Hollow Knight is incredibly overrated.

The Cockatrice said:
Yep, and nothing wrong with that. They did a great job.
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Badges rule!
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I love Hollow Knight and see a lot of people that like it, but I don't have the feeling that it is being constantly mentioned and heralded.

Maybe it is some sort of perception/PoV thing? We sometimes have it that other people praise things we also like, but due to the widespread acclaim something gets we want to be smart and clever and like something else that feels like a hidden secret intelligent pick over what seemingly many people are picking?

Human psychology does that. Has happened a million times before. Has happened to me to. I dislike the movie The Godfather. Why I have no idea it is objectively great and I can tell it is well made, but it just isn't working for me. Is it incredibly overrated because of that? I have no idea I can't even be remotely objective with that movie.
 
Nah it was great. Not goat(because metroidvania isn't my favourite genre), but great. I loved the art style, platforming elements, and combat. 9/10. The backtracking annoyed me at first, but I got used to it after a while.
I'm not going crazy about Silksong, if that's what you mean, but I'll gladly play it if it turns out good. I do understand the people who are obsessed with this game, but I still don't get the ones who go crazy over Undertale.
 
A lot of Indie games are overrated. Doesnt help that 80% of them are roguelikes. Just some that come to mind that everyone was raving about...GRIS, Celeste, Binding of Isac...found em repetative, boring, bland story, some games throw 20 management loops at once etc. The only reason these games have the length they do is because you keep doing the same shit over and over. Lazy game design.
 
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C'mon dude, they dropped an absolute banger for $20 that redifined the genre.
It was made by 3-4 people with a dedication and attention to detail/polish that most AAA developers can only dream of.

High skill level
Buttery smooth combat mechanics.
Loads of content.
Great endgame.

Having said that, it wouldn't make my all time top 10 or even 20, but within the genre it's gotta be top 3.
 
IAmRei said:
[...]especially, people mostly younger, who never plays metroid and never want to try it, often say this is their best metroidvania without knowing there is metroid or castlevania.
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I think at the core of it, this is exactly my problem with the hype. Young people or people new to the genre that have only played HK and yet think it's the best MV.
 
Kacho said:
Nah. Not a single person said they dropped the game because it was too hard. It was for various other reasons. Primarily because the game didn't grab them after giving it a fair shot. Happens all the time.

Not sure what it is about this game that makes people so tribal. Balatro is another popular game that received heaps of praise and people don't get all unga bunga when someone criticizes that.
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I quit because it was too hard.

Did people play this shit? It's hard as fuck. I gave it a 10/10 and have beaten many games that would make most men cry but hollow knight is hard and long as FUCK and if you do not get the nail upgrade before fighting a certain boss...good luck.

There are really about 4 things good about HK imo. The gameplay/difficulty is really good and hard as fuck, the game is very long for this genre, and the atmosphere is really like dark souls. So many non-from soulslikes don't get that right. The good gameplay the incredible difficulty the length and the soulslike atmosphere made fresh by the bug theme. It really is a complete package for genre fans imho.

I marginally prefer the igavanias too, they are much, MUCH shorter which can help with retro style games and also they are very easy. They are flashy, cool, and fun with good music and have a good but small puzzle that can be accomplished in a few play sessions.

Since hollow knight there have been a few great metroidvanias that have really stepped up, 9 sols, blasphemous 2, prince of persia, dread, and more but that doesn't mean hollow knight can't punch with them, it's just that we are happy another high level one is coming out. I'm not sure how any genre fan could not at least respect what hollow knight offered. SotN is still the goat but Hollow Knight was really well done and a good game too.
 
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I'm the opposite... I found the art style off-putting, and I'm not that into metroidvanias. Yet somehow this game captured my attention and I finished it. Even the art style grew on me. The game feels like more than the sum of its parts.

The thing I'd praise is great balancing. The challenge was just right most of the time. I think they designed it with great care.

I do agree it's not ground breaking in any way. It's just an enjoyable game.
 
Hudo Hudo MagiusNecros MagiusNecros speaking of Deedlit, if you liked the "change element" mechanic to avoid damage, check out SMT Synchronicity Prologue, has the same mechanic, it's free, has an english translation and ofc is fun to play.
 
Didn't click it for me. I can recognise the polish, the balance, movement, the fact it was made by a small group. It's great that they get recognition and profit from their work.

But personally couldn't get into it. Didn't find the art work, music, story or concepts appealing.
 
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It's accessible, which automatically makes it one of the best in the greater gamer community. Among the hardcore, sure, there's better stuff. But the games industry needs growth. It's much easier for Hollow Knight as a franchise to grow than any other more hardcore brand.

Which is why I always find it hilarious when some people within the Souls community reject an easy mode. They're basically asking for their genre to eventually die off...
 
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Never played it, but i have been seeing so much glazing toward this game, and for so long that it annoys me. Same thing happened with the Berserk anime. Constant glazing all over i looked, and i ignored it for all these years until 2024, when i decided to weeb up, and watch the whole season. One day i have to do the same with HK, i guess.
 
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SILKYSMOOTH30FPS said:
Never played it, but i have been seeing so much glazing toward this game, and for so long that it annoys me. Same thing happened with the Berserk anime. Constant glazing all over i looked, and i ignored it for all these years until 2024, when i decided to weeb up, and watch the whole season. One day i have to do the same with HK, i guess.
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Now read the manga...since it's 500% better.
 
BossLackey said:
I think at the core of it, this is exactly my problem with the hype. Young people or people new to the genre that have only played HK and yet think it's the best MV.
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Where are these people you keep talking about?

You claim the game is overrated but 70% of the thread is people calling it mid or average. Personally I barely see it brought up these days unless it's silksong talk in a Nintendo direct thread

So where exactly do you go that people praise this game so continuously that it irks you this much?
 
The Cockatrice said:
Imagine downvoting a game because it doesnt have "fun speedruns". Dumbest shit I ever read. Speedruns are for idiots and the only positive out of the idiocracy around them is that they give back to charity and thats it.
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The point of a speedrun is to fully utilize game mechanics and glitches to blaze through an awesome game with as little down time as possible. It has little to do with the streamed events predominantly attended by the mentally ill.

HYDE said:
I think you're great man, but game is actually great. Unlike Zelda II
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It is more polished than Zelda II but it is not as engaging due to lack of gameplay density.
 
TintoConCasera said:
Hudo Hudo MagiusNecros MagiusNecros speaking of Deedlit, if you liked the "change element" mechanic to avoid damage, check out SMT Synchronicity Prologue, has the same mechanic, it's free, has an english translation and ofc is fun to play.
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Ah! Thank you for reminding me of SMT Synchronicity Prologue. It's in my Steam library, but I've never touched it (but I planned to).
 
I respectfully disagree.

Hollow Knight is the only metroidvania that has been able to reach the heights of super Metroid. And in some ways even surpass it.

That is a monumental achievement worthy of the highest praise.
 
I loved it. The first time I played it, I put it down after 15 minutes and didn't revisit it for a few months. The game would've been completely forgettable if I had stopped after 3 hours, but completely grew on me and I ended up putting 60 or so hours into it and was sad to finish it — like finishing a great book. Top 20 game of all time for me, and I've been gaming since the 80s.
 
I tried getting into Hollow Knight twice and bounced off it both times.

Meanwhile I've played dozens of hours of Dead Cells and completed the Ori games.

I think HK just didn't feel as good to play as those games.
 
Fess said:
Well that's certainly an opinion.
I've been playing it during my vacation, 108% completion rate now, it's seriously up there in the top 5 all time best for me. Can't wait for Silksong!!
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Well, you clearly CAN wait because you've been waiting an awfully long time.
 
I didn't get around to playing it until earlier this year and most of the hype is absolutely warranted. Fantastic game.

Is it the the pinnacle of the genre? Not for me personally as I enjoyed Nine Sols, and the Ori and Ender Lillies games a lot more.

I'll still play the shit out of SIlksong when it releases though.
 
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BossLackey said:
Is it truly just the Hot Topic aesthetic that's deluding everyone?! What is happening!?
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When you are looking around at a whole bunch of people with whom you normally (generally) probably agree and are like "what are all those people thinking?!" there are really only two explanations... it's either that this is a particular genre or aesthetic or has certain mechanics that are REALLY not for you and do not appeal to what you most love about the medium, or you have a blind spot.

Since you admitted it's not the former, in your case it's obviously the blind spot thing. Happens to the best of us. A really good example for me, loathe though I am to admit it, is BOTW. I think it's overrated, reality it is does some things that are aggressively not for me and also I probably have a bit of a blind spot for it.

Don't let it get you down, slugger. (y)
 
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I think it's good, but never regarded it as a genre defining pinnacle. The main thing that bugs me is the low-budget-hotel design ethic of making you pay for shit that is just free in any other game. Wanna map? Buy it. Want it to update as you play? Buy a quill. Want to know where you are? Buy a badge. Want to open that fast travel point? Pay for it. Don't want to fuck around collecting the Geo that gets tossed everywhere? That's right, pay me. Shit, they even make you pay for fucking benches (like crucial ones) at times.

It makes the first five hours so miserably unrewarding. Fighting through a tough section, reaching a rest stop, finding Cornifer or a fast travel point and then being told that success in making it there isn't rewarded unless you picked up enough Geo to pay for it. Your only option is to gamble your success on grinding out the cash and not dying.

The game feels stingy the whole way through, as though they're somehow afraid a game isn't serious if it isn't kicking dirt in your face every thirty seconds. And it'd be so easy to reduce the amount of Geo dropped, give away this stuff as a reward for success and let Geo be spent on optional things that expand the gameplay in more varied ways.
 
I don't have a problem with the map system. I think its a nifty way to transfer the old school "make your own map" feel into the game without the effort of actually doing it yourself. The charm to show where you are is pretty lame though. Like, I'm (the character) filling out the map details but can't tell where I am?

Imretarded.gif
 
NeverYouMind said:
Every member of the genre tries to emulate SOTNs greatness but none can match its raw skill ceiling, progression, presentation, and gameplay density. No other title is worth referencing.
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Game is very cool indeed but come on, "raw skill ceiling"? Game's easy as piss, only dangerous boss is Galamoth.
 
While I did like Hollow Knight, I did not find it outstanding, and the Hollow Knight fan community are some of the strangest people I've ever seen.
 
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