Soapbox features allow our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random things they’ve been chewing 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 indie that was rarely discussed and was subject to 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.
Honestly, I had fun with what I played in this game you’ve probably never heard of. I appreciated the movement, the combat was fun, and I enjoyed the sense of exploration. I first 20 hours in Hallownest was a good time, but it was only good weather’. This was not a life changing experience.
As it turns out, this forgotten gem is getting a sequel – every day is a school day, huh? — and, as the excited anticipation grew, talk began to swirl about how its predecessor was one of the best of the best, the ultimate metroidvania, something to keep you awake. [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 wrong? Obviously not satisfied with everyone having their own opinion, I decided the only thing I could do was dive back in and see if I could find that secret sauce everyone else was so hooked on
I’m a map marker novice.
I’m a map marker naïve, so after being shown the locations of the three Dreamers a year ago, that’s my ultimate mission. I rushed past the environmental narration, coolly accepted the newly opened routes and left everything that didn’t seem absolutely essential in the dust. Playing that way, I knocked Herrah the Beast out of the list and then got burned.
This time I went back to my original save and wandered around a bit only to find that I had no idea where I was or what I was supposed to be doing, other than getting those two other Dreamers. Frustrated that my memory didn’t retain every nook and cranny of the massive and detailed map after a year of not looking at it, I threw out that old file and started over.
If you haven’t already guessed, this is where I found the secret sauce.
Now I was armed with a different attitude. Forget completion rates, I had a good time here and long time. I took things slow, resisted the urge to run straight to the Dreamer and instead focused on exploring every passageway open to me.
I map became littered with pins—bought from Iselda’s shop in Dirtmouth—as I patiently marked off places that were out of my reach at the moment but I knew I wanted to check out 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 marked the long gaps in my pre-Crystal Heart days.
The genius of Hollow Knight isn’t in its combat or movement…it’s 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 served a much more important purpose: allowing me to properly explore. Freed from the shackles of goals, I could look deeper into Hallownest and see the beauty within. The only thing that I completely missed at first (and the reason why I kept coming back this time) was the world building and all that lore – so much knowledge.
The genius of Hollow Knight isn’t in its combat or movement (though both pack a punch), but in the design of the Hallownest itself. I began to explore every corner of the realm not to mark some self-imposed goal, but to learn more about the infected wasteland that surrounded me—be it through pills, Dream Nail text, or Wanderer’s Journal sales.
I mentally began piecing together every nugget of knowledge I could get my hands on. Most were nothing more than some neat colors, adding to my image of a fallen kingdom and its inhabitants. Others (*cough* The Abyss *cough*) made me sit open-jawed as my perception of the entire game changed. “Wow, more people really need to play this,” I thought, closing my eyes to the 3684 video essay titled ‘HOLLOW KNIGHT TEACHING EXPLAINED’.
With this understanding of the kingdom came a deep sadness that completely passed me by during the first playthrough. The Kingdom’s Edge music he was just soothing a year ago; why is it making me cry now? And don’t even get me started on those NPCs. The meat of knowledge they bring to the table varies, but gosh, I was emotionally invested in their arcs. It’s perfectly normal to mourn a fictional bug, isn’t it?
It’s perfectly normal to mourn a fictional bug, isn’t it?
And so, after 22 hours of learning about infections, fallen kings, and sacrifices, I finished the game. At least I finished ‘The Hollow Knight’ endgame. I think it’ll be a hot minute until I get back into some final Dream Nail action to unlock what I consider a satisfying conclusion, but I’m perfectly happy with where I left things (by which I mean 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.
