What a strange fate that of metroidvania. Typically relegated to portable consoles and almost disappeared from the market, this particular type of video game has become a bulwark of the independent world, a perfect combination of depth and fun chosen by many young software companies to demonstrate their skills – even by virtue of fairly limited costs at the level of development.
With a myriad of long-standing abstinence players from Metroid and Castlevania, and Kickstarter as a bridge, his rebirth was therefore quick and rich; all this despite the structural complexity made it approachable only by the most talented of the indie programmers. After surprises such as Axiom Verge ,
Ori and the Blind Forest and Valdis Story, however, have not seen quality metroidvania for a while, at least until Hollow Knight, a project created by the Australian Team Cherry, appeared. And believe us when we tell you that today’s title can easily be compared to the names just mentioned, because – after having been thrown on the project with average expectations – we came out of the experience amazed and with not a few scars.
Hollow Knight is a real surprise: do not ignore it just because this year there is no shortage of juggling
INSECTS AND DARKNESS
Hollow Knight is not a crystalline plot, on the contrary it is as dark as the game world: a dark and inhospitable place inhabited by anthropomorphic insects, unmentionable monstrosities, and mysterious forces that govern existence.
You, here, interpret a small silent warrior, ready to venture into the meanders of Hallownest (this is the name of the kingdom in which everything takes place) for who knows what reason. Clearly there is a reason for your raids, but do not expect a typical story from the game of Team Cherry:
Hollow Knight is full of clues, colorful characters and fascinating moments, which are collected and unveiled from time to time almost were objects to be discovered. Putting together the puzzle will not be a walk, yet once done we assure you that it will not fail to give you great satisfaction. Pleasures that, to want to say it all, derive in large part also from the gameplay of the title, since we are not facing a common metroidvania.
Once you start the exploration of Hallownest you will immediately realize that you are in the dark not only of your identity, but also of the map, which will be collected in pieces by a peculiar character with the travel ball and will be updated gradually as soon as you reach the rare benches where to rest(stickers to buy in a small shop in the initial village allow you to report shops and important areas).
This is certainly not a common feature for a game that makes the complexity of the maps one of its main qualities, but is clearly designed to increase the anguish of the player as he explores, and make more sense to wander around. You could seriously spend dozens of minutes in an area and even get to his boss without finding the map seller, so it’s always a good idea to stop and look good around, to avoid nasty surprises.
