Things I Played: Hollow Knight - The Dark Souls of Metroidvania Games

Very infrequently a game comes around that I find hard to put down. Should I watch a movie tonight? Nope, I need to work my way towards the next boss. Should I read a book? No way, I need to upgrade my weaponry. Sleep? An inviting suggestion Sir but I'll have to take a rain-check. Needless to say, I think Hollow Knight is very, very good.

For those who haven’t played it, Hollow Knight is a metroidvania-style platformer. It was developed by Australian studio Team Cherry, who've been supporting the game with free DLC ever since it was first released last year. Those young rascals also released the game for the fresh sum of £11.99, which is ludicrous value all things considered.

In my opinion, Hollow Knight excels for a few reasons. First, the atmosphere is brilliant. Second, the game balances challenge and difficulty extremely well. Third, it rewards risk and exploration. Fourth,  it's supported by a fantastic score from young, Aussie composer Christopher Larkin.

There are downsides sure but I'd be nitpicking so I won't go there. Hollow Knight is a simply great game. I put 25 hours into it in the space of two weeks. Time well spent despite the fact I should have been writing up the research results of my dissertation project instead.

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Things I Read: Dance Dance Dance - Dead Call Girls and Advanced Capitalism

I once told somebody that I didn't like Haruki Murakami. This happened a few years ago and while it was true at the time I feel silly about it now. It’s still true that I don't absolutely love him but he's a writer I find fills a much needed gap. I’ve taken to reading his books during busy periods of my life and I appreciate how his strange ennui induced themes allow for escapism from my own strange ennui-induced life.

Dance Dance Dance is the novel of his I read most recently. It's the sixth book that Murakami wrote and he did so shortly after publishing his most famous novel Norwegian Wood. As far as I gather it meant as a cathartic exercise given how he never enjoyed fame and publicity. He wrote it in exile while living in the USA. The book is also a sort of sequel to an earlier one he wrote called A Wild Sheep Chase (I haven't read it).

The story follows an unnamed freelance writer who is very much the usual Murakami loner figure. It begins with him looking for the whereabouts of an old flame where he winds up at a hotel they once stayed at. This sets in motion a surreal adventure, involving a clairvoyant thirteen-year-old girl, a famous Japanese actor, a cohort of high-class call girls, and a mysterious sheep man who keeps appearing in his dreams. Weird, huh?!

I rally like the story's moody, disjointed narrative. It begins a lot like pulp fiction before shifting into a type of road novel and ending like a psychological thriller. It's the type of thing that intrigues because it refuses to be one thing. It's propelled by its many interesting characters who offer ruminations on life, love and the Talking Heads.

I actually didn't like the ending. I don’t want to say exactly but it felt weak and contrived. This is something I find happens in a lot of Murakami's books. I'm even starting to question whether next time I should rip out the last twenty pages and fashion them into mini paper aeroplanes instead.

Despite that, I mostly enjoyed the book so it's all good. I technically listened to the audio book which was supported by a brilliant performance by Rupert Degas. If you get a chance to be lazy like me, or if you just don't have any hands, then I'd definitely recommend it.

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