Hollow Knight is a 2017 action-adventure metroidvania indie-game produced by Team Cherry that follows an unnamed bug-like creature dubbed "The Knight" as they delve into the depths of the dying kingdom of Hallownest.
I personally love Hollow Knight and consider it to be my favourite game of all time. The world that Team Cherry have created is amazing not only just in its visuals and gameplay but also in the scattered pieces of world building that you can find in the kingdom of hallownest, be it the journals and idols of those who died long before the first frame of the game or even a giant husk of the king of Hallownest shed skin flaking and causing a rain of the flakes that almost looks like snow everywhere around it, there are nods toward the history of the land and even some hinting to what is outside of it almost everywhere you can go.
The best part to me about how the world and story of Hollow Knight is set up is that half the story and almost all of the world building put into it is completely optional, you can beat the game while barely scratching the surface of what the game really has to offer in terms of its story and world, which is exactly what I did during my first time experiencing the game which still lead to me thinking it was a fantastic game, but going back after learning more about what the game had in store and continuing past that surface layer, there was no doubt in my mind that this was in my opinion the best game I had ever played.
I believe that Team Cherrys decision to make so much of their game something that can be completely ignored and easily overlooked was probably one of the key factors to myself and so many others enjoying it as much as they did. I believe this because I feel the sense of accomplishment and discovery that comes with reaching each new milestone of the story and each piece of information that can be found throughout Hallownest, is dramatically amplified by the fact that you don't need to do it to complete the game, but it still changes how you see certain areas and can even change how the game ends as a whole.
Having so many small accomplishments that aren't necessary to complete the game but still improve your experience of the game is an amazing implement to the game that solidified Hollow Knight as my favourite and as an almost universally agreed upon amazing game.
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