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Hollow Knight (2017)

Team Cherry

Linux · Mac · Nintendo Switch · Nintendo Switch 2 · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Wii U · Xbox One · Xbox Series X|S

4.48 from 5552 ratings · #23 top rated on Grouvee

14305 members have it in their collection · 1487 playing now · 4887 backlogged · 2132 wish listed

How long? Main story 30h · with extras 45h · 100% 55h (from 200 logged playthroughs)

A 2D metroidvania with an emphasis on close combat and exploration in which the player enters the once-prosperous now-bleak insect kingdom of Hallownest, travels through its various districts, meets friendly inhabitants, fights hostile ones and uncovers the kingdom's history while improving their combat abilities and movement arsenal by fighting bosses and accessing out-of-the-way areas.
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Details

Developers
Team Cherry
Publishers
Team Cherry
Genres
Adventure, Indie, Platform
Themes
Action, Fantasy
Series
Hollow Knight
Events
Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase 2.5.2026, Nintendo Direct: E3 2018
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • Feb 24, 2017 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Apr 11, 2017 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Mac
  • 2017 (Cancelled) (Worldwide) Wii U
  • Jun 12, 2018 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Nintendo Switch
  • Sep 25, 2018 (Full Release) (Worldwide) PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • Feb 05, 2026 (Full Release) (Worldwide) Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
  • Dec 31, 2026 (Next-Gen Optimization Patch Release) (Worldwide) Nintendo Switch 2

Related

Bundled in

Updates

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Featured in lists

Essential Indies by Human_Traffic · 50 games · 6
Gamestar Magazine's 300 best PC games of all time by Human_Traffic · 300 games · 5
Decompilation/Recompilation Projects by DucksOnQuack · 24 games · 4
Train Your Wife from Zero to Dark Souls (Scientific Method™) by Yevii · 10 games · 3
My Favorite Games Ranked by BurningKirby · 91 games · 3
BMO’s All-time Favourites by BMO · 9 games · 3

Rating distribution

5 stars
3623
4 stars
1252
3 stars
455
2 stars
172
1 star
50
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Community All Reviews Statuses

El_Diegote

Status El_Diegote Feb 25, 2025

Needed a more relaxed game to unwind between Dead Space sessions and this game feels cozy enough for that. And it definitely feels easier than during my first playthrough. I remember dying like 250 thousand times in the first two chapters and now my first one was a dumb one against one of those leaf knights just because I forgot …

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Needed a more relaxed game to unwind between Dead Space sessions and this game feels cozy enough for that. And it definitely feels easier than during my first playthrough. I remember dying like 250 thousand times in the first two chapters and now my first one was a dumb one against one of those leaf knights just because I forgot one of his attacks.

Odd to play this game again, considering that it clicked with me after quite a while, and I had to really push myself through some parts to finish it. I guess it's just good?

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1 Comment Permalink
whiterabbit

Status whiterabbit Oct 27, 2024

nice game but beating five boss rushes which get increasingly more difficult in order to get a cutscene is NOT something im going to be doing

2 Comment Permalink
ClaireValle

Status ClaireValle Sep 20, 2024

I'm not even gonna attempt to get to Absolute Radiance, so I guess I'm done.

It was alright, definitely on my top 3 bug-focused indie games.

6 Comment Permalink
ClaireValle

Status ClaireValle Sep 5, 2024

So far, I'm not a fan of the map design in Hollow Knight. It feels like there's a lot of stuff in the world, but most of it is not available to you yet, and your only choice is to memorize it. And yes, it's a metroidvania, opening new paths in old areas is what the entire genre is based …

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So far, I'm not a fan of the map design in Hollow Knight. It feels like there's a lot of stuff in the world, but most of it is not available to you yet, and your only choice is to memorize it. And yes, it's a metroidvania, opening new paths in old areas is what the entire genre is based on, but there's just too much stuff to keep track of and it's starting to get overwhelming.

I have to remember locked doors, places I need the double jump to access, walls I can climb with the wall jump, gaps where I have to use the boost, where all the breakable floors are, where the shadow energy gate things are, all the tram stations, everything. Sometimes I'll unlock a new item and realize that I was supposed to keep track of something I didn't even know about

The game at least has the decency of marking some of these in the map once you get access to them, I'm able to see all tram stations after getting the ticket so that's one less thing to keep in mind. However, I don't think it does this for movement abilities, so unless I managed to memorize how to get to all areas I need the double jump for, I'll have to go through the entire map again once I unlock it. It already happened with the dash and I'm not looking forward to it.

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3 Comment Permalink
ClaireValle

Status ClaireValle Sep 4, 2024

Just unlocked the Dream Nail, now I can hit random NPCs with it and listen to them go "Zanzibart... forgive me"

6 Comment Permalink
Mattroid_Prime

Status Mattroid_Prime Jul 2, 2024

You really would think I'd have played this sooner, with how much I love Metroid and Castlevania. But, alas, I had not. Just now getting into the game and it seems relatively solid so far. I definitely have my issues with it, but the complaints aren't major. Overall I'm having fun and am looking forward to completing a playthrough.

4 Comment Permalink
krymsun00

Status krymsun00 Jun 23, 2024

Dropped after about 45 minutes. I might be willing to put up with the combat and death mechanics if the navigation wasn't complete trash. Why did I just spend 30 Geo on a map that is absolutely useless? I've run around, killed a boss even, and still have not gotten anything remotely akin to an upgrade and have no idea …

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Dropped after about 45 minutes. I might be willing to put up with the combat and death mechanics if the navigation wasn't complete trash. Why did I just spend 30 Geo on a map that is absolutely useless? I've run around, killed a boss even, and still have not gotten anything remotely akin to an upgrade and have no idea where I'm going or what I'm supposed to be doing in even the vaguest sense. There is no aspect of this game that is enjoyable enough to push me forward. I'm glad this was a PS+ game and not something I wasted money on.

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5 Comment Permalink
hessamg

Status hessamg Jun 16, 2024

Best music. Unexpectedly huge interconnected map. Good story. Great gameplay. Good visuals. Balanced difficulty.

3 Comment Permalink
killerstar

Status killerstar Apr 1, 2024

OK, that's that for The Radiance. Not gonna lie, I don't think I really got better at the game. I farmed geo to get unbreakable charms and then spammed Abyss Shriek to DPS my way to victory with all the grace and evasion of a manatee in the Sahara.

4 Comment Permalink
killerstar

Status killerstar Mar 25, 2024

The Hollow Knight fight was one of my favourites. Besides the variety of attacks and challenge, I loved that it had an arc; it told a story. The Hollow Knight starts imposing and attacks gracefully with its nail, but as the fight progresses and it takes damage, it starts to use more brutal and messy attacks with the orange infection. …

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The Hollow Knight fight was one of my favourites. Besides the variety of attacks and challenge, I loved that it had an arc; it told a story. The Hollow Knight starts imposing and attacks gracefully with its nail, but as the fight progresses and it takes damage, it starts to use more brutal and messy attacks with the orange infection. By the last stage, it feels like it's panicking and its body language denotes its exhaustion. Instead of menacing, it looks almost pitiful. Even the music follows this arc. It's amazing.

But then, the game erodes every part of that by making you repeat that fight over and over again to get to The Radiance. So what was once an exiting and emotional fight is turned essentially into a perfunctory bossrun; something that is 'in the way' of the actual goal that bears no emotional content.

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5 Comment Permalink