Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania action-adventure game developed and published by Team Cherry. It was released on Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux in 2017, and on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018. Development was partially funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, raising over 57,000 by the end of 2014.
The player is the Knight, a nameless warrior not knowing who they are or where they came from, who wanders and explores the ruined kingdom of Hallownest to figure out its mysteries, finds many friendly or enemy bugs, fighting bosses, and unlocking new powers and abilities to progress. Hollow Knight was well received by critics and has sold over 3 million copies as of December 2020. A sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is in development.
Gameplay
Hollow Knight is a 2D Metroidvania action-adventure game, that takes place in Hallownest, a fictional ancient kingdom. The player controls an insect-like, silent, and nameless character while exploring the underground world. The knight wields a "nail", which represents various blades in the story (excluding pins and needles), used both in combat and environmental interaction.
In most areas of the game, players encounter enemy bugs and other creatures. Melee combat involves using the nail to hit enemies from a short distance. The player can learn spells, which give the knight more range. Defeated enemies drop currency called Geo. The knight starts with 5 masks, which represent the hit points of the character. "Mask shards" can be collected throughout the game to increase the player's maximum health. When the knight takes damage from an enemy or from the environment, a mask is reduced. By striking enemies, the knight gains Soul, which is stored in the Soul Vessel. If all masks are lost, the knight dies and a Shade appears where they died. The player loses all Geo and can hold a reduced amount of Soul. Players need to defeat the Shade to recover the lost currency and to carry the normal amount of Soul. The game continues from the last visited bench they sat on which are scattered throughout the game world and act as save points. Initially the player can only use Soul to "Focus" and regenerate masks, but as the game progresses players unlock several offensive spells, which consume Soul.
Many areas feature more challenging enemies and bosses which the player may need to defeat in order to progress further. Defeating some bosses grants the player new abilities. Later in the game, players acquire a "dream nail", a special blade that can "cut through the veil between dreams and waking". It enables the player to face more challenging versions of a few bosses, and to break what is sealing the path to the final boss. If the player defeats the final boss of the game, called "The Hollow Knight", they are given access to a mode called "Steel Soul". In this mode, dying is permanent, and if the knight loses all of their masks, the save slot will be reset.
During the game, the player encounters non-player characters (NPCs) with whom they can interact. These characters give information about the game's plot or lore, sometimes help, and sell items or services. The player can upgrade the knight's nail to deal more damage or find Soul Vessels to carry more Soul. During the game, players acquire items that give new movement abilities which are an additional mid-air jump (Monarch Wings), sticking to walls and jumping off them (Mantis Claw), a brief dash (Mothwing Cloak), and an acid resistance buff (Isma's Tear). The player can learn other combat abilities, such as nail arts, and the spells. To further customize the knight, players can use different Charms, which can be found or bought from NPCs. Some of their effects include better combat abilities or skills, more masks or their regeneration, better movement skills, easier collecting of Geo or of Soul, and transformation. Equipping a Charm takes up a certain number of limited slots, called notches. Wearing a Charm that requires more than the available number of notches is possible, but it results in being "overcharmed", causing the knight to take double damage.