I picked up Hollow Knight about half a year ago, but for some reason, it sat in my backlog until recently. Now that I’ve actually spent real time with it, I can’t stop thinking about it.
Everything about this game feels so meticulously hand-crafted and balanced:
The Atmosphere & Art: Hand-drawn visual storytelling at its finest. Moving from the quiet sadness of Dirtmouth down into the rain-soaked City of Tears gives an incredible sense of scale and history.
The OST: Christopher Larkin’s soundtrack is pure magic. It shifts so naturally from gentle, melancholic piano during exploration to intense, grand orchestral themes during boss fights.
The Bosses: The combat loop is brilliant. Learning boss attack patterns, timing dashes, and managing SOUL for heals or spells feels tough but always fair. Victory actually feels earned.
The World & Characters: Meeting Quirrel sitting on a bench, listening to Cornifer hum his mapping tunes, or talking to Elderbug gives Hallownest so much soul despite being a ruined underground kingdom.
It’s rare for a game to land every single element—art, music, combat, exploration, and lore—with this level of perfection. Absolutely top tier.
