A Bug, a Kingdom, and One of the Best Games Ever Made

Released in 2017 by three-person Australian studio Team Cherry, Hollow Knight arrived quietly and left an enormous mark on the industry. Today, years after its release, it remains the benchmark against which every new Metroidvania is measured. If you've never played it, this article will tell you exactly why you should. If you have — welcome back to the nostalgia.

What Is Hollow Knight?

Hollow Knight is a 2D action-exploration game set in the ruined insect kingdom of Hallownest. You play as a small, silent bug knight descending into a vast underground world of tunnels, temples, and forgotten civilizations. The genre is Metroidvania — meaning you explore interconnected maps, gain new abilities that unlock previously inaccessible areas, and gradually piece together both the geography and the lore of the world.

What Makes It Special?

1. Atmosphere That Breathes

Hallownest feels like a real place with a real history. The hand-drawn art style — all flowing ink-like lines and muted, melancholy colors — creates a world that feels simultaneously beautiful and deeply sad. Christopher Larkin's score is extraordinary: sparse, haunting, and perfectly matched to each area's emotional register.

2. Exploration Without Hand-Holding

Hollow Knight does something increasingly rare: it trusts you. There's no waypoint marker telling you where to go. You buy maps from a traveling cartographer (who doesn't always have your area mapped yet), take notes, make mistakes, and gradually build a mental picture of Hallownest. Getting lost is part of the experience — and the discovery feels genuinely earned.

3. Combat With Depth

The nail-based combat (yes, your weapon is called a nail) is precise, responsive, and increasingly complex. The boss fights in Hollow Knight are some of the finest in the genre — challenging but fair, telegraphed enough to learn, varied enough to stay interesting. The game's difficulty is demanding without feeling cheap.

4. Content That Keeps Giving

The base game is enormous — comfortably 30–50 hours for a thorough first playthrough. Team Cherry released several free content updates adding new areas, bosses, and game modes. At a typical sale price of just a few dollars, the value proposition is almost absurd.

Is It For You?

  • You'll love it if: You enjoy deliberate, challenging gameplay and atmospheric world-building.
  • You may struggle if: You prefer games with clear directions and handholding. The exploration can feel disorienting at first.
  • Tip for newcomers: Don't rush. Hollow Knight rewards curiosity. Look at every corner, talk to every NPC.

The Legacy

Hollow Knight proved definitively that a tiny team with a clear vision could produce something that rivals — and often surpasses — games with budgets orders of magnitude larger. Its upcoming sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is one of the most anticipated games in indie gaming history. That alone tells you everything about what Team Cherry built.

If there's one indie game you play this year, make it Hollow Knight. You won't regret it.

Available on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series