LogFAQs > #986639177

#9. Hollow Knight (2017)
Total Points: 18
List Appearances: 8
First Place Votes: 1
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/66dcaccd.jpg

Writeup taken from PC (2010s) list and provided by azuarc
Sometimes, you play a game because everyone is raving about it and youre not quite sure what yourself getting into, but you feel obligated to find out what you're missing, and then it turns out you dont actually like the game and it becomes a massive letdown. I had this experience with Outer Wilds. I was worried Id have it with Clair Obscur. But before either of those, there was a game I gave a shot to because it literally had six digits worth of Steam reviews and still maintained an overwhelmingly positive rating. Y'know, some random indie game about a bunch of bugs.

There was just one problem...I had never really played a metroidvania. Oh, Id played a bit of Super Metroid back in the day, but beyond that? Not so much. So when I say I didnt know what I was getting myself in for, I *really* didnt know what I was getting myself in for.

And I bailed on it.

Oh, I was enjoying the experience. I didnt really mind the weird mapping mechanics. Wandering around The Forgotten Crossroads wasnt bad, either. But it definitely took me a bit to get up to speed, and then after finally beating the first real boss, and getting into the second area, I just...stopped. I missed a room exit and got lost, and just decided I wasnt interested enough to go back and find it.

But in that year 2020 I was playing a lot of different games partially with the intent to do a ranking of all of them at the end of the year. And while there were a lot of games I bailed on, I went back for a second chance on a few. And I knew one of them had to be Hollow Knight.

Still, for a couple hours, it was more of the same. A game with good art and movement, but nothing that truly stunned me. I beat Hornet, went into Fungal Wastes, got frustrated a bit, grabbed the Mantis Claw, (completely missed the Mantis Lords fight,) and worked my way into City of Tears. And a funny thing happened it clicked. This game wasnt just good. It was *really* good.

Oh, I still got frustrated a ton. I got held up at the Soul Sanctuary for a bit. Then I got lost in Deepnest. Turns out, I was really bad at finding things and made pretty slow progress, but I loved the game except maybe when I was dying thirty times in a row to Watcher Knights.

For someone who, at the time, hadnt played a metroidvania, it took a huge attitude adjustment. I was just wandering around hoping to stumble into something rather than reading the clues. Why do the enemies all have orange eyes and give off orange goop? I dunno. Cuz. If that guy in the statue is "the Hollow Knight," then who the heck am I? *shrug* It took a while just to appreciate the existence of map pins so I would know where to go back and check.

After some forty hours, I finally stumbled and staggered my way to the finish line, only to realize there was still so much more to do. Multiple endings, tons of side content, achievements for speedrunning the game. It just kept giving. By that time, I was hooked.

Upon "completing" Hollow Knight, I needed more. I sought out other metroidvanias Ive played at least thirty since. But none of them hit the same. Some are as good in one or two specific ways, but none are good across the board. Everything in Hollow Knight is a master class. Literally everything. The art. The aesthetics. The world design. The tight controls. The simple, fluid combat. The music. The sense of exploration. The characterization. The polish. The organic way in which the player gradually discovers Hallownests secrets and feels a thrill every time they explore a new screen, pick up a new charm, or locate a new bench. "Hollow Knight does everything that Super Metroid does, and does it better." Thats what I wrote during my end-of-year ranking write-up.

The end-of-year ranking in which it took first place. Over Hades. Over Danganronpa 3. I played Trails of Cold Steel that year. Dishonored 2. A Plague Tale. A bunch of personal favorites like A Hat in Time, Borderlands 3, and Lennas Inception. I even put it ahead of the recently-released Genshin Impact, which earned a 12/10 in one category and an almost impossible overall score to beat. Yet not even that could touch Hollow Knight. Even now, knowing that I cant ever have that first playthrough back, I seek out Youtubers who start playing and track their progress. Its such a thrill to see the joy on their face, and also experience how differently they traverse the game due to how open-ended the exploration is. It's because of Hollow Knight that I've become something of a "metroidvania guy," and I still come back for a playthrough on occasion. There aren't many games I would give a 10/10 to -- there's always something I would ding them for if I'm being fair. But not Hollow Knight.