Soapbox features allow our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random things they’ve chewed on. Today, Jim finally sees the hollow light…
Last year I decided to take a break from Tears of the Kingdom and pick up a fun looking, little talked about indie that was on a tasty little eShop discount at the time. The game was called ‘Hollow Knight’ or something like that and I put a decent amount of time into it before I got stuck, put the controller down and never thought about it again.
Truth be told, I’ve had a lot of fun playing this game you’ve probably never heard of. I appreciated the movement, the combat was fun, and I enjoyed the sense of exploration. My first 20 hours in Hallownest were fine, but it was only good time’. It was not a life changing experience.
As it turns out, this forgotten gem is getting a sequel – everyday is a school day, huh? — and as excited anticipation built for it, conversations began to emerge that its predecessor was one of the best of the best, a top metroidvania, something you can’t sleep on. [Okay, okay, enough of this pretend forgetfulness! – Ed.]
What I saw was perfectly neat, but that wasn’t all. Did I miss something? Did I play it wrong? Obviously not content to let everyone make up their own minds, I decided the only thing I could do was dive back in and see if I could find this secret sauce that everyone else seemed so addicted to.
I’m crazy about map markers.
I’m crazy about map markers, so after they showed me the location of the three Dreamers a year ago, I made it my ultimate quest. I ran past the environmental narrative, gave the newly opened routes a cold head, and left everything that didn’t seem absolutely essential to me in the dust. When I played that way, I checked Herrah the Beast off the list and then burned out.
This time I went back to my original save and wandered around for a bit only to find that I had no idea where I was or what I was supposed to be doing other than getting the other two Dreamers. Frustrated that my memory hadn’t retained every nook and cranny of the massive, detailed map after a year of not looking at it, I scrapped the old file and started from scratch.
In case you haven’t already guessed, this is where I found the secret sauce.
Now I was armed with a different attitude. Forget the completion rate, I was good here and long time. I took things slowly, resisting the urge to run straight to the Dreamers and instead focusing on exploring every passage that opened up.
My map became pins—purchased from Iselda’s shop in Dirtmouth—as I patiently marked places that were out of my reach right now but that I knew I wanted to look at later. I made sure the areas were thoroughly cleaned (to the best of my knowledge) before proceeding. The black pins marked the places where the ground shook until I unlocked Desolate Dive, the red pins marked the double jump platform before I found the Monarch Wings, and the yellow pins highlighted the long gaps in the days before the crystal heart.
The genius of Hollow Knight isn’t in its combat or movement… but in the design of the Hallownest itself
I primarily used these pins to help distract me from the three Dreamer icons, but over time they began to serve a much more important purpose: allowing me to explore properly. Without the shackles of goals, I could look deeper into Hallownest and see the beauty within. The one thing that initially completely missed me (and the reason I kept coming back this time) was the world building and all the lore – so much lore.
The genius of Hollow Knight isn’t in its combat or movement (although both flop), but in the design of the Hallownest itself. I began to explore every corner of the kingdom, not to tick off some self-imposed goal, but to learn more about the infected wasteland that surrounded me—whether through the tablet, the Dream Nail text, or the sale of the Wanderer’s Journal.
I began mentally piecing together every nugget of lore I could get my hands on. Most of them were nothing more than some neat coloring to complement my image of the fallen kingdom and its inhabitants. Others (*cough* The Abyss *cough*) left me sitting open-jawed as my perception of the entire game changed. “Wow, more people really need to play this” I thought, narrowing my eyes at the 3,684 video essay titled ‘Hollow Knight lore EXPLAINED’.
With this understanding of the kingdom came a deep sadness that completely washed over me the first time I played. The Kingdom’s Edge music was just soothing a year ago; why does this make me cry now? And don’t even get me started on the NPCs. The traditions of the meat they bring to the table vary, but good lord, I was emotionally invested in their arcs. It’s totally normal to mourn a fictional bug, right?
It’s totally normal to mourn a fictional bug, right?
And so, after 22 hours of learning about infections, fallen kings, and victims, I finished the game. At least I finished the ending of ‘The Hollow Knight’. I think it’s going to be a hot minute before I go back for some final Dream Nail action to unlock what I understand to be a more satisfying conclusion, but I’m perfectly happy with where I left things (by which I mean I’m an emotional wreck).
It may have taken me two tries, but my eyes were finally opened to the true power of Hollow Knight: Cornifer its depth.