Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is one of the definitive references of the modern metroidvania genre. Developed by Team Cherry, the game invites players to explore Hallownest, an ancient underground kingdom inhabited by insects, now reduced to ruins and consumed by a mysterious infection. As a silent protagonist known as the Knight, the player ventures into a world that is as beautiful as it is hostile, where every step hides secrets, dangers, and fragments of a tragic story.

Rather than explaining everything directly, Hollow Knight relies on the player’s curiosity. Its narrative is built through the environment, enemies, sparse dialogue, and dream sequences, creating an experience that rewards observation and personal interpretation.

Exploration and organic progression

The core gameplay revolves around exploring an interconnected map that gradually expands as new abilities are acquired. Jumping higher, dashing, wall climbing, or using spells unlocks previously inaccessible routes, encouraging constant returns to earlier areas.

Hallownest is divided into regions with strong identities: fungal wastes, ruined cities, forgotten gardens, and crystalline caverns. Each area introduces unique enemies, challenges, and atmospheres, reinforcing the sense of traversing a coherent and living kingdom despite its decay.

The game avoids excessive guidance. Getting lost is part of the experience, and discovering a shortcut or a new bench feels like a small personal victory.

Precise and demanding combat

Hollow Knight’s combat system stands out for its apparent simplicity and real depth. The Knight’s primary weapon is the Nail, a light blade that demands precise positioning and strong control of combat rhythm.

Key combat elements:

• Fast and direct melee attacks
• Spells that consume SOUL energy
• Nail Arts for special strikes
• Charm system to customize builds
• Bosses with clear and demanding patterns

Every encounter, especially boss fights, functions as a learning test. It is not about simply increasing stats, but about mastering patterns, timing, and movement. Mobility—jumps, dashes, and rebounds—is deeply integrated into combat, making fighting and movement part of the same fluid system.

A world told in silence

One of Hollow Knight’s greatest achievements is its atmosphere. The hand-drawn art style, combined with layered backgrounds that add depth, builds a melancholic and captivating world. Hallownest feels ancient, abandoned, and full of history, even when not a single word is spoken.

The soundtrack, composed by Christopher Larkin, is fundamental to this identity. Soft, sorrowful, and tense melodies accompany each region, reinforcing emotions such as loneliness, nostalgia, and danger. Environmental audio—echoes, wind, distant creatures—brings this fallen kingdom to life.

The story is not presented as a linear narrative, but as a puzzle. The player pieces it together through details: a statue, an enemy, a single line of dialogue. This approach gives narrative weight to every discovery.

Content, challenges, and replayability

Hollow Knight offers an extensive campaign lasting between 20 and 30 hours, easily surpassing 40 hours for those aiming for full completion. In addition, Team Cherry released four major free expansions that are now part of the base game.

These include new bosses, side quests, quality-of-life improvements, and the demanding Godmaster mode, focused on consecutive boss battles. The Steel Soul mode also stands out, introducing permanent death and transforming the game into a far more tense experience.

Multiple endings, combined with different charm configurations, encourage replayability and alternative approaches.

A legacy within the genre

Since its release in 2017, Hollow Knight has become a benchmark for metroidvania games and indie development as a whole. Its critical and commercial success proved that a challenging, uncompromising 2D experience could compete at the highest level.

Hollow Knight does not aim to please everyone, but it rewards those who accept its challenge. It is a game that trusts the player’s skill, patience, and curiosity, offering in return one of the most memorable worlds in the genre.