Late-game enemies sometimes have more elaborate attacks, but variety comes more from navigating the levels and the brilliant charm system. You fight with the same weapon and essentially the same moveset the entire time-while attack patterns, strategies, and stats will change, nearly every enemy is defeated with a similar dodge-swing-dodge-swing rhythm. Learning how many hits each enemy takes is key to beating them, and most opponents can counter or block, making button mashing fruitless.īut Hollow Knight's combat never did much to surprise me over the course of the game.
Missing attacks or taking hits only ever felt like my own fault, and I could see myself getting better and stronger through practice alone, not only via the damage and speed upgrades I eventually found. Those hits hurt, even if healing is as simple as finding a safe moment and channeling a resource called Soul to fill myself back up.
#HOLLOW KNIGHT PC BOX ART CRACK#
The game pauses for a split second as a crack flashes over my character before I go flying back. Likewise, when an enemy lands a hit on me, I feel it. But the hits feel chunky and real, bouncing me back a little every time I connect. The fighting is fairly simple: I mostly dance around enemies, trying to slash in with my nail while dodging their attacks. The satisfying crack that accompanies chopping down lampposts in the Forgotten Crossroads or cutting grass in Greenpath extends into the combat as well. And the sound design and score are exceptional, pairing each area with an orchestral soundtrack that perfectly sets the mood as you dive deeper into Hallownest. I love swinging my nail (the world's cone-shaped swords) as I walk, kicking up particles from destructible objects along the way, each unique to the setting around them. Each area of the map feels distinct and interesting, with its own color scheme, sullen but energetic theme music, and visual details scattered about. The characters, backgrounds, and even particle effects are all hand drawn, blended beautifully with subtle lighting effects. The art in Hollow Knight is stunning, and never dull despite its muted color palette. Large parts of it aren't even explained verbally, told only through visual clues in the environment itself.Īnd good God are those environments pretty. Like many of the boss fights and whole areas of the map, engagement with that story is optional. But Hollow Knight does an excellent job of slowly showing me the dots and then stepping back to let me draw the lines between them. There's a history to this world that has been partly lost to time. They also help unravel Hollow Knight's story bit by bit, which is hard to fully piece together even after completing the game.
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