single player
The story
A 2D metroidvania with an emphasis on close combat and exploration in which the player enters the once-prosperous now-bleak insect kingdom of Hallownest, travels through its various districts, meets friendly inhabitants, fights hostile ones and uncovers the kingdom's history while improving their combat abilities and movement arsenal by fighting bosses and accessing out-of-the-way areas.
What it’s like
Hand-drawn 2D with a muted, inky palette: pale bone-white glows against deep blue-black caverns, and the only warm colour comes from lanterns, fungal light and the occasional rusted sunset seen through a gap in the stone. Backgrounds recede into soft silhouettes of cracked architecture and dripping roots, and the camera follows a small, silent figure through long, unhurried corridors. The score is sparse and mournful, with strings and solo piano that drop out entirely in the quiet stretches, leaving the scrape of footsteps and the hum of cave air. The vibe is melancholy and quietly eerie, with a stubborn thread of wonder running through it, best suited to a late evening alone or a patient long-haul flight with headphones on. Pacing is deliberate: you wander, get lost, backtrack and slowly gain the tools to go further, and the emotional arc is one of gradual discovery about a fallen kingdom rather than sudden shock. Combat is precise and frequently tense, with bosses that demand patience, and it can be punishing, but violence is stylised insect-on-insect fighting with no gore and no sexual content. Fear comes from atmosphere and isolation more than jump scares. Made for players who enjoy exploration-led action, careful pattern-learning and a sad, beautiful world that rewards curiosity.
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