Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania video game developed and published by independent developer, Team Cherry. The player controls the Knight, an insectoid warrior exploring Hallownest, a fallen kingdom plagued by a supernatural disease.
Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania video game developed and published by independent developer, Team Cherry. The player controls the Knight, an insectoid warrior exploring Hallownest, a fallen kingdom plagued by a supernatural disease. The game is set in diverse subterranean locations, featuring friendly and hostile insectoid characters and numerous bosses. Players have the opportunity to unlock new abilities as they explore each location, along with pieces of lore and flavour text that are spread throughout the kingdom.
The concept behind Hollow Knight was conceived in 2013 in the Ludum Dare game jam. Team Cherry wanted to create a game inspired by older platformers that replicated the explorational aspects of its influences. Inspirations for the game include Faxanadu, Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X. Development was partially funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that raised over A$57,000 by the end of 2014. It was released for Windows, Linux, and macOS, in early 2017 and for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018. After release, Team Cherry supported the game with four free expansions.
Hollow Knight was well received by critics, with particular praise for its music, art style, worldbuilding, atmosphere, combat and level of difficulty. By February 2019, the game had sold 2.8 million copies.[1] A sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is currently in development.
Hollow Knight is a 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania.[2][3] The player controls an insectoid, silent protagonist called “the Knight” who explores an underground fallen kingdom called Hallownest. The Knight can strike enemies with a sword-like weapon called a Nail and can also learn spells that allow for long-range attacks.[3][4]
Defeated enemies drop the currency called Geo.[4] The Knight starts with a limited number of hit points, which are represented by masks.[5] “Mask Shards” can be collected throughout the game to increase the player’s maximum number of masks. By striking enemies, the Knight gains Soul, which is stored in the Soul Vessel. If all masks are lost, the Knight dies and a Shade enemy appears where they died. The player loses all Geo and can hold a reduced amount of Soul. Players need to defeat the Shade enemy to recover lost Geo and carry the normal amount of Soul.[5] The game continues from the last visited bench the character sat on, which are scattered throughout the game world and act as save points and places where the player can change their charms. Initially the player can only use Soul to “Focus” and regenerate masks, but as the game progresses, players unlock and collect several offensive spells which consume Soul.[6] Additional Soul Vessels, used to hold more Soul, can be acquired throughout the game.[5]
Many areas feature more challenging enemies and bosses which the player may need to defeat in order to progress further.[4] Defeating some bosses grants the player access to new abilities.[3] Later in the game, players acquire the Dream Nail, a special sword that can access the minds of Hallownest’s creatures. Hitting most enemies with the Dream Nail gives the Knight extra Soul compared to hitting them with the regular Nail. It also enables the player to face more challenging versions of a few bosses and to break the seal to the final boss.[5] If the player defeats the final boss of the game, they are given access to a mode called “Steel Soul”. In this mode, dying is permanent, i.e. if the Knight loses all of their masks, the save slot will be reset.[7]
During the game, the player encounters bug-themed non-player characters (NPCs) with whom they can interact. These characters provide information about the game’s plot and lore, offer aid, and sell items or services.[5] The player can upgrade the Knight’s Nail to deal more damage or find Soul Vessels to carry more Soul. During the course of the game, players acquire items that provide new movement abilities including an additional mid-air jump (Monarch Wings), adhering to and jumping off walls (Mantis Claw), a quick dash (Mothwing Cloak), and a speedy super dash (Crystal Heart). The player can learn other combat abilities, known as Nail Arts, and the aforementioned spells. To further customise the Knight, players can equip various charms, which can be found or purchased from NPCs. Some of their effects include improved combat abilities or skills, granting more masks with or without the ability to regenerate them with Soul, greater mobility, easier collecting of Geo or Soul, the ability to gain more Geo per enemy, and other transformations to the Knight.[3][5] Equipping a charm takes up a certain number of limited slots, called notches.
Hallownest consists of several large, inter-connected areas with unique themes.[3] With its nonlinear gameplay “Metroidvania” design, Hollow Knight does not bind the player to one path through the game nor require them to explore the whole world; there are entire places that can be missed when finishing the game, though there are obstacles that limit the player’s access to various areas. The player may need to progress in the story of the game, or acquire a specific movement ability, skill, or item to progress further.[5] To fast travel through the game’s world, the player can use Stag Stations, terminals connected to a network of tunnels that are traversed via giant stag beetles; players can only travel to previously visited and unlocked stations. Other fast travel methods, such as trams, lifts, and the “Dreamgate”, are encountered later in the game.[4][8]
As the player enters a new area, they do not have access to the map of their surroundings. They must find Cornifer, the cartographer, to buy a rough map.[a] As the player explores an area, the map becomes more accurate and complete, although it is updated only when sitting on a bench. The player will need to buy specific items to complete maps, to see points of interest, and to place markers. The Knight’s position on the map can only be seen if the player has the Wayward Compass charm equipped.[2][4]