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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