Adventuring NPCs pop up at various points through the game, giving me the sense that other stories are unfolding concurrently with mine.
#Hollow knight review software
On the Souls side of things, Team Cherry doles out world-building in much the same way From Software did – piecemeal, and often hidden away for only the most perceptive players.Īs cartoonish as this universe may look, there’s depth to its mythos and a sense of geography to its locations. It’s a pleasant surprise not to have my hand held, and to be given actual agency over the order in which I tackle objectives. For all of the knock-offs that Symphony of the Night has spawned over the last two decades, this is one of the few that can claim to sport a truly branching, open-ended world. In fact, it adeptly recaptures some key elements of the franchises it draws from. This isn’t to say that the insect-themed Hollow Knight is bad, though. Mechanically, it’s nothing I haven’t seen a thousand times before. Developer Team Cherry couldn’t even cough up any interesting upgrades, instead falling back on the bog-standard double jump, stomp, air dash, and wall-run.Īesthetically, this project is a treat. Strip away the sharp presentation and its only unique quality among legions of Castlevania-style action-platformers is that it’s disappointingly bloated. This world is a joy to take in, and yet, heaven help me, I can’t get enthused about Hollow Knight.
The moody soundtrack, sure to be one of the year’s best, complements each section perfectly. It’s not enough for an area to be rainy – water actually puddles up and runs glistening down walls. Characters move with exaggerated energy and speak a cute made-up language in delightfully cartoonish tones.Įnvironmentally, each region is brimming with details that make it immediately distinctive from another. On top of that, this game’s audiovisual appeal is through the roof – an adorable hand-drawn visual style makes Hollow Knight one of the prettiest 2D releases in recent memory. As derivative as Hollow Knight is, I would never call a project like this unambitious. No game has quite nailed it yet – certainly not Hollow Knight – but to even attempt to mimic From Software’s work takes courage.Īn unwelcoming difficulty curve can easily alienate players if mishandled, and there’s tremendous risk in dumping detail into a world’s lore and making it obtuse to unearth.
#Hollow knight review series
I support the ongoing effort to keep the Dark Souls torch lit now that the actual minds behind that series are taking an indefinite hiatus.
WTF No, really, who thought this map system was a good idea? LOW Who thought this map system was a good idea? HIGH There are bosses called “Dung Defender” and “the Mantis Lords.”
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