Hollow Knight is incredibly overrated.

The pushback after hits is so dumb.
The Office Thank You GIF


It feels like shit to play because of this. I hate it with every fiber of my being.
 
Yep. Meanwhile a super fun revolutionary game like Shadow labyrinth comes out and crickets... It's basically pac man metroidvania.

Also other indies in the same genre games like guns of fury, Infernax, and chronicles of the wolf, get no talk at all.

I tried both hollow knight and animal well (own them both and both get raved about), and I don't find them that compelling at all.

I'd rather go and play the cv collections again or an another indie. Maybe it's character both aren't humanoids. Maybe that's also why I never pick up ori games.

Or maybe just a generational thing. Genx sensibility (Castlevania /metroid) vs gen z (cutsie style)?
 
Last edited:
Felt this way when I first played it years ago

Tried it again 2 months ago and holy fuck did it get its hooks in me this time. I havnt had my life stolen by game like that in years.

Game is totally worthy of all its praise and is now easily in my top 10
 
This is how I feel about Super Metroid!

But on-topic! Hollow Knight's a good game. Very good. My chief criticisms are that the platforms are all designed flat without any slopes (easier to develop for but less visual variety) and that the game suffers from Mega Man X syndrome. That is, the game really, really should have started you with the dash and that you can go too long without it. Nothing else really, except maybe that you can trap yourself in the Deepnest with shit gear and no way out without going through the whole thing.
 
It's a great game. And like with many other great games, the best you can do is ignore the fanbase and just enjoy the game for what it is.
They remind me of the Celeste and undertale game fanbase... The same stunted furry loving weirdos. (also two games I have no desire to play).

OK ok, not that bad. The undertale folks are insufferable and weird.
 
Last edited:
I'm not a big fan of Hollow Knight but i still respect this more than the metroidvania games who are deep into the Symphony of the Night formula with the obnoxious RPG stuff.

HK has a big world, good universe and atmosphere, huge content but still manage to have some very tightly designed bosses and plateforming segments. It's a very good game that strikes a decent balance between all its influences so everybody can enjoy it to some extent.

I still don't enjoy it as much as a classic Castlevania or other arcade action plateformers. There's also a lot of boring stuff in it.
 
I really want to know the people that think hollow knight is mid what do they consider their top 3 meteoidvanias.
Hollow knight is one of best games ever.
it was made by what 2 or 3 guys and goes toe to toe with aaa studios with budget into millions of dollars.
Castlevania sotn of course.
Any of the other Koji castlevania games.
Dead cells
Bloodstained.
Guns of fury (metal slug/classic metal gear Vania)
Salt and sanctuary (if it counts)

And my current game Shadow Labyrinth... People need to not sleep on this. The game has the exploration lacking in other titles and since irs Bandi Namco it's a AA budget. Pac man metroidvania sounds weird but it has killer gameplay!
 
Last edited:
They remind me of the Celeste and undertale game fanbase... The same stunted furry loving weirdos. (also two games I have no desire to play).

OK ok, not that bad. The undertale folks are insufferable and weird.
No, you are 100% on the money with this. Hollow Knight, Celeste and Undertale are overrated by the same crowd.
I really want to know the people that think hollow knight is mid what do they consider their top 3 meteoidvanias.
You mean like SotN and Super Metroid? I could slot in a variety of games for the last spot. Dead Cells for one is way more interesting than HK because it isn't bogged down by terrible pacing and has an S tier gameplay loop.
 
I've also seen many say it has the best combat in a metroidvania and I'm always baffled, like how can they possibly say that? they really need to stop gaslighting people into thinking that hitstop and pogoing enemies makes good combat it does not, it adds complexity to combat, don't get me wrong, but it gets old really quickly too and while it does technically have builds with the charm system it also lacks many other RPG mechanics, that other metroidvanias do have.
I agree. Death by 1,000 pokes is not very interesting.

Gimme some of this









Bonus

 
I don't want to dump on something I already like, but I do find the hype slightly puzzling. To me, Hollow Knight is like...medium-great? Like a 90/100. Still worth buying and praising but not my favorite in the genre.
 
Last edited:
Never played Hollow Knight before. Doesn't look interesting to me. Totally not my kind of artstyle.

I kept seeing people talk up some upcoming masterpiece only referred to as 'Silksong' and kept wracking my brains wondering why I never heard of it. It's been getting hype on par with a Miyazaki title.

...and then i look it up finally and its just a hollow knight sequel. Yawn.

May it continually be delayed to annoy enjoyers even more.
 
OP, I totally get what you're saying. As for me, I quite liked the art style and controls at the start but I quit it early on due to the level art design. I'd get stuck thinking I was missing something to advance, only to figure out that the room I was in had an exit. Visually, I had an almost impossible time discerning backgrounds from walls/exits. Obviously most people did not have this issue and played the game and enjoyed it. Something in my brain gave me fits about the backgrounds so I bailed.

I love reading the meltdowns and defensive statements made by people who are not mature enough to handle differing opinions about video games, though. That is always a hoot.
 
Hollow Knight started the shit trend of the hit sponge bosses in Metroidvanias. Long repetitive boss fights that are basically testing how long you can go without fucking up are not fucking fun. OG Metroid and Super Metroid didn't pull that shit. It takes the really fun game and shits all over it. It is pretty awful actually.
 
Look, I love Hollow Knight. It's a great game. I have played Metroidvanias since their inception and Metroid/Castlevania before that.

But in the last 8 years, the amount of people that act like the genre started in 2017 with it's release and serves as it's pinnacle just really grinds my gears.

It's consistently ranked #1 on seemingly everyone's list and it makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

And I'm it's target demo! I love bugs (keep several tarantulas, a jumping spider, hissing roaches, etc.), I love hand drawn art (been making it my whole life), and I love 2D action platformers (see above). But even I know it's not THAT good.

Is it truly just the Hot Topic aesthetic that's deluding everyone?! What is happening!?

Hell, even the devs are aware of this because if they weren't, Silksong probably would have released by now! They've been shitting their britches trying to make a sequel that lives up to the hype.

I agree 💯
 
Hollow Knight started the shit trend of the hit sponge bosses in Metroidvanias. Long repetitive boss fights that are basically testing how long you can go without fucking up are not fucking fun. OG Metroid and Super Metroid didn't pull that shit. It takes the really fun game and shits all over it. It is pretty awful actually.
For me when it comes to combat you should be able to take some damage instead of having to avoid it entirely and I think for the more challenging bosses I firmly believe for some engaging and at times cinematic fights you absolutely should be trading hits between yourself and the boss. Or at least have some engagement with your gear and abilities to either nullify or mitigate damage by engaging with a games combat and RPG systems...instead of well I gotta wait for Boss 275 to finish their rotation before I can get 2 hits in and do it all over again.

So instead of a intense fight that lasts about 1-3 minutes of trading damage you have a game of footsies anywhere between 6-8 minutes on a good day and 15+ minutes on a bad day.

It's like why in Nioh 2 yeah the Bosses can bully you but you can bully them back just as much. Which is what makes it fun.
 
I agree. It's amazing the game was made by like 3 or 4 people and it's a very good game, but I could probably name 10 Metroidvanias off the top of my head that I liked better.
 
Look, I love Hollow Knight. It's a great game. I have played Metroidvanias since their inception and Metroid/Castlevania before that.

But in the last 8 years, the amount of people that act like the genre started in 2017 with it's release and serves as it's pinnacle just really grinds my gears.

It's consistently ranked #1 on seemingly everyone's list and it makes me feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

And I'm it's target demo! I love bugs (keep several tarantulas, a jumping spider, hissing roaches, etc.), I love hand drawn art (been making it my whole life), and I love 2D action platformers (see above). But even I know it's not THAT good.

Is it truly just the Hot Topic aesthetic that's deluding everyone?! What is happening!?

Hell, even the devs are aware of this because if they weren't, Silksong probably would have released by now! They've been shitting their britches trying to make a sequel that lives up to the hype.
Nah bro you can't have bugs and spiders and expect your opinion to not be discarded. What are you an 8 year old boy with a mason jar? Grow up.
 
Yep. Meanwhile a super fun revolutionary game like Shadow labyrinth comes out and crickets... It's basically pac man metroidvania.

Also other indies in the same genre games like guns of fury, Infernax, and chronicles of the wolf, get no talk at all.

I tried both hollow knight and animal well (own them both and both get raved about), and I don't find them that compelling at all.

I'd rather go and play the cv collections again or an another indie. Maybe it's character both aren't humanoids. Maybe that's also why I never pick up ori games.

Or maybe just a generational thing. Genx sensibility (Castlevania /metroid) vs gen z (cutsie style)?

I bought a physical copy of Infernax for Switch after finishing the game on Game Pass.
 
Nah bro you can't have bugs and spiders and expect your opinion to not be discarded. What are you an 8 year old boy with a mason jar? Grow up.

I can't tell if you're being serious but you have an anime avatar complaining about another man's hobby on a video game discussion board.

You look awfully small on your little high horse :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
Can we also add blasphemous to the list. Just like Hollow knight it is highly rated but a complete drag to play.
 
The Office Thank You GIF


It feels like shit to play because of this. I hate it with every fiber of my being.
If you guys played it any longer you'd find there is an item that cancels that. Guys are showing you didn't give it long enough of a try and potentially aren't good at these kinds of games?

In addition the badge that allows you to see your character on the map is a design decision to handicap your ability to overpower the main character with additional strength & defense badges.
 
Last edited:
It's an OK metroidvania that far outstays its welcome and largely relies on aesthetic to make itself stand out.
Looking back I remember just being bored and wanting it to be over.
I think people aren't skilled enough to figure out metroidvania maps or mechanics. If you didn't grow up playing them, then there's a skill level to progress through first. It's alike to SotN in which you need to grind a bit then level up to get through tough areas without dying before reaching a save point. Plus save points are hidden and unexpected encounters with bosses when you're not prepared can be frustrating. Souls-likes usually add a savepoint before a boss fight and or a smaller range before you can repeat a boss fight and try again. On top of that when you reach your souls in this game you have to fight a doppleganger of your character to get them back. This wasn't designed to be any easy game.
 
If you guys played it any longer you'd find there is an item that cancels that. Guys are showing you didn't give it long enough of a try and potentially aren't good at these kinds of games?

In addition the badge that allows you to see your character on the map is a design decision to handicap your ability to overpower the main character with additional strength & defense badges.
I think people aren't skilled enough to figure out metroidvania maps or mechanics. If you didn't grow up playing them, then there's a skill level to progress through first. It's alike to SotN in which you need to grind a bit then level up to get through tough areas without dying before reaching a save point. Plus save points are hidden and unexpected encounters with bosses when you're not prepared can be frustrating. Souls-likes usually add a savepoint before a boss fight and or a smaller range before you can repeat a boss fight and try again. On top of that when you reach your souls in this game you have to fight a doppleganger of your character to get them back. This wasn't designed to be any easy game.

I was waiting for Skill Issue Guy to show up. What took you so long?!
 
I was waiting for Skill Issue Guy to show up. What took you so long?!
What's your stance? Didn't come at anyone, just mentioned some struggle with getting into these games because they aren't designed to be easy. And your drive by post isn't kind, nor does it contribute to the discussion.
 
What's your stance? Didn't come at anyone, just mentioned some struggle with getting into these games because they aren't designed to be easy. And your drive by post isn't kind, nor does it contribute to the discussion.
If you guys played it any longer you'd find there is an item that cancels that. Guys are showing you didn't give it long enough of a try and potentially aren't good at these kinds of games?

In addition the badge that allows you to see your character on the map is a design decision to handicap your ability to overpower the main character with additional strength & defense badges.
I think people aren't skilled enough to figure out metroidvania maps or mechanics. If you didn't grow up playing them, then there's a skill level to progress through first. It's alike to SotN in which you need to grind a bit then level up to get through tough areas without dying before reaching a save point. Plus save points are hidden and unexpected encounters with bosses when you're not prepared can be frustrating. Souls-likes usually add a savepoint before a boss fight and or a smaller range before you can repeat a boss fight and try again. On top of that when you reach your souls in this game you have to fight a doppleganger of your character to get them back. This wasn't designed to be any easy game.
You see guys. You just aren't good enough at video games.
Most aren't, damn straight

It is pretty clear what you said. You are probably just another difficulty and skill elitist. There are plenty to be found in the gaming community at large. The concept of people simply disliking something because it isn't for them is very hard for some people to grasp. Maybe it's...a skill issue?
 
Tried the game years ago but didn't like it. Don't remember why. Maybe that dumb ass looking character had something to do with it.
 
You're absolutely right. To me it's just a cringey 2D Dark Souls rip-off with lots of annoying sounds.

One of few games that I dropped after only a few hours.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom