Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania game developed by Team Cherry(Silksong, when?). Aside from having a beautiful art style and hauntingly beautiful score, the majestic world design and the sad story is what makes this game so special to me. It is indeed an indie masterpiece, and an experience at that.

The Preface

The game starts with the player character, the mysterious Knight, overlooking the kingdom of Hallownest. The Knight then descends into the kingdom, and before you know it, he meets Elderbug in a small town called Dirthmouth. Elderbug explains that Hallownest was once a thriving and prosperous kingdom, however due to a mysterious illness, the kingdom fell into ruins. Thus, the journey of the Knight commences.

Into the ruins

The first area which the Knight traverses is the Forgotten Crossroads. The Crossroads is a desolate area, filled with memories of the past. Soon, the Knight encounters Cornifer, the cartographer, who goes on to explain that the Crossroads was once a bustling area, filled with life. However, due to the infection, the area has now become a shadow of its former self.

The Knight then meets the False Knight, the first of numerous bosses in the game. Now, the False Knight’s armour is massive, painting a vivid imagery of might and power. However, soon we realise that the actual wearer of the armor is a lowley maggot. So, a bit of lore now, there were five great knights in the Pale King’s court, who was once the mighty ruler of Hallownest. One of the 5 knights was mighty Hegemol. One day, this maggot stumbled upon Hegemol who was resting, and somehow stole his armor. It remains unclear whether Hegemol was killed in the process or not. The maggot claims to have done all this just to protect his siblings. This is the first instance of the game’s melancholic undertones. Nonetheless, The False Knight is defeated, and the Knight moves on.

A splash of green

Greenpath is a lush and vibrant (and acid-filled) forest, the atmosphere here is considerably merrier than the Crossroads. Greenpath is inhabited by the Mosskin Tribe, a group of plant-like bugs. In the northwest part lies the Lake of Unn, with a lone Moss Knight standing on the edge of the pier. This area is especially beautiful, giving off a peaceful and an almost welcoming vibe.

The main boss in this area is Hornet (Shaw!), a recurring character who seems to have some connection to the Knight. This fight is where the difficulty really spikes, and honestly, it is a memorable one. Hornet is still one of my favourite bosses in the game, due to the overall setting and the choreography. Overall, Greenpath is a beautiful area, and definitely one of the most lively areas, where the inherent sadness of the ruined kingdom takes a backseat to the joyous and lush greenery.

Fungal Wastes and Mantis Village

Fungal Wastes

The Fungal wastes are nothing remarkable, and honestly one of my least favourite areas in the game, what with all the exploding grenade launchers, and weird acid water. So yeah nothing much to comment on here.

Mantis Village

Mantis Village is the home of the Mantis Tribe, a warrior cult who have successfully resisted the infection. They do have a rich history, which is evident from the fact that the borders of the Mantis Village contain the heads of beasts mounted on poles. At first, these guys are genuinely aggressive, and they attack you with some swiftness. Then, when you beat the Mantis Lords, these creatures bow down as a mark of respect, which is an exceptional detail.This brings us to the Mantis Lords fight, which if you ask me, is one of the best boss fights across genres, right up there with Batman vs Deathstroke in Arkham Origins. The attacks of the Lords are perfectly synchronised, specially in the second half when you take on two together. This, along with the music, makes this more of a well-choreographed dance, rather than a sparring match. Another interesting thing to note here is that this is not your traditional boss fight, rather more of a challenge, and in fact this is entirely optional. I attempted this fight after upgrading my nail, and even then it took me almost 20 tries. This fight is a genuine masterpiece and my favourite boss fight in the entire game.

Next up is the City of Tears.

The City of Tears

The City of tears is the capital city of Hallownest, located in the centre of the kingdom. The city is distinctly divided into two parts, the eastern and the western part. The eastern part is where the high society resided, often having luxurious homes. The western part was more common-looking and much plainer, in terms of decor. A sub-area is the Soul Sanctum, where you encounter the boss Soul Master (a bit of a pain to get through this part).

Another sub-section is the pleasure house, where Songstress Marissa used to perform. She was a renowned songstress, who used to perform in front of enrapt crowds, with a voice that was described as being able to ease burdens and still troubled minds. After the advent of the infection, the crowds slowly dwindled away, and Marissa was left alone. At some point, she passed away, however her spirit still lingered on. She continued to sing here even though nobody was left to listen.

The remaining parts of the city include the Watcher’s Spire, where Lurien the Watcher, watched over the city with his telescope, and the Tower of Love, the abode of a creepy void creature named the Collector.

With a hauntingly fitting soundtrack, the City of Tears has one of the most beautiful and melancholic ambiences in the game, with a stark reminder that all might and power is ephemeral, and is destined to fade away.

Kingdom’s Edge

Kingdom’s Edge is the final area which I’ll be covering in this post. It is the easternmost area of Hallownest, and the place where the Pale King first arrived in Hallownest. After the City of Tears was built,the residents hardly ventured out to this area, and it was left to the elements. At some point, the Colosseum of Fools was set up. It drew warriors from all corners to compete in its arena.

One of the most peaceful benches in the entire game is found here in the Kingdom’s Edge at one of the highest points, right before we meet Hornet for the second time.

Hornet part 2, or Hornet Sentinel, is again quite a fun fight, albeit I found it to be considerably less challenging than her first fight in Greenpath. Nonetheless, she once again has perfectly synchronised attacks and the fight has a good rhythmic flow to it.

Doma, Doma, Doma!

Well, that’s it for now. Perhaps, I will cover the remaining areas in a future post, or perhaps not, I don’t really know. There are so many things which make this game special. The art-style, the ambience, the bosses, the lore, the soundtrack, the exploration, everything is top-notch and even though it’s challenging, it is an extremely fun adventure. A definite recommend from me to anyone who is a fan of gaming in general.

I hope that you enjoyed reading this, and I’ll see you in the next one!

All images are from the Hollow Knight Wiki.