Hollow Knight

First impressions. I like the feel. The movement and combat feels right. I like the art style. It seems like there will be enough gear and upgrades although it’s too soon to tell. My biggest initial annoyance / worry is that I’m going to get lost all the time and have to back track a bunch not knowing where I’m supposed to go. I got lost to start and had to google where I’m supposed to go. 

The boss battles and gameplay has been fun. I’m just starting the third region. I’m still getting lost and having to retrace my steps a lot. That’s holding me back a bit from really getting into it. So far at least. I think this will be the type of game where I decide to fully dive in and not play other games. It doesn’t feel like a “play for a bit every now and again” game like I thought it would be.

I like the boss fights and the gameplay but there’s so much back tracking. I hate having to go through the same three minute section every time I die to a boss. 

It’s definitely a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee kind of game. That’s the vibe. The boss fights have been fun. I really like the game play, but I’ve been playing just following guides because I never know where to go next and you already have to back track so much in this game that I don’t want to wander around aimlessly. It’s the main thing holding this game back for me right now.

The different zones all look nice. This is a cool looking game. It’s also very large. I’ve played quite a bit but I don’t think I’m close to finishing it yet. I will say, the progression has slowed down which is a bummer. I have bought everything in dirtmouth and now I have thousands stacking up that I’m certain I’m going to lose before I can spend them. I can see why some people would love this game. It’s really close for me but there are just a few things holding it back for me.

Champion of fools arena battles have been my favourite part so far. I beat the first two with a reasonable number of tries and then I tried to beat the third for like 3 hours straight. I got close I think but couldn’t do it. Fuck.

Beat the game. The final third of the game was my favourite part. I binged it. If there was an easier fast travel I’d be tempted to go finish other bosses but I just don’t feel like running around the map anymore. I can see why this game has such great reviews. It didn’t hit as high for me because of my issues with navigation and a few slower progression periods at the beginning but by the end I was really liking it. The art style, gameplay, enemy variety, boss fights and overall tone was great.  

My final time was 21 hours. It felt like the right amount.

Current Score: B+