I Keep Returning To Hollow Knight

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  • čas přidán 31. 05. 2021
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    Hollow Knight is one of my favourite games ever made. In this episode, I try to figure out why I keep coming back to it.
    Follow me on twitter: / sagehyden
    Music:
    “Electric Mantis - Daybreak | Majestic Color”
    ow.ly/G7gg30iypqm
    Other music by Epidemic Sound.
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Komentáře • 512

  • @Zlopasha
    @Zlopasha Před 3 lety +863

    Read nothing about the game. Bought it on Switch as the art looked cute, thought it was a fun platformer my kid might enjoy. She gave up after three minutes so I gave it a go. 120 hours later I played something else again. An absolute masterpiece.

    • @mobiushelldoctor1423
      @mobiushelldoctor1423 Před 3 lety +32

      making the most out of a mistake

    • @MrTigracho
      @MrTigracho Před 3 lety +7

      So what you liked more of the game? The gameplay? The world? The art and music direction?

    • @savary5050
      @savary5050 Před 3 lety +22

      force your child to play it

    • @peterdavids31
      @peterdavids31 Před 3 lety +32

      @@savary5050 Parenting goals

    • @savary5050
      @savary5050 Před 3 lety +2

      @@peterdavids31 yes

  • @ChristoTitan
    @ChristoTitan Před 3 lety +404

    One of the few games I have no problem calling a true masterpiece.

  • @LuxrayLloyd
    @LuxrayLloyd Před 3 lety +153

    I always say this when it comes to Hollow Knight’s soundtrack: “Christopher Larkin made a deal with the Devil, but that wasn’t good enough so he went to God Himself”

    • @GdEvInE141
      @GdEvInE141 Před 3 lety +9

      city of tears is a masterpiece in its own right

    • @rakeshkr.sharma9222
      @rakeshkr.sharma9222 Před rokem +6

      And God one wasn't good enough as well so he himself took his place among the Gods

    • @thebigbadwormnah
      @thebigbadwormnah Před rokem +5

      @@rakeshkr.sharma9222 Ascend!

  • @jaseneffendy17
    @jaseneffendy17 Před 3 lety +677

    For every single Hollow Knight analysis video, we get further and further away from Silksong

  • @RelyeaGaming
    @RelyeaGaming Před 3 lety +207

    Hollow Knight is so good and with the mods, it feels like we can keep playing forever

  • @thegameneededme5
    @thegameneededme5 Před 3 lety +264

    It honestly blows my mind how expansive this game is, especially being made by only a few people. I’ve played through it a couple times now and yet still seem to find new things from watching YT videos. I really do think it’s the best metroidvania ever made. I know a lot of people see it as kind of a Souls type difficult game, but that difficulty makes finding upgrades that much more exciting and gives exploration a purpose. The world design is immaculate, the bosses are all varied and mostly really fun, everything in this game just comes together beautifully. I apologize for rambling but it has easily become one of my favorite games and, like BOTW, is one I’ll find myself revisiting again and again over the years as well.

    • @rorykurek643
      @rorykurek643 Před 3 lety +10

      Absolutely agreed. Super Metroid and SotN are great, but I honestly think (hope?) that this game is the template for Metroidvania games going forward. When comparing with the Souls series, people tend to focus on difficulty (understandably), but I think the lessons it pulled from those games regarding storytelling are even more important. To me, Metroidvania games have always been about surviving in a hostile world, and I think learning the story of this world as you explore it works really well.

    • @thegameneededme5
      @thegameneededme5 Před 3 lety +8

      @@rorykurek643 I agree with you. You're not only piecing together the map, you're piecing the lore of the world together as you go as well. It benefits the exploration so much. It's astonishing to me how intricate the lore is for an indie bug game 3 people put together.

    • @BlazeOrangeDeer
      @BlazeOrangeDeer Před 3 lety +4

      The only other metroidvania that comes close for me is Guacamelee 1. The art style, world design, combat, and platforming are consistently excellently made and engaging. There's slightly less interconnectivity in the world, but it's still sprawling and there's so many secrets and extra challenges to discover (reminds me of Celeste in that way). But for some reason I almost never hear people talk about it.

    • @blackbot7113
      @blackbot7113 Před 3 lety +1

      @@BlazeOrangeDeer For me Guacamelee just didn't scratch that itch because of some limiting factors:
      * It's far more linear than most other Metroidvanias
      * The story chooses to be extremely silly
      * It's far less "self-contained" because it draws plenty of humor from sources outside the game (like the meme-tastic posters in the main town)
      It also included a very awkward multiplayer mode and (for me at least) the combat never really clicked. It's a fine game and I know quite a few people that like it, though!

    • @Jack_80
      @Jack_80 Před rokem

      i've heard that the developers said that silksong will be 5 times the size of hollow knight, which i can't even begin to fathom.
      as you've said, a small team of 3 or 4 people making a very high quality game the size of hollow knight already blows my mind, so for the sequel to be 5 times the size, i can't even begin to imagine.
      i deeply appreciate their lack of greed, but if the sequel is going to be that enormous, there's no reason for them not to split it into 2 games. if what i heard is true, each game would still be more than double the size of hollow knight, so nobody would complain. in fact most fans would probably prefer it just so they wouldn't have to wait so long for the completed game. if they had done that, the first half certainly would have been released by now.
      i wonder how much they'll charge for the game when it releases. it's impossible to think it'll be as cheap as hollow knight was upon release. i think they should charge full price, $60. i don't care if it's an indie game, if it's anywhere near as good as the original, it'll be better than the majority of aaa games.

  • @Feefa99
    @Feefa99 Před 3 lety +374

    A silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Hollow knight.

    • @naveenkarthikeyan4744
      @naveenkarthikeyan4744 Před 3 lety +3

      Dark knight reference

    • @redxoctober2822
      @redxoctober2822 Před 3 lety +8

      *Cue Hans Zimmer music*

    • @namethefifth7315
      @namethefifth7315 Před 3 lety +2

      UmM aCtUaLlY the character you play is not the hollow night the finale boss is. Your just a vessel

    • @Atamastra
      @Atamastra Před 3 lety +1

      @@namethefifth7315 You are technically correct, sir. The best kind of correct.
      AlThOuGH... doesn't the main character kinda... become the Hollow Knight at the end? Taking his place in the temple? Or maybe that's just implied. Fuck, and it's actually just one of 5 endings. Huh. Um, never mind, you are correct.

    • @namethefifth7315
      @namethefifth7315 Před 3 lety

      @@Atamastra whell actually no he douse not he becomes the true vessel but not hollow night himself plus this would depend on which ending you get. As in the godmaster endings you get returned to the void. Or even the normal game ending if you get the true one. Were you defeat the radiance. And the hollow night is actually just what the pale king called the vessel that he chose to contain the radiance. That is his name not relly his title. And the ending were you take hollow nights place is not even the real ending it is a false one tou get for not fighting the radiance.

  • @danulas
    @danulas Před 3 lety +161

    Hollow Knight is one of the best games I have ever played. It offers a far more fulfilling experience at $15 than any $60 AAA game of the last 10 years.

    • @savary5050
      @savary5050 Před 3 lety

      this

    • @savary5050
      @savary5050 Před 3 lety

      @Blia Yang It’s knight not “night”

    • @savary5050
      @savary5050 Před 3 lety

      @Blia Yang nope don’t really care

    • @FluffyMustache
      @FluffyMustache Před rokem +1

      Breath of the Wild for me but Hollow Knight is 100% up there!

    • @Jack_80
      @Jack_80 Před rokem +1

      the evil within has probably been my favorite game in the last 10 years. i have beaten it 7 or 8 times and just never get tired of replaying it. it's such an addictive game for me, largely because it's highly challenging and there are so many different ways to deal with enemies. at this point i only ever play on akumu, so no matter how many times i've beaten it, it always remains challenging.
      also it has such an amazing, creepy atmosphere that always immerses me.
      hollow knight is definitely one of my favorites right behind it though.

  • @gregdesouza17
    @gregdesouza17 Před 3 lety +82

    I used to dream of this game while playing it. But After completing it, I dream no more.

    • @respicio2990
      @respicio2990 Před rokem +9

      I couldn't help my self from commenting, but I see what you did there; very smart.

    • @dilenic4367
      @dilenic4367 Před rokem +3

      i got that reference

    • @Agon1stt
      @Agon1stt Před 10 měsíci +1

      nice

  • @greyfox4838
    @greyfox4838 Před 3 lety +281

    I've tried getting into Dark Souls, but the combat feels like wading through mud. Another reason why I love Hollow Knight so much, it's difficult, but by god does the combat feel like doing a graceful dance!

    • @BlackReshiram
      @BlackReshiram Před 3 lety +19

      ME FIGHTING NKG

    • @pedroscoponi4905
      @pedroscoponi4905 Před 3 lety +44

      The first and second games are very much slow paced. They're not hack-and-slash games like God of War or Devil May Cry, and I think that's very much intentional. If that's really not your cup of tea, I'd definitely still recommend Bloodborne, Sekiro, and maaaaybe Dark Souls 3. The pace of their combat is much faster, especially the first two I listed.

    • @greyfox4838
      @greyfox4838 Před 3 lety +14

      @@pedroscoponi4905 Bloodborne and Sekiro looks more like my thing, but I don't have a PS4 so that's out of the table for me atm

    • @pedroscoponi4905
      @pedroscoponi4905 Před 3 lety +4

      @@greyfox4838 Same, actually :/ I've only ever tried them through a friend. Hopefully the chance to experience them in full will come soon, for both of us!

    • @luisdaniel9542
      @luisdaniel9542 Před 3 lety +1

      @@pedroscoponi4905 I bought the second game a few months ago and oh boy, I really couldn't get into it, even more with the whole "everytime you die you get less health" mechanic

  • @grimmonaute4347
    @grimmonaute4347 Před 3 lety +57

    I played Hollow Knight for the first time a year ago, when we were all still quarantined in France and I didn't see anybody for months, it was the perfect experience at the perfect time

    • @adaplay13
      @adaplay13 Před 3 lety

      I played Persona 5 Royal (without playing Persona 5 original). Also a really amazing experience. And then I played Hollow knight.

    • @dandybus1582
      @dandybus1582 Před 3 lety +3

      Same for me. Hollow Knight was my lockdown game. Between the incredible soundtrack, beautiful art style, challenging gameplay and surprisingly deep lore, I was hooked for 70+ hours.

  • @WordsHere
    @WordsHere Před 3 lety +26

    I felt the way Hollow Knight tells its story is also unique. Not just because of its use of environmental story telling, but because of how its protagonist doesn't feel like just an empty vessel for the player. You have a character arc. You return to Hallownest not knowing why and explore just because that's what you do in a game. But as you uncover more, you find purpose. You single-mindedly pursue that only to realize it's all for nothing. Becoming the new hollow knight just means perpetuating the cycle. But you can persevere and learn the full truth, then use that to defeat the evil once and for all. It's practically the full hero's journey, but with you completely in control of it.

  • @jesseraen4172
    @jesseraen4172 Před 3 lety +87

    You've convinced me to re-install Hollow Knight and take a second crack at it

    • @drummerofawe
      @drummerofawe Před 3 lety +14

      It's definitely not for everyone so don't feel bad if it just doesn't click for you. That being said, I've heard a lot of people say they went from disliking it to adoring it somewhere around the second big upgrade and the third main area, when the game really starts opening up.

    • @AliceDiableaux
      @AliceDiableaux Před 3 lety +9

      It took me multiple times of starting it, it being way too difficult and quitting it and starting again before I finished the game. If it's too difficult there are some great mods out there to make it easier. I wouldn't have been able to finish the game and experience how great it was without them. It has to stay fun.

    • @VoilaTadaOfficial
      @VoilaTadaOfficial Před 3 lety +2

      Like what Alice said, if you find it frustrating, find some mods that can tweak the parts of the game you find most frustrating. Find platforming difficult? Try the infinite double jumps mod. Maybe even invincibility if you find it really *really* hard. There's still plenty of game in there worth exploring, even if you strip away the challenge completely.

    • @Dom-ns7pq
      @Dom-ns7pq Před 3 lety +2

      I had mixed feelings as well. I initially didn't warm up to it, really liked the middle, and thought the ending was a bit lackluster. That said, I didn't get the "true" ending because it was just getting way too difficult. I do agree with much of this video though. As you progress, the environments become more varied and more interesting than the initial level.

    • @coolbeans5911
      @coolbeans5911 Před 3 lety +4

      Please do!! Atleast try to battle Mantis Lords (best boss imo) and get into City of Tears. The introduction to the City is just absolutely breathtaking

  • @grfrjiglstan
    @grfrjiglstan Před 3 lety +93

    There's a quiet calm in hopelessness, the sweet catharsis of nihilism. Everything you were worried about has come to pass, so what more do you have to fear? Might as well just wander around the wreckage, now that you have no more expectations on your shoulders. Maybe you can make things a bit better, but they certainly can't get much worse. I feel that peace in Hollow Knight.

    • @rorykurek643
      @rorykurek643 Před 3 lety +8

      Honestly, yeah, I think you've hit on part of the appeal of the Metroidvania genre. I've always felt that part of the greats in the genre (specifically Super Metroid and SotN) are all about survival in a world where basically everything else exists only to kill you. It's kind of a nihilist power fantasy.

    • @liz5100
      @liz5100 Před 3 lety +2

      Honestly that is the vibe hollow knight gave me while playing and it sounds really weird if you know anything about it, but Seafarer did the same. The two really couldn't me more different but in the end you are doing exactly what this video says. Everything that could go wrong has and probably awhile ago, there's no reason to rush now and you are left there to care for this world where (depending on your perspective) the worst has already come to pass. Just soak it in and for one moment be in this space where the world has ended, but that's ok you can still care for it and put it to rest.

    • @mrtyphoon8923
      @mrtyphoon8923 Před 3 lety +4

      Hallownest is similar to the world of Dark Souls, but whereas Lordran, Drangleic and Lothric seem to be beyond help and whatever the player does, they cannot stop the fire from fading, in Hollow Knight there is a sense of hope, that our efforts are not in vain.

    • @realtalk13
      @realtalk13 Před 3 lety +3

      this is exactly it. The film Melancholia portrays this exact feeling incredibly well too, which is why that film has always stuck with me. It's not a favorite, but I remember the exact time and place I was when I saw it and the way it made me feel to watch Dunst's character, who struggles so much with keeping her personal life together due to the apathy and recklessness that often comes with being deeply depressed, be the only one able to calmly face the end of the world.

    • @bryanlane7208
      @bryanlane7208 Před 3 lety

      Beautifully put. Hollow Knight kept my attention the whole time where few other games can pierce my anhedonia these days. It feels like you're on the edge of a comforting void, and in the end, the void is your ally and the enemy is light. Also cool analogy with the bugs, like when you dreamnail those little guys and they say "safe... dark...", whereas we humans tend to think of the dark as scary. I wonder if they see dark at the end of a tunnel of light when they die.

  • @MilkJugA_
    @MilkJugA_ Před 3 lety +31

    Indie games often have the goal of making an experience the creators can be proud of. AAA games often have the goal of making a profit

  • @pedroscoponi4905
    @pedroscoponi4905 Před 3 lety +39

    Hollow Knight is great. It's so good. It shares space with Celeste and a couple other games as a "Contemporary Masterpiece", if you ask me. I can't recommend them enough.

    • @karamel107
      @karamel107 Před 2 lety

      Which other couple games? I like Celeste and Hollow Knight so I'm looking for recommendations. :)

    • @starrynight1165
      @starrynight1165 Před 2 lety +3

      @@karamel107 You may like Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight. It's a lot easier than both of those games but very fun and interesting nonetheless.

  • @MrSC219
    @MrSC219 Před 3 lety +18

    Hollow Knight blew me away. I was just in awe at the art, the music, the setting, and the story. It's one of my absolute favorites and had me ranting for weeks that it was the closest to art I'd seen a game get. Obviously debatable, but that's the effect it had on me.

    • @hughmungus431
      @hughmungus431 Před měsícem

      What I loved about it was that they were able to take an objectively very primitive game type w metroidvania and expand it to be JUST as complex and full and lived in as a 3d rendered world. It FELLS like you're playing a like a god of war 4 or an elden ring while just being a lil 2d animated critter simultaneously. They did A LOT with very limited resources and restricted mechanics due to the restricted 2 d environment. It doesn't FEEL like a bunch of 2d rooms stacked on top of each other it feels like a lived in 3d rendered world with culture and history and all the environments feel distinctly different from each other

  • @NymPSeudo
    @NymPSeudo Před 2 lety +5

    Long after those credits roll, we still yearn for more Hollow Knight, that tragically beautiful world. It's a yearning so strong as to drive some to madness... or fanfiction.

  • @jakepalermo9181
    @jakepalermo9181 Před 3 lety +25

    5:56 I'm of the mind to rename Souls-like games to methodical action games.

  • @DouglasHollingsworth1
    @DouglasHollingsworth1 Před 3 lety +8

    I guess I need to give Hollow Knight a playthrough now.
    Your description at 12:30 about feeling down, lost, despondent at the state of the world and Hollow Knight meeting you there is why I have a well worn boxed set of The Magicians novels by Lev Grossman at convenient height on my office shelf. I found it fresh out of college and feeling disillusioned and depressed at the banality of working for a living, and the stories in there helped me through those moments.
    Sounds like this might be another piece of media to keep on hand for those weeks when the dark dog comes around. Thanks for sharing.

  • @julcikis
    @julcikis Před 3 lety +68

    Hollow Knight is the game I’m waiting to forget so I can play it again.

    • @VoilaTadaOfficial
      @VoilaTadaOfficial Před 3 lety +4

      Completely valid, I wish I could do the same but having done 600 hours worth of randomizers, I know the game better than my own foot.

    • @lucasrh6910
      @lucasrh6910 Před 3 lety

      That's exactly how I feel about the game

    • @legrandliseurtri7495
      @legrandliseurtri7495 Před 3 lety

      Same. It's been about three months since I've last played the game. Somewhere in the fall, I'll replay the game, and I think I'll do some sort of challenge run, cause I already did several 107% playthroughts now. Maybe I'll also try a couple more radiant bosses or some pantheon of hallownest with individual bindings, idk.

  • @pjtiger10
    @pjtiger10 Před 3 lety +20

    I don’t know if I’ve ever been as engrossed in a game the way I was with hollow knight

  • @hannahrickelman5896
    @hannahrickelman5896 Před 3 lety +23

    I bought hollow knight for the lovely art and gorgeous soundtrack. Did not expect to be buying the dark souls of platforming games.

    • @Jack_80
      @Jack_80 Před rokem

      i never got too much of a dark souls vibe from it personally, i find dead cells to be the 2d dark souls, only dead cells is more challenging than dark souls.

  • @Yensid951927
    @Yensid951927 Před 3 lety +11

    My first Metroidvania type experience was Kirby and the Amazing Mirror. It was my first Kirby game and it always surprised me that not many games in the series had a interconnected game map and that was always my favorite part of that game. It wasn't until playing Hollow Knight that actually experiencing that kind of deep emersion into a game's world really hit me and I've since searched out other Metroidvanias to play.

    • @VoilaTadaOfficial
      @VoilaTadaOfficial Před 3 lety +1

      Amazing Mirror really was amazing. Probably my favorite or second favorite Kirby game, with the only competitor being Star Allies and Robobot a close 3rd. They did some really clever things with the level design in Amazing Mirror thanks to Kirby's one-way door systems. Very few Metroidvanias do one-way doors as well as Amazing Mirror, and those that come close but don't hit the mark frustrate more than they help. Like, in Amazing Mirror, because it's not a true metroidvania, having linear paths through areas that are one-way doesn't feel *too* restricting because there's no sense of missing an upgrade. You can miss a secret with one-ups or health or a collectable, but it's not an upgrade, and that makes a big difference to the feeling of passing through a space one-way.
      However, one-way passages in games like Hollow Knight tend to be so that you *must* get the upgrade before you return, and sometimes those one-ways don't get you an upgrade, but rather a quick exit from an area. That's frustrating if you missed something a bit further back because you were like, "Lemme just check this corner first and come back," and oops, now you're back in the Fungal Wastes and you have to find your way back to the Waterways again because you fell down a hole and can't go back up. That being said, that can amplify the sense of interconnectedness of the world more than a gamey, "Go get your upgrade so you can come back the other way," dead end, and the players that enjoy this exploration aspect will find that more rewarding than those that actually just want to get to the next boss/upgrade/plot point/etc...

  • @vanderlark
    @vanderlark Před 3 lety +6

    Hollow Knight just has so many individual aspects which are worth returning for by themselves. The gameplay, obviously. The world building. The artstyle which apparently is hand drawn? The MUSIC - Christopher Larkin is unrivaled. Its just so good.
    Its almost completed by the fact that we know that there will never be a sequel.
    (just kidding Team Cherry. We love you, take your time)

  • @skippyjones4254
    @skippyjones4254 Před 3 lety +9

    Glad I’m not the only person who obsessively replays this game every once in a while

  • @BladeWinters
    @BladeWinters Před 3 lety +35

    I really thought in the beginning, there was going to be contrast with Ori because they're indie and in the same genre. Was very much mistaken, though now I want to know what he thought of Ori.

    • @palico004
      @palico004 Před 3 lety +1

      Well that's gonna be a video in itself 'Why Ori is better than Hollow Knight'

    • @Trockenmatt
      @Trockenmatt Před 3 lety +9

      @@palico004 Debatable. I 100%ed both Oris and 112%ed Hollow Knight, and I still prefer Hollow Knight to replay. I feel like I've experienced all that the Oris could offer, but not Hollow Knight.

    • @palico004
      @palico004 Před 3 lety +5

      @@Trockenmatt So did I, I just think Ori's art and soundtrack is such a remarkable achievement and such an enormous step up in production quality from HK. I think HK suffers a bit from boring underground looking environments for 3 or 4 areas. Queen's Gardens, City of Tears and The Hive and many more are incredible but visually I find King's Pass, The Depths, Kingdoms Edge and even The Crossroads to be too similar and rather exhausting. There's too many imo and HK had wasted opportunities. Though they seem to have learned from this with Silksongs diverse areas and even HK's dlc area The White Palace which is stunning.
      Yet you have Ori telling a bleak story as well yet it manages to experiment with blues, pinks, purples, fiery reds, hazy yellows and lush greens in such imaginative combinations. Luma Pools alone was a huge wow moment for me.

    • @legrandliseurtri7495
      @legrandliseurtri7495 Před 3 lety

      I'm not sure if Ori can qualify as a metroidvania honestly.

    • @Trockenmatt
      @Trockenmatt Před 3 lety +2

      @@legrandliseurtri7495 I think at least Ori 2 does.

  • @Void84276
    @Void84276 Před 3 lety +9

    I always seem to be drawn closer to things that hold that type of sad beauty. I think of games like Hollow Knight, Final Fantasy Tactics or Xenogears. Games that have that dread or hopelessness following you, but still have hope and beauty intertwined within it.

  • @ronlevi8298
    @ronlevi8298 Před 3 lety +12

    Even though gaming isn't the subject of your channel,
    I think I can listen to you talk about anything and still enjoy it!
    Love the content!

  • @SuperDuperKoboldGod
    @SuperDuperKoboldGod Před 3 lety +12

    Weird, I just finished this game last week. A friend got it for me as a gift and I fell in love with it. More than a game, it's an incredible experience!

  • @imnourologist
    @imnourologist Před 3 lety +33

    "...micro-budget indie game" he says while showing a game that cost US$6 million

  • @TheTyper
    @TheTyper Před 3 lety +2

    8:57 - Yeah pretty much me but also for the RPG/character action input methods you find in Souls games too. There's something insanely satisfying about the Souls-body-run and resting-spot-respawn design that allows you to perfect your way through a place and also, through conflicts and repeated actions, feel out a world's design more and more.
    We probably won't ever get a world as beautifully internally consistent as Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne for a long while, but at the very least I want more games to really learn from those games and apply those lessons to their metroidvanias ala Hollow Knight. Making that core loop satisfying and repeating it forever is what makes Hollow Knight so easy to return to.

  • @JJ-me8wx
    @JJ-me8wx Před rokem +2

    There's also the soundtrack part of the game, which is incredibly beautiful and just adds so much emotion to this world

  • @mistahnuke
    @mistahnuke Před rokem +2

    Please continue this style of videos they are so good to watch at night it gives a sense of peace and relaxation from your voice and the editing choices

  • @thelastcube.
    @thelastcube. Před 3 lety +3

    Higher beings, these words are for you alone:
    silksong when

  • @stsiete2987
    @stsiete2987 Před 3 lety +3

    You put into words the things I love about dark souls 1 level design and I feel the secuels lack better than I could have ever had. I never thought about the importance of verticality in d1 until now, and I never realized how beautiful of a comparison hollow knight's acceptance vs dark soul's decadence is. You are amazing.

  • @TomasBeckett
    @TomasBeckett Před 3 lety +5

    One of the best games ever made. A story worth telling, a world worth experiencing.

  • @RufusDinaricus
    @RufusDinaricus Před 3 lety +22

    Great video about a great game. Greetings from Serbia!

  • @NorthernDruid
    @NorthernDruid Před 3 lety +1

    Beautiful video. Communicating so clearly why something is special to you is pretty incredible.
    I even kinda wish I could take the part about what from Dark Souls you only really found again in Hollow Knight and adapt it to my own feelings about The Legend of Zelda and Okami.

  • @HenryDelRosario
    @HenryDelRosario Před 3 lety +1

    So glad you did a video on this game! It was so beautiful; some bits were written so well too (i wish you commented more on that!)

  • @ChardBothamYT
    @ChardBothamYT Před 3 lety +4

    I revisit Hollow Knight at least once a year as well, and when I played it over last Christmas break, it occurred to me that it might be my favorite game. The reasons why I love it so much are different than yours, but no less personal, and it's cool to see someone else engaging with it in a way at least similar to how I do!

  • @agrippa.the.cosmonaut-wiz

    My favorite game of all time. Incredibly happy to see a video on it!

  • @astrorookie
    @astrorookie Před 3 lety +4

    Nah way, I just finished this game and now YOU'VE done a VIDEO ON IT??? THANK YOU OMG!

  • @jonahweiss2124
    @jonahweiss2124 Před 3 lety +6

    Hollow knight and outer wilds are probably my two favorite games I've played because they both deal with the end of the world on different beautifull ways

  • @dacornguy
    @dacornguy Před 3 lety

    Really great video. I've had these thoughts myself, but it felt great to hear them all at one in a concise video.

  • @LE0NSKA
    @LE0NSKA Před 3 lety +6

    when you said that playing games is either a slog or a revelation of some kind, I felt that. thats exactly how I feel..
    also, I have to get Return of he Obra Dinn lookin at your list.... I love every single one of those dearly

    • @kevingriffith6011
      @kevingriffith6011 Před 3 lety

      I can't recommend Return of the Obra Dinn enough. The mystery/detective genre is so rare as it is, and so few of the ones we *do* get manage to handle it well. Everything that was said in this video is absolutely right on, you'll be left wanting so much more, but with the knowledge that you can't really ever play the game for the first time again.

    • @Jerrrrremy
      @Jerrrrremy Před 3 lety +1

      I am honestly jealous of the fact that you are going to get to play Return of the Obra Dinn for the first time.

  • @JohnAntonucciNooch
    @JohnAntonucciNooch Před 3 lety +2

    I begrudgingly played this game for 12 hours before i started liking it. But....
    Right after I beat the Mantis Lords, I walked through the village and the mantises started bowing! It completely caught me off guard and caused *actual* delight (remember that?). The music playing was a variation on the fungal waste theme with that bouncy harpsichord in the background and those gorgeous swells of the strings that really shine through and blister on the ear. All that combined with the high from the fight, it was like a semi-religious experience. What an absolutely incredible presentation.
    90hrs / 102%

  • @unvergebeneid
    @unvergebeneid Před 3 lety +17

    I'd be interested to hear what you think about a game like Ori, that has a big studio behind it but still doesn't fall into the GTA V wannabe category and bears a lot of similarities to Hollow Knight.

  • @rorykurek643
    @rorykurek643 Před 3 lety

    Great video! Your opening discussion of triple-A versus indie games rings very true for me. While I've got friends who love Horizon: Zero Dawn, Spider-man and RE: Village, I often feel like I can't be bothered because "I've seen it all before." Hollow Knight (and other top-tier indie games) are EVOLUTIONS of what I've played before and always rewarding for that reason.

  • @brendanward7595
    @brendanward7595 Před 3 lety +2

    Couldn't agree more about the specific similarity between the original Dark Souls and Hollow Knight and the unscratchable itch of that particular approach to exploring and learning the geography of a game world. Fast travelling between bonfires in Dark Souls 2 (which I'm working through now) is convenient, but honestly I can't say I have the same love of the world and environment that the first Dark Souls instantly created in me. Exploring Hallownest was sheer wonder (and occasionally terror - looking at you, Deepnest!).

    • @jennifervalentine8955
      @jennifervalentine8955 Před 3 lety +1

      Yeah DS2 is a lesser game than Dark Souls in how they map works. DS2 is still amazing at times and has unforgettable boss fights.

    • @brendanward7595
      @brendanward7595 Před 3 lety

      @@jennifervalentine8955 Thanks for that - I've definitely enjoyed the bosses I've encountered so far and I'm still excited to see more of the experience DS2 has to offer.

  • @selimbsoltane1749
    @selimbsoltane1749 Před 3 lety

    Never have I related to a youtube video this much. Great work !

  • @rickmeik
    @rickmeik Před 3 lety

    Always love to see another of your videos

  • @palico004
    @palico004 Před 3 lety +1

    I've watched Mad Max Fury Road every year since release and play RDR2 twice a year. I know exactly what you mean, sometimes a game impacts you so deeply on an emotional level that just listening to it's soundtrack is an evocative experience.
    Edit: Hahaha you showed both!

  • @Dan_d00d
    @Dan_d00d Před 3 lety

    What a change up! You made a game vid for the first 2/3 when I was expecting so much to begin about the lore and structure more than the mechanics/layout. really great though (somewhat like a diff take on GMTK channel). Also,.. about 11.40... hollownest? Come on dude. Hallownest . Love it all , regardless. ;)

  • @popcorn_showers
    @popcorn_showers Před 3 lety

    Incredible video, you're good with games too!

  • @samuelgault7118
    @samuelgault7118 Před 3 lety +2

    It was quite bizarre coming to the realisation that Hollow Knight had become my favourite game of all time.
    Surely it should be Ocarina of Time? Or FFVII? Or some other list topping outing that is meant to be the best, or perhaps some older SNES game you’ve never heard of?
    But the more and more I thought about it, and the more I realised I was spending literally hundreds of hours playing it -I even played through it on my friends PS4 bc he had it and didn’t like but still wanted the trophies- the more it became irrefutably clear, this really is, in my opinion, the best video game I’ve ever played, and I don’t know if it’ll ever be topped. (And as someone who is NOT a completionist, getting that 112% was no small means)

  • @Drahko12
    @Drahko12 Před 2 lety

    Is such a beautiful game, I’m almost at the end of the game with the last boss and feel a bit sad is going to be over soon. Definitely a replay able experience

  • @TheAndroidBishop
    @TheAndroidBishop Před 2 lety +1

    I keep coming back to hollow knight and hyper light drifter. They're so rewarding every time

  • @neodaltiair8624
    @neodaltiair8624 Před 3 lety

    First time I played it I was indifferent, picked it up again during a break after my hardest semester of college and it wowed me. Beautiful game so atmospheric while having great gameplay.

  • @Largentina.
    @Largentina. Před 3 lety +1

    I feel the exact same way about Risk Of Rain 2. Fantastic video!

  • @armourofcontempt
    @armourofcontempt Před 9 měsíci

    Looks incredible, actually.
    Your video essay has compelled me to play it.

  • @Hollowdude15
    @Hollowdude15 Před rokem

    Awesome and video man and the game is so cool :]

  • @jordandwiggins1026
    @jordandwiggins1026 Před 3 lety

    I feel this. I got this game 2 and a half years ago and I’ve gotten to around 110% like 5 times so far and partially through a couple other times.

  • @lertox00
    @lertox00 Před 3 lety +2

    i have played this game so many times i have memorized room layouts and geo chests to the point of comfortably beating it in a couple hours and i still haven't grown tired of it
    i want silksong to come out but also i wanted shenmue 3, a remake of final fantasy 7, half life 3 and an interesting cyberpunk game so actually if it never comes out i'm ok u feel me

  • @JodiJahnke
    @JodiJahnke Před 3 lety

    Thank you for this brilliant video. Made me want to give Hallow Knight another try!!

  • @nerdineverythingnerdinnoth4984

    Now, I haven‘t played that many games yet, but I can say that the new Hitman games have an astonishing verticality (although they are completely different games), and can recommend it to you because of the in world stories (you can kinda ignore the big cinematic ones). But I‘d also recommend to play without the mission story system. The old Thief titles aren‘t bad at this either (the level „the sword“ is a frustrating masterpiece).
    Those are just 2 games I highly recommend.

  • @christiaanpretorius05
    @christiaanpretorius05 Před 3 lety

    Great summary of the experience

  • @capitalistraven
    @capitalistraven Před rokem

    I love how the game tells it's story and deals with it's theme so well that it's hard to miss what it's saying even though much of it is optional and incidental. It's about dealing with loss, and the ways we do it.. the good and the bad and everything in-between. The use of the dream nail is a great example... Puting to rest a history of violence so a better story of a life can be told, but how even that power can be misused...

  • @narukedag
    @narukedag Před 3 lety

    Didn't expected a video on my favorite game

  • @Eshajori
    @Eshajori Před 2 lety +1

    Silksong has been my most anticipated title for several years now, and if we still don't have a release date a year from now, I'm fine with that. Hollow Knight is my favorite game because it was so insanely polished and complete (even BEFORE) the extra, free content. I love the environmental storytelling and the mystery of the world. Silksong is the only other game the team is working on, and if it turns out to be as amazing and polished as Hollow Knight (which seems to be true based on the trailer alone) they can have all the time they need.

  • @Peter-qe1yh
    @Peter-qe1yh Před 2 lety

    after so many years this is a fresh take on the game I hadn't seen. Love it.

  • @enriquea.ghijsmora6213

    Great analysis, I agree completely. Haven't played Hollow Knight to the end, for some reason I got bored quickly. But after this I'm willing to give it another chance =)

  • @thechosenone8332
    @thechosenone8332 Před 3 lety +5

    Hollow Knight is years ahead of its time. This game is one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced in awhile.

  • @arshiadhawan1939
    @arshiadhawan1939 Před 3 lety

    A1 video my dude you never miss

  • @megashark1013
    @megashark1013 Před 3 lety +1

    8:44 Nope, but there is an area located directly ABOVE the Cathedral, so they've got that going for them.

  • @TimilehinOlaokun
    @TimilehinOlaokun Před 3 lety +1

    This was oddly calming to watch

  • @facadeESEA
    @facadeESEA Před 3 lety +1

    If you're diving into cosmic horror, I definitely recommend the book series The Three Body Problem

  • @Wakobear.
    @Wakobear. Před 3 lety

    A truly amazing game
    Please do more video game analyses

  • @evelynnlefay8058
    @evelynnlefay8058 Před 3 lety

    3:10 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice gave me this effect FOR SURE. Can't recommend enough

  • @Freakadude316
    @Freakadude316 Před 3 lety +1

    Hollow Knight is life. The wait for Silksong and the lack of updates is agonizing pain.

  • @Numba003
    @Numba003 Před 3 lety

    When I bought this game, I did not expect to find an instant classic. Phenomenal game for sure. Excellent video.
    Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends. :)

  • @danielwareking
    @danielwareking Před 3 lety

    Wonderful video!

  • @sirprahlegod3940
    @sirprahlegod3940 Před 3 lety

    I just downloaded Hollow Knight yesterday, to start a new playthrough and now I'm seeing this video ^^

  • @Dignenhsh
    @Dignenhsh Před rokem

    Although this is not the kind of game I tend to replay, I absolutely love this masterpiece of a game. I genuinely think this is a work of art. When silksong comes out I am going to have a field day.

  • @Tmathh
    @Tmathh Před 3 lety

    You make an excellent point on dark souls 1s map that is so tru

  • @cogigo
    @cogigo Před 3 lety

    The Witness is the game I go back to yearly still discovering tiny things.

  • @jackg1135
    @jackg1135 Před 3 lety

    Nice review! Do you happen to have a favorite boss, or just a favorite moment in general?

  • @greyfox4838
    @greyfox4838 Před 3 lety +2

    Hollow Knight is my favorite game of all time and Return of the Obra DInn is my favorite mystery game of all time. I should really get around to trying Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds. Also can't wait for Silksong and (hopefully) a Obra Dinn-like game from other developers inspired by it.
    Edit: finally did play Disco Elysium... wow, this must be the first RPG I played where I actually felt like I was role playing

    • @chrisgilliver1
      @chrisgilliver1 Před 3 lety +1

      Both Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds are phenomenal. The latter in particular did things to my brain that I did not expect.

    • @Henrikstinker
      @Henrikstinker Před 3 lety

      I wouldn't call Disco Elysium phenomenal, but it is a ton of fun. That is if you don't mind if the only real gameplay is dialogue (Now with full voice acting). Although there are complementary mechanics and an open world to explore

  • @Daniel-wz3yv
    @Daniel-wz3yv Před 3 lety +1

    This is the only game i've had to erase a save to start a new game, simply because i had played it so much that all my save slots were filled and i had to erase one of the older ones to start anew, and it always gives me a weird feeling because when i see that i spent 20 hours or even more on that save i still don't mind deleting it because i want to play it all again, it doesn't feel like i wasted my time or that it's a pity that i'm getting rid of that save, because it's just always so fun to play this game.

    • @shizukousapostle1stapostle710
      @shizukousapostle1stapostle710 Před 3 lety

      Lol yh.. The game definitely needs more then 4 save slots...

    • @legrandliseurtri7495
      @legrandliseurtri7495 Před rokem

      I deleted my save files several times, and now I have a dedicated save file to do randomizers, because I have a strong emotionnal connection to the other three lol.

  • @maxp5568
    @maxp5568 Před rokem

    Probably not news, but a sequel has been announced.
    Also, love that you're a gamer too. Hoping to see more content on games ;).

    • @maxp5568
      @maxp5568 Před rokem

      Would love something on Returnal if you've played it and you take requests.

  • @toasterenthusiast8023

    I would give anything to recapture what I felt the first time I explored the city of tears and sat down with Quirrel to watch the rain.

  • @roscojenkins7451
    @roscojenkins7451 Před 3 lety

    I remember hearing about Demon Souls when it was still only in Japan. No copies were sold yet in America. I remember having to wait a few months and got one of the first copies shipped. I also remember booting it up for the first time and spending 2 hours trying to make a character exactly how I wanted

  • @sanfransiscon
    @sanfransiscon Před 3 lety +9

    I'm actually the opposite when it comes to the level design of FromSoft games: while I love being able to see how different areas fit into the whole, I much prefer the other games' focus on making each individual location more intricate and thus more significant. Fast travel from the beginning feels like another aspect of the gradual character progression and customization that I love so much, each checkpoint reached immediately creating another option to consider throughout the adventure. Having a safe haven isolated away from the rest of the world adds to the feeling of safety and belonging.
    I wonder if there will be terms for the different kinds of exploration experiences these games in similar genres provide XD

    • @VoilaTadaOfficial
      @VoilaTadaOfficial Před 3 lety +1

      I'm not sure I fully understand what your comment means, but I just really wanted to mention my head canon for why I think fast travel is available from the start of Dark Souls 2 and 3, and to put it simply, it's because the lord vessel is in place. That's it. That's what unlocks it in Dark Souls 1. That's why you have it in Dark Souls 2 and 3.

  • @adaplay13
    @adaplay13 Před 3 lety +1

    I have already played it three times.
    I think is the king of indie games. And one of my favorite games. Even if I wasn't interested in metroidvania games

  • @branlos2607
    @branlos2607 Před 3 lety +1

    7:24 It's Zelda. The pots remind you of Legend of Zelda (don't deny it).

  • @paulkyle
    @paulkyle Před 3 lety +4

    Sage giving us GMTK/Razbuten content with his unique spin on it. I'm all in🔥

  • @Umbrella2
    @Umbrella2 Před 2 měsíci

    Beautiful game, I’ve had it for years and still have stuff to do…I am bad and slow at game though…it’s definitely one of my faves games of all time and I’ve played shit loads of games for over 20+ years, it scratched so many itches.

  • @samrambo6976
    @samrambo6976 Před 3 lety +2

    I adore this video
    I hope everyone's having a good day

  • @raquelgouvea2067
    @raquelgouvea2067 Před 3 lety

    I haven’t played Hollow Knight yet but hearing you talk about it really reminded me of Ori and the Blind Forest

    • @legrandliseurtri7495
      @legrandliseurtri7495 Před 3 lety +1

      It has little to do with it, in reality, even if people compare them often. I mean, I would play HK anyway if I were you, but don't expect it to be that similar to Ori.

    • @raquelgouvea2067
      @raquelgouvea2067 Před 3 lety

      @@legrandliseurtri7495 oh yeah! i think is mostly about the layout and how to navigate it that makes the two feel similar. But by what he said they do look to be quite different

  • @Towlapeiwa
    @Towlapeiwa Před 3 lety +1

    HELL YEA HOLLOW KNIGHT VID 🖤