Soapbox features allow our individual editors and contributors to express their opinions on trending topics and random topics they’ve been thinking about. Today, Jim finally sees the Hollow light…
Last year I decided to take a break from Tears of the Kingdom and jump into a fun, rarely discussed indie film that was having a nice little discount on the eShop at the time . The game was called “Hollow Knight”, or something like that, and I spent quite a bit of time on it before getting stuck, putting down my controller and never thinking about it again.
In truth, I had a lot of fun playing this game that you’ve probably never heard of. I rated the movement, the combat was fun, and I enjoyed the feeling of exploration. My first 20 hours in Hallownest were a good time, but it was only a good moment’. It was not a life-changing experience.
Turns out this forgotten gem gets a sequel: Every day is a school day, huh? – and, as the excited anticipation grew, conversations began to arise about its predecessor being one of the best of the best, a top-tier metroidvania, enough to lose sleep over. (Okay, okay, enough of this false forgetfulness! – Editor’s note.)
What I had seen was perfectly clear, but that was not all. Did I miss something? Did I play badly? Obviously not happy to let everyone have their own opinion, I decided the only thing I could do would be to dive back in and see if I could find that secret sauce that everyone seemed so addicted to.
I am a map marker enthusiast.
I love map markers, so after learning the location of the three Dreamers a year ago, I made it my ultimate mission. I moved past the environmental narrative, gave the newly opened routes a cold thumbs-up, and left anything that didn’t feel absolutely essential in the dust. Playing this way, I checked Herrah the Beast off the list, and then burned myself out.
This time I went back into my original save and wandered around a bit only to discover that I had no idea where I was or what I was supposed to do other than recover these two other Dreamers. Frustrated that my memory didn’t retain every nook and cranny of a massive, detailed map after a year of not looking at it, I abandoned that old file and started from scratch.
In case 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 was here to have a good time And a long moment. I took things slowly, resisting the urge to run straight towards the Dreamers and instead focused on exploring every passage available to me.
My map became a wash of pins – purchased from Iselda’s shop in Dirtmouth – as I patiently marked places that weren’t accessible to me at the moment, but that I knew I wanted to check out later. I made sure the areas were completely clear (to the best of my knowledge) before continuing. Black pins marked where the ground shook until I unlocked Desolate Dive, red pins marked a double-jump platform before I found the Monarch’s Wings, and yellow pins highlighted long gaps in my pre-Crystal Heart days.
The genius of Hollow Knight lies not in its combat or movement…but in the design of Hallownest itself.
I’ve primarily used these pins to distract myself from the three Dreamer icons, but over time they’ve come to serve a much more important purpose: they allow me to explore properly. Freed from the shackles of purpose, I was able to delve deeper into Hallownest and see its beauty. The one thing that completely eluded me initially (and the reason I kept coming back this time) was the world building and all that story – so much knowledge.
The genius of Hollow Knight lies not in its combat or its moves (although they both slap) but in the design of Hallownest itself. I began exploring every corner of the kingdom not to check off a self-prescribed goal, but to learn more about the infected wastelands around me – whether through a tablet, a Dream Nail text, or Wanderer’s Journal sales.
Mentally, I began to collect every nugget of knowledge I could get my hands on. Most were nothing more than neat colors, adding to my image of the fallen kingdom and its people. Others (*cough* The Abyss *cough*) had me sitting with my jaw hanging open as my perception of the entire game changed. “Wow, we really need more people to play this.” I thought as I closed my eyes to 3,684 video essays titled “The Story of Hollow Knight EXPLAINED.”
With this understanding of the kingdom came a deep sadness that had completely escaped me during a first playthrough. The music in Kingdom’s Edge was simply soothing a year ago; why does this make me cry now? And don’t even get me started on those NPCs. The meat of knowledge they bring to the table varies, but damn, I was emotionally invested in their arcs. It’s completely normal to mourn a fictional bug, right?
It’s completely normal to mourn a fictional bug, right?
And so, after 22 hours of learning about infections, fallen kings and sacrifices, I finished the game. At least I completed the ending of “The Hollow Knight” game. I think it’ll be a hot minute before I return for some final Dream Nail action to unlock what I understand to be a more satisfying conclusion, but I’m perfectly happy with where I left things (this way , I mean I’m an emotional wreck).
It may have taken me two attempts, but my eyes were finally opened to Hollow Knight’s true strength: Corniferous its depth.
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