hollow knight - 8/10
the first time in my life i have thought "maybe bugs are okay actually"
finishing this game with my wife was a truly illuminating experience. i have traveled the depths of my own mania in beating it, both the regular and true endings, and in doing so, have thoroughly cemented this game as one of my favorite metroidvanias. it is a true love letter to many facets of the genre, especially leaning into the -vania part; many of the design elements, the melee combat, and the free-flowing acrobatic movement (that's kind of mostly a post-sotn thing, isn't it?), all scream, in my mind, the elements of castlevania that i love, however, this game perfects those elements further, and as a result, somewhat raises the bar that you are expected to clear with said abilities. at times, this did frustrate me, but that is no fault of the game; any challenge presented (for the most part, i am yet to attempt path of pain and haven't beaten grimm) is a fully fair one, and one that can be bested without most hair follicles leaving your scalp.
this game has a far more heavy combat focus than most metroidvanias in my experience; there are significantly more boss fights than your classics in either side of the genre, metroid, castlevania, hell, even others such as cave story and axiom verge feel downright amicable in comparison to the many characters you will face off against in this game. that hostility is not one to breed frustration, however, as i was frequently excited to see what new faces would do - one of the few things that i never-ever wanted spoiled for me going into this game were the boss patterns, and what a great idea that was. it's truly a wonderful experience to see a new face, see them doing weird and strange things, and then being able to triumph over them from the learning process - you know, like a boss? - and part of that process, in my experience, due to my admittedly lacking skill, was a lot of deaths. deaths that each time, felt like i had chipped a little bit further, i had peered a little bit closer to beyond the veil, and that i was just that little hair closer to beating it; a feeling that hasn't truly been present in most games beyond dark souls to me.
many have drawn comparison between this game and dark souls over the years, and i must confess, a lot of the comparisons are superficial. no, hollow knight forges it's own identity from it's inspirations that itself has gone on to and will continue to inspire a next generation of developers, artists, musicians and everyone in-between. i know that it has reinvigorated my belief that video games are beautiful art and can be made by even the smallest of teams, and yet be as expansive and wide-reaching as even the most well-funded aaa (or should that be aaaaaa in 2025?).
hollow knight brought me closer to video games again, and it brought me closer to my wonderful wife. thank you, laverne, for being the inspiration for me to finally play this wonderful, beautiful game and indulge in it's beauties with you. <3
the rematch against false champion can still suck my dick though.
