Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight stands as a monument to game design, and quite possibly, as the greatest Metroidvania game of all time.

For a moment there I thought I was growing out of video games, but damn has this past six months restored my faith thanks to Hollow Knight, Owlboy, and Breath of the Wild. We are truly living in a new golden age of gaming.

Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania with a well of content to discover that’s as deep as its labyrinthine caves. The world of Hallownest is compelling and rich, full of story that’s left for you to discover on your own, and built with branching paths that offer an absurd amount of choice in how you go about discovering it. With such a high density of secrets to find and fun, challenging enemies to face, it’s worth spending every moment you can in Hollow Knight.

The Metroid series has inspired countless games, and while some of them borrow the sci-fi premise and setting, the sense of progression is what seems to captivate most developers. At its core, the genre is about exploring an interconnected world and gaining abilities to get to new areas within it. Hollow Knight falls within this common category, but quickly distinguishes itself as both an adept emulation of the genre’s brightest stars and a unique melding of different ideas. The action, tone, and world design of Hollow Knight set it apart from what has come before.

Hollow Knight makes a strong case for renaming Metroidvania games Hollow-likes.

Hollow Knight is a big, beautiful, forboding Metroidvania that's absolutely thick with detail and feels very much at home on Switch, proving to be as strong an experience on the move as it is on your TV. From its punchy combat system to its charming art and sound design, if you're up for the challenge this is one of the finest, richest adventures you can have on Nintendo Switch.

It may not be wholly original, but Hollow Knight is without a doubt one of the best metroidvania games out there. Hallownest’s desolate world is built on an atmosphere of mournful sorrow. Its characters, few and far between with little to say, will become fast friends that you feel genuinely ecstatic coming across. With a massive, interconnected world that you’re free to explore without direction, and secrets hidden around every corner and over forty hours of content, Hollow Knight may not be entirely new but it is downright outstanding.

A bug's life.

Everyone and their neighbour has been raving about this Metroidvania masterpiece since it released last year for PC and it has finally made its console debut. So, sharpen a nail and prepare to explore a haunting bug-filled world.

Dark and beautiful, you’ll come for Hollow Knight’s visual appeal, but you’ll stay for the challenge and responsive combat.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the experience this game has brought me. It has given me just the right amount of challenge and yet it’s also not letting you get off easy. The game even has a hardcore mode if you want an even more challenging experience as this mode offers permanent death. This game is not a walk in the park but once you get over the obstacles it gives you, what you get is a game that makes you feel accomplished and makes you yearn for more of that experience.