I reserve a special kind of contempt for Hollow Knight. It is unreasonably difficult, but that’s not the only problem. The problem is just how proud Team Cherry is of the fact. Just like other hard games it aspires to be, Hollow Knight is intentionally hard bordering on ridiculous, and is designed for the elitists to look down on others for their inability to grasp this game. It’s level design is a chore to navigate, thanks to repetitive environments and the annoyance of having to purchase a map in order to know where you are, each time you enter a new area. You’ve also got to find the map vendor first, which would be beyond some punishing platforming or boss encounter. The combat is tedious, not only because of the floaty controls and weird hit detection, but also because of the painfully atrocious bench implementation. Benches are scattered around areas with such infrequency, that the game simply becomes utterly tedious. Failure results in having to travel for what could be five or ten minutes back to your last position, which is just tiring. While the art direction is unique and creative, it is also clearly an indie game, with darkened walls and floors covering a lack of textures, and a limited set of animations. The music is incredible, though. The game never explains things such as charms or other abilities. I thought they were permanent upgrades, and having seven health stones made me feel rewarded. However, they break upon death and cost 200 gel to repair each time, and that just felt even more punishing. As an opinion, Hollow Knight is simply not fun in any way. Even the most arbitrary situations suck any satisfaction out of the experience due to an inevitable frustration or new annoying element to its design. The hardcore players will love it, I’m sure, but for those who like games to be entertainment and not constant tests of reflexes and hand-eye co-ordination, feel free to skip this infuriating, pretentious title.
