W
ithgames,I give
everythinga try.Asa
childI rentedanygame
I could get my hands
on, and platformers
like Castlevania dominated the gaming
landscape back then. However, I enjoy
playing more when improving is a
result, not the purpose, of a game, and
if I don’t feel like I’m doing the same
thing over and over.
I’ve never quite warmed up to the
thrill of the unknown in games: jumping
down when you can’t see the bottom,
not knowing where you’re going,
encountering mechanisms you don’t
know the purpose of. Hollow Knight
exacerbates this feeling with its setting,
a giant cave full of rickety platforms
and seemingly little else. My little insect-
knight isn’t particularly strong, either.
I belatedlyrecognisethissimplicityasthegoodthingit is – if allthegame
expects me to do is to time my jumps
and attacks right, I can get there
with a little practice. I die a few times,
which is annoying, especially when I
have to start over at the beginning of
the dungeon, but I soon settle into a
rhythm. I buy a map and a compass and
make my way around. I find bosses as if
by accident. I die again.
This is all... rather enjoyable, but I
feel like I’m waiting for something more
to happen. A moment where the cave
isn’t just followed by more cave. Hollow
Knight is hauntingly beautiful, and has
a cast of quirky little characters, but
the bursts of endorphin I get from
advancing are short-lived, and I’m not
sure why I’d want to keep playing after
a while. It’s the epitome of a game
that’s just as easy to put down as it is
to start. What was that? It’s okay not
to spend hours upon hours frantically
glued to every game you play and
ignore your pets, your family, and basic
hygiene? Oh, okay.WHO?
Malindy Hetfeld
has rage-quit many
a platformer, but
the combination
of Hollow Knight’s
undeniable charm
and a good dose of
peer pressure made
her take the plunge.
Don’tlikeit. Nevertriedit. Everymonthweforce
oneof ourteamto playtheirmostfearedgame
INFO
PUBTEAMCHERRY
DEVTEAMCHERRY
RELEASED 2018
GETIT NOWPSSTORE,
£11.59QTeam Cherry has put a lot of love in Hollow Knight’s visual design and all the different ways in which
enemies can kill you. Yup, a lot of care and attention has definitely been lavished on your demise.HOLLOW
KNIGHT
THE EPITOME OF A
GAME THAT’S JUST AS
EASY TO PUT DOWN
AS IT IS TO START.WHAT?
A 2D platformer
with several massive
dungeons to wander
through. In this debut
by indie studio Team
Cherry, you fight a lot
of bugs – the actual
creepy-crawly kind.DON’T MAKE ME PLAY!
109retrostation