If I remember correctly, it does...but there isn't a marker on the map of where I am so I'm always just roaming around. I'll stick with it and see where I fall later this week.
Hollow Knight |OT| Cute Insects That Just Want to Burrow Into Your Heart
- Thread starter dancrane212
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If I remember correctly, it does...but there isn't a marker on the map of where I am so I'm always just roaming around. I'll stick with it and see where I fall later this week.
Spring-Loaded
Member
Just keep pushing through. If you like Metroidvania and having choice on where to go, this game opens up tremendously.
There's an item you can get that adds your location.
You can get a charm back in town that shows where you are on the map. Normally though I would urge people to try and work it out without the charm as I think that's a lot of what the world is designed around. There's usually enough unusual looking rooms and other landmarks to guide you.
That said, if it's keeping you from having fun just get the charm and it'll probably help a lot.
Screw that, I had the charm on 95% of the time. Only time I didn't was when I had different charm setups for boss fights.
GwyndolinCinder
Member
Just finished, playtime is inaccurate cause i always afk when playing c:
91% is not bad for first blind playthrough, i expected it to be less cause the size of the map is eventually pretty overwhelming.
Its like 3am, so not gonna do a full write up of what i thought of it now, but it was an awesome game.
I loved how backtracking/exploration was used constantly as a world building tool. I loved the charm system/build variety. I loved how brave the game was
. The music was beautiful and varied. I loved how crazy exploration was, my 4th area was
which is obviously suppose to be a late game area. I didnt go to CC until very late in the game but i can see how a totally different route through the game opens up if you go straight away.
My main negatives are the bosses which are a mixed bag, my favourite boss was the
which i fought pretty early on and i dont think there was anything else near this awesome. The last boss was pretty great though.
91% is not bad for first blind playthrough, i expected it to be less cause the size of the map is eventually pretty overwhelming.
Its like 3am, so not gonna do a full write up of what i thought of it now, but it was an awesome game.
I loved how backtracking/exploration was used constantly as a world building tool. I loved the charm system/build variety. I loved how brave the game was
Stealing the players money etc
Deepnest
My main negatives are the bosses which are a mixed bag, my favourite boss was the
Mantis lords
Adam Prime
hates soccer, is Mexican
Wow how the hell is this game that long? I'm waiting for the Switch version, really excited to play this. I mean that playtime... that's like optional stuff right?
Explore, buy the compass charm and equip it on a bench to help out. It is a slow start.
To give you an idea of the length of the game, just look at the speedrun achievements. There's 2 for completing the game without 100% (10 hours & 5 hours) and one for finishing with 100% completion (20 hours). There's a lot of optional content, but typically on your first run, you're not really going to make much a distinction between optional content and required stuff, so it's easy to get off on a bunch of tangents.
The game becomes non-linear after a certain point and once that happens, it's hard to tell what's required and what's optional. I just ended up exploring all the areas I could and that took 28 hours by itself (and another 13 to 100% the game).
I'm quite a ways through the game (
) and while I'm totally loving it, there's an overwhelming sense that I'm missing some stuff because of how the map's set up. I feel like some rooms light up fully once I step inside, even if I haven't explored the whole thing, and that cons me into thinking I've already explored that.
Anyway, is there a hopefully non-spoilery guide to what 100% entails? I'll finish the game my way but want to mop up afterwards and a guide would be useful.
killed the 3 sleeping guys, fighting at the Colosseum now and I've got the King's Brand
Anyway, is there a hopefully non-spoilery guide to what 100% entails? I'll finish the game my way but want to mop up afterwards and a guide would be useful.
MyNameIsRye
Member
What is it about this game that makes it so long? Games like this feel like they should be 6-10 hours.
I know this game got great reviews, but how does it stay interesting after the 15 hour mark or so? Please no spoilers, I'm just curious.
I know this game got great reviews, but how does it stay interesting after the 15 hour mark or so? Please no spoilers, I'm just curious.
brainzelda
Member
It's just naturally slower than most other Metroidvanias. Enemies are more wily, and take longer to kill. Also, like Dark Souls, there are fewer save points and dying carries a harsh penalty (you lose your money when you die), so you tend to make your way through areas more methodically.
And it's also just fricking huge. There are a ton of areas, and they're all labyrinthine, so they each take a while to explore thoroughly. But they all have unique environments, and there's always something visually and mechanically interesting in each one.
But just like most Metroidvanias, I was compelled to keep playing because I always felt there was a new item or ability or upgrade just around the corner. It's extraordinarily well paced.
The game has a HUGE focus on exploration. Without a lot of places to explore, that wouldn't really work. But since there are so many unique and interesting areas to explore (with a lot of them being completely optional) it works really well.
And since the areas are so diverse and interesting, the game doesn't get boring 10 hours in. You're constantly finding cool new places, characters, side quests and bosses. There are also some pretty difficult areas towards the end of the game which keep things interesting.
The sheer variety and number of areas. The game also gives you a ton of freedom. There's just a ton of different things to do. It's not just finding items and upgrades, it's varied platforming, combat challenges, new abilities, tons of boss battles, etc. And it's all so well done and extremely polished and detailed. Lots of npcs with their own little quirks and side quests. The lore and world building is very much like Dark Souls if you are into that. I played it for 32 hours and did 97% of it. Never got bored or took a break to play something else for a few days.
GwyndolinCinder
Member
Huge area to explore.
Honestly i didnt come anywhere close to losing interest, this game kept me up till 4am multiple times.
Exentryk
Member
Got the true ending and beat the fool trial as well. Pretty much done everything and currently sitting at 98% completion. I have some random boss left and the journal to fill out.
Anyway, here are my thoughts on the game.
Pros:
Overall though, I loved it despite those complaints. The good stuff is just too good and I can overlook the cons. Looking forward to the content updates now. Be interesting to see what these devs do next as well.
Edit: Got 100%. And yeah, I take my time with games haha!
Anyway, here are my thoughts on the game.
Pros:
- Gorgeous aesthetic! Seriously, this is one of the most beautiful games I've played.
- Immersive world and atmosphere (which is result of everything coming together really well)
- Great tight combat and platforming
- Well designed and fair bosses
- Amazing enemy variety
- Poor storytelling. The lore and the world around is interesting, but I don't like the way the story is told, i.e., needing to piece together from boss fights, items, etc.
- Tedious game mechanics. No save anywhere feature, having to backtrack after every death, not being able to change charms (loadouts) anywhere, not having map charm as default passive, far away fast travel points, etc. I feel the game's strength is the exploration of beautiful areas, and adding these tedious elements only discourages exploration.
- Poor Pacing. It took me about 6 hours to get the first two abilities, which is when the game really opens up. Devs need to ensure the game is designed such that a few important abilities are obtained as soon as possible, and that the time it takes for that is the same for every player.
- Minor complaint, but the controls for charged attacks could be better. Perhaps something like hold L2 to charge and then tap the attack/dash/etc button to use respective charged attacks. I mention because it becomes tricky to hold the face attack button, while also trying to jump multiple times via another face button with the same thumb.
Overall though, I loved it despite those complaints. The good stuff is just too good and I can overlook the cons. Looking forward to the content updates now. Be interesting to see what these devs do next as well.
Edit: Got 100%. And yeah, I take my time with games haha!
I guess you don't like Souls game then? Because that's part of what makes them great. It's a matter of tastes, so I definitely understand that you don't like that stuff. However the "poor storytelling" just isn't true, it's a different way of telling a story, but in no way poor: the attention to every detail of the lore in HK is outstanding.
Exentryk
Member
Yeah, I don't play/like Souls games. And you don't have to agree with me, but I maintain my points.
I will agree about the poor storytelling. The story is fine by itself but the way it's revealed is not so great. I got 100%, and I wouldn't have been able to tell you much about the story if I hadn't visited the wiki to piece it all together.
Which boss is giving you a tough time?
Finally starting to pick this up again, fully intend to finish it this time! Question: will I know when I'm about to finish the game, so I can go back and 100% before the final boss? I was pretty pissed when I was locked out of my game at the end of Ori.
Pretty overwhelming game to jump back into after a long break, but certainly not as bad as Salt & Sanctuary. God I love the graphics of this game though, they are just insanely good.
Pretty overwhelming game to jump back into after a long break, but certainly not as bad as Salt & Sanctuary. God I love the graphics of this game though, they are just insanely good.
Exentryk
Member
Beating the final boss just puts you back before the fight. I do recommend fighting the final boss as soon as possible, and then cleaning up the rest, as not doing it this way can result in missables.
Brilliant, the way it should be! Thanks mate.
What can you miss? I've done just that and am about to fight the final boss with I think almost everything else done.
I love the game but have to agree with you here. I'm about to fight the final boss and have no idea what the fuck the game's even about. I'm just dense I guess but I've come to accept that this form of story telling is just not for me. Completed all the Souls games and Bloodborne and honesty couldn't tell you what they're about had I not wikied the stories afterwards.
I disagree somewhat about the fast travel and having to trudge back to bosses. It is somewhat annoying but it creates a sense of place that say constant teleportation or respawning outside a boss room wouldn't.
But there's a bunch of QOL stuff that I think the game would really benefit from. As you pointed out, let me change my charms! Baffling design decision. Map charm not as default is also annoying, and I'll agree about charging weapons. Your movement is hindered when holding the charge and it sometimes ends up hurting you more than it helps.
The game gives you a % complete before you fight the final boss. Hard to say what you've done without seeing that. For me, I reached him at 75%...
The story is deliberate in style. It is fine to not enjoy the style of story telling, I love it to be honest. I love the story told in scraps where you need to pay attention and piece it together. I worked out most of this one without resorting to online explanations.
Charm equipping on a bench is also a great idea in my opinion. It makes you weigh your choices more. It makes you consider each charm for its merits exactly because you don't want to be trekking back to a bench. When I'm stuck in an area or having trouble I can also look to see what I can mix up. Being able to swap anywhere makes it too convenient and abusable. You can change it as often as you need.
I don't really like the Souls style of storytelling myself but I thought it worked okay for Hollow Knight in that it stayed out of the way and let me do my thing. I ultimately didn't care enough to piece things together but it's cool that other people were more invested in the lore.
Beating all the bosses, collecting all the health/soul vessel upgrades, working towards awakening the dream nail by beating the various dreamers, fighting in the Colosseum, all the upgrades for you skills, nail upgrades... it's kinda hard when I don't know what you've done, but this is just a crude checklist.
I'll also add getting all the charms and filling out your Hunter's Journal. Those little green worm things too I guess though they are probably part of the all upgrades part as I'm guessing a piece is the final reward.
Speaking of the Coliseum, the Fool's path is rough. I get to the part with
tiny box arena with diving flying enemy and spike floor, low roof
Exentryk
Member
^ Not much more after that. A
You can miss the
few enemies and then a boss.
You can miss the
first ending if you go and get the void heart before beating the final boss.
Straight Edge
Member
Is there any estimate on the Switch version release date?
Won't be jumping in with this update, probably until much later, but this is my GOTY so far. Is Hornet going to be playable?
swarley64
Member
Honestly, has any Metroid-like ever been this big? Its almost too big. Most of these games are about 8 hours long, I think SOTN I beat in about 15 hours. I understand that La-Mulana might be very big, but is that a 30-hour game?
I finished last night with 27 hours and 87% completion, but I still want to get the best ending and see the new content coming today. What an amazing game.
Crossing my fingers for a Switch update along with the launch of the extra content today. Its been a while since they last acknowledged that version's existence, right before E3. I'm starting to lose hope that it will release before October and I want to play this real bad
Ya, they they didnt acknowledge in the last update a few weeks ago when they annouced the official date for the DLC so now Im hoping we hear something today. If not then Im guessing the switch version is a ways off.
Crossing my fingers for a Switch update along with the launch of the extra content today. Its been a while since they last acknowledged that version's existence, right before E3. I'm starting to lose hope that it will release before October and I want to play this real bad
Also holding out for the Switch version. Why should they announce something today? Do they have a set weekday for blog posts?
DLC releases today so it's likely they will announce something related to that and hopefully some Switch news along side it.
Exentryk
Member
Still waiting on GOG, but the steam one is live I think.
Yeah that is one of the DLC updates, but it's probably not going to be part of this update.
Yeah that is one of the DLC updates, but it's probably not going to be part of this update.
prodystopian
Member
Pretty sure the update is live. I just downloaded a couple hundred MB for Hollow Knight on Steam.