Hollow Knight experience

January 18, 2025 - Reading time: ~1 minute

After hearing about this game for so many years, I finally decided to play it. I was completely hooked the entire time! It took me about 50 hours to complete over the holidays. Once again I went in barely knowing anything about it.

• There were many moments that made me feel like it was souls game. For example:
  • Unlocking shortcuts that circled back to old areas.
  • Dying over and over again to learn a boss' moveset, until fighting them felt like a dance.
  • The difficulty level.
  • The indirect storytelling through disjointed dialogues and the environment.
• I really liked the soundtrack. Some of the more ambient tracks, such as the abyss and deepnest, reminded me of Elden Ring soundtracks.
• The audio cues were quite a big part of the gameplay for me. The sound design team did a great job so that it was really clear which direction the audio cue came from. For example, the cries from the grubs, conifer's hums, and the sound effects for Radiance's attacks.
• It was only after beating the game that I learned that Hollow Knight is considered a soulslike game, and has souls-inspired elements. Makes complete sense now!