Pros:
- Excellent implementation of true ‘metroidvania’ style: looping exploration, progression unlocks new paths, myriad routes to take
- Smooth, responsive controls and polished platforming
- Useful, impactful abilities
- Meaningful upgrades/charms
- Thrilling, challenging combat that rewards practice and patience
- Excellent character development
- Spectacular art and music
- Cohesive, continuous, mysterious world
- Abundant secrets and optional content to explore
- FREE additional content updates
Cons:
- Some NPCs/areas feel underdeveloped
- A small portion of content can be missed and rendered inaccessible
- Parts of the game (usually highly irrelevant except for completionists) edge on tedium
- Visual/gameplay glitches may occur at points

“In wilds beyond they speak your name with reverence and regret, for none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met, under palest watch, you taught, you changed. Base instincts were redeemed, a world you gave to bug and beast as they had never dreamed.”

Hollow Knight. An indie metroidvania by Team Cherry, focused on combat, platforming, and exploration.

Despite the seemingly bland and overworked description, Hollow Knight has become fairly successful in its own right (selling over 500,000 copies as of September 2017), and is one of the most polished, enjoyable games of the past decade. I purchased the game months after release, and truly regret missing out on its beginnings on Kickstarter. The 15 dollar list price for this game is absolutely incredible, considering the average first playthrough can range anywhere from 20 hours up to 60 or 70. Besides that, Hollow Knight, for me at least, has a large amount of replayability, offering a more difficult, perma-death mode after the first game completion, and three different endings to uncover, along with secrets scattered around the entire world to explore. While it doesn’t have the ‘infinite’ replayability of a roguelike, the extreme variety and quantity of content in the game means that every new playthrough feels fresh. I should note that the Steam statistics on my account are egregiously inaccurate, as I switched to the DRM-free version of the game soon after my first playthrough. I myself, as a completionist (and I do mean completionist, taking care to collect every single relic, rancid egg, and geo node before finishing each playthrough), have done over 10 “110%” runs of the game at this point, and haven’t felt any sense of boredom with the game. For those seeking a new experience, however, the small but high-quality collection of community-created mods can add a unique twist to new playthroughs.

With the introduction out of the way, it’s time to get into the good stuff. Following the structure of the review summary, the first item to discuss is Hollow Knight’s ‘metroidvania’ categorization. As befits its genre, Hollow Knight is a winding, complex, non-linear game that rewards meticulous exploration and thought. As you explore, new upgrades become available to you, allowing you to explore further, breaking down the barriers that previously prevented you from accessing a new area or boss. Each area is linked to the ones around it with several paths, and very few things are absolutely necessary to complete the game, meaning that a playthrough can vary wildly in its routing, and the difficulty of the game also depends on the decisions you make.

This focus on optional exploration and branching paths is greatly benefited by the well-polished movement controls in Hollow Knight. In the beginning, the only controls available are horizontal movement and a jump, accompanied by a nail attack in four directions. However, the simplicity of these controls belies its elegance. The horizontal movement is extremely responsive due to the lack of acceleration, allowing for precise lateral placement on small platforms or ledges. The attack allows for pogoing, a mechanic where a downstrike on an enemy or object bounces you upwards, allowing you to gain height and access new areas. Furthermore, the directional attacks greatly increase the effectiveness of the starting nail against flying creatures, and allows for precise control over the placement of the nail strike. The jump mechanic, in its own right, is a masterpiece. The height of the character’s jump is dependent on the duration of the depression of the jump button, meaning that the precise platforming required in certain areas of the game can be done without frustration. Jumps can vary from short, quick hops to wide, sweeping leaps that cross over a chasm. Furthermore, lateral movement is preserved in midair, which, while physically inaccurate to the real world, allows for a much more sophisticated movement system, and much more enjoyable platforming, especially later on in the game.
Dashing, the first unlockable movement ability, is integral to the gameplay, and becomes almost second nature, allowing for longer jumps, quick dodges, and a greatly reduced travel time from area to area. Next comes wall jump, which allows for rapid ascension up walls, and becomes vital for its wall-clinging ability alone. The Crystal Heart enables a super dash to be performed, and is charged up either on the ground or clinging to a wall, giving it a feeling of power and forcefulness. One of the last abilities to be unlocked is double jump, acquired very close to the end of the game. This effectively extends the normal jump, and the pressure-sensitive jump height still carries over. It can also be used to cancel the downwards momentum of the character, allowing for intricate platforming and more precise dodging. Finally, there are the Shade Cloak and Isma’s Tear, which greatly extend the usefulness of the previous abilities, allowing for traversal through black barriers and acid, respectively, finally breaking down the last walls blocking entrance into the last frontiers of Hallownest.

The slow, measured pace at which each of these abilities is introduced is no mistake. The interim period between each new ability gives you time to learn the intricacies of your newfound capabilities, and appreciate the utility and versatility of each upgrade, both on its own and in conjunction with others. Finally, when all the movement upgrades are acquired, the game tests your resolve with the ultimate challenge: the White Palace. Solely dedicated to platforming, the White Palace is quite a fickle beast, and has garnered some controversy over its difficulty. However, I enjoy it very much as a testament to the progress you make throughout the course of the game in figuring out how platforming works, eking out special maneuvers and tricks during regular gameplay. The White Palace truly tests every single aspect of your movement repertoire, from jumping to dashing to pogoing (especially pogoing). Spikes, saws, and sometimes void constructs obstruct your path, and precision is the name of the game, both in timing and in movement. The difficulty is fairly high upon the first encounter, but with repeat attempts it becomes easier and easier as you improve your platforming. For those who would prefer not to test their mettle against the entirety of the Palace, however, there are skips for certain areas, as well as certain charms which render the challenge pretty much void (see what I did there?). However, I always enjoy my trips to the White Palace, as it is ultimately the final test of your knowledge of the game’s movement mechanics.

Unfortunately, Steam's review system has a character limit, so I can't fit all of my review here. However, here's a link to the full in-depth review: FULL REVIEW [whydoessteamhavean8000characterlimitonreviews.wordpress.com]