Two competing gods. A fallen kingdom. And one tiny bug to save the day.

Hollow Knight is often praised as a wonder among indie games. It was made in 2017 by Team Cherry (composed of three people). Ever since then, there has been a resurgence of metroidvania games among indie developers – Dead Cells, Nine Sols, and Ender Lilies to name a few. There’s no doubting the magnitude of Hollow Knight’s influence.

Premise 

After the collapse of Hallownest, a character known in the fanbase as “The Knight” (player character) finds his way to this broken kingdom of bugs. By exploring, battling, and learning about the kingdom’s inhabitants, players will find themselves amidst a conflict that has been raging long before they entered Hallownest. His story will reach its end in one of three ways (five if you include the DLC endings) based on how much you explore.

Right off the bat, I was blown away by the attention to detail. From the adorable hand-drawn artstyle to the beautiful compositions by Christopher Larkin, every moment throughout my journey felt deliberate, as if the world was alive and changing. Exploration is the core of this experience – true to the metroidvania genre. Team Cherry doesn’t spoonfeed solutions or tell you where you’re supposed to go in order to progress. Frustrating? Sure, I got lost more than once. But every time I was able to figure out the solution myself, I was grateful they didn’t try to hold my hand. Each passageway and new area is unique and rewarding, usually ending in a new ability, bossfight, or NPC. 

Gameplay

As far as combat goes, Hollow Knight has one of my favorite battle systems of all time. The mechanics are extremely simple but the skill ceiling is higher than you’d expect, combining elements of platforming with puzzle solving as you discover every enemy’s weakness. A charm system is implemented, where discovering and equipping certain charms can drastically change your playstyle (making your weapon longer, increasing spell damage, etc). Boss fights are often challenging, but as I learned the patterns, it felt like I was in a dance. Keep in mind that this is a 2D Souls-like game – jumping (especially bouncing off of enemies with a “pogo” attack) is a crucial part of your toolkit while blocking/parrying is not nearly as important. Out of the whole list of bosses, only a few Dream Battles felt unfair to me.

The game rewards you if you pay attention. The downside to this form of gameplay is that it’s easy to get lost. During my first playthrough, I was deeply moved by certain moments, but even though those storytelling beats packed a punch, I had very little understanding of the bigger picture. The wide cast of characters are lovable and unique – charming to the point where all I wanted to do was see them happy, which gave me the desire to discover more about the underlying story.

About a quarter into the game, you acquire an item known as the Dream Nail – a weapon that allows you to read the mind of the character you hit with it. This item alone nearly doubles the amount of story you are able to discover, turning standard bossfights into emotional tidbits of lore. Seeing how every NPC in this world has been affected by Hallownest’s collapse is a major part of Hollow Knight’s exploration-based storytelling where, again, the game rewards you the more you pay attention. 

There is always something new to explore. And if the main quests aren’t challenging enough, there are plenty of optional trials to try out for yourself.

Music

Now this is a soundtrack I will listen to all the way through and enjoy every song. From the ethereal City of Tears to the blood pumping Mantis Lords, the music never fails to impress me. It’s clear that the soundtrack as a whole was made with care: there are several music motifs that relate to recurring plot details and instruments that further represent certain characters. The sound effects for characters are wonderfully diverse and they often work to telegraph certain attacks which make a big deal in boss battles.

Faith Perspective

Let’s talk about interpretation. The next three paragraphs will spoil the background lore of the story, but no direct narrative details will be discussed. Worship and free will are major players in this game and for a Catholic, that might be a source of concern. What if the game depicts our values in a negative way? After all, the evil god who created the infection is worshipped in the game as a glorious light which unifies all who accept it. From what we see in the game, all the bugs who belong to the infection are more akin to mindless zombies. Is Team Cherry trying to say that religion is a form of sacrificing your free will?

Not so, according to the lore. In fact, the infection is more similar to sin: tempting and addictive, unable to create but distorts the good that already exists. For you Lord of the Rings fans, “The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real things of its own.” Bugs would not even have intelligence if it weren’t for a different god (known as the Pale King) who came along and gave them the ability to think. His rule is humble, calm, and self-sacrificial while the infection is greedy, violent, and based on pride.

The story revolves around the Pale King’s scheme to stop the infection: he creates children known as Vessels, made from both divine blood and void, who could contain the infection so that the world might be saved. Sound familiar? God sent his only Son, both fully God and fully Man, to take the sins of the world upon Himself so that the world might be saved. Hollow Knight is a miniscule reflection of the Divine Sacrifice. Obviously it isn’t a perfect 1:1 ratio (the Pale King is a flawed character, and his scheme did not work at first) but the comparison stands. The true ending to the game is even more satisfying following this interpretation. 

So how can we relate this to our lives as Catholics? For a start, our free will is a gift. It’s one thing to hear this from a priest or mentor, but by playing a game where you constantly choose where to explore, the message of the story hits a lot harder. God gave us free will so that we could say “yes” to Him despite the world’s temptations, but also to let us enjoy this world while we are in it. “There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25). 

On top of that (if you chose to read the interpretation) it is a privilege while we are living to actively reflect and participate in the Paschal Mystery. A story that proclaims the gospel, even in the slightest fashion, can reveal something new to us about Jesus’s sacrifice if we choose to ponder deeply on it. Hallownest is a kingdom that has already collapsed. But according to the main characters, it is still worth saving and purifying for the good of those who are faithful in the fight against the infection.

The immersive, emotional journey that Hollow Knight presents has given me over 200 hours of pure joy (and immense patience). For such simple design, the world of Hallownest is rich with detail – sure to keep you happily lost for a long time!

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