Hollow Knight

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MajorGamer
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by MajorGamer »

James wrote: November 20th, 2018, 6:32 pm Hollow Knight asks a lot of the player, and whilst I'm glad I saw each ending and reached 107%, I certainly wasn't sure I had it in me to get there. I wonder what percentage of players managed to reach any of the endings, let alone the extra completion criteria? I guess that's something the developer has to consider when making a demanding game.
The following are the stats from Steam. Things are going to be slightly higher just from people cheating in achievements but should give a decent idea of things.

14.7% - Beat the game with the bad end

9.9% - Beat the game with the true end

5.4% - Beat the Grimm Troupe DLC

0.7% - Beat the game with 112% (the highest)

0.5% - Beat the final pantheon. It is a boss rush of every boss of the game with a nasty surprise at the end.
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James
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by James »

Nupraptor wrote: November 22nd, 2018, 6:57 pm James - I found the White Palace and the true final boss very difficult and I died a LOT of times, but I really loved this game and I wanted to get all the way to the finish. I know that Dark Souls comparisons are overused, but this is the game that has given me closest to the same feeling of challenge and satisfaction as my first Dark Souls playthrough. Hollow Knight is for sure my game of the year.
It's right up there for me too. Aside from the White Palace and the final boss causing frustration to momentarily overrun affection, my love for it grew steadily throughout.
In fact, its 2017 PC release is the only thing that'll keep Hollow Knight off my list of favourites for the year. Hollow Knight is in very good company with some outstanding 2018 ports/rereleases that I played this year (Burnout Paradise, Hellblade, and yes, Dark Souls) :mrgreen:
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macstat
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by macstat »

Its great to see that this game is getting the attention and praise (and a lot of salty tears) it deserves :)
Can I ask you guys what platform are you playing on? Is the late discussion (comparing to PC release) just a matter of playing it on Switch?
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Hollow Knight

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I'm playing on PS4. Unfortunately, other games have pulled me away from it at the moment but I really enjoyed the few hours I spent in it so I definitely intend to go back to it at some point.
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James
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by James »

I played on Switch, and actually waited to play it there. That was a long wait!
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Nupraptor
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Re: Hollow Knight

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I've only played the Switch version. Feels like one of those games that works really well on that platform.
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macstat
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by macstat »

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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stvnorman
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by stvnorman »

I don’t think I can put myself through that again, despite the trailer brainwashing me more and more with every watch.
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Alex79
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by Alex79 »

I know this makes me sound like a spoiled brat, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed it's a fully fledged sequel based on a character from the first game. As DLC I could probably get behind it, but I kind of hoped for an entirely new story and world with all new characters for a sequel, but the same protagonist. I can't help comparing this to the Shovel Knight story DLCs with the various characters, none of which I ever enjoyed controlling. The success of this will depend entirely on how the character feels to control, I think. I don't know, I'm probably being stupid and it'll be amazing, but the first game was so good I just didn't want to leave that little fellow behind and hoped he'd be in the next game.

EDIT: Erm, ok, I just watched the trailer. Holy shit I want this game now. It looks awesome.

What a twat.

:oops: :oops:
:lol:
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by ratsoalbion »

😆

The internet - the world in fact - would be a better place if more people had your humility Alex, sincerely.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by Magical_Isopod »

I don't think I'll ever "get" Hollow Knight, like, to me it's just another Metroidvania with nothing in terms of art or music that really hooks me. (If I'm being honest, the whole aesthetic reminds me a lot of Newgrounds flash games).

That being said, I'm very happy to see an indie success story, so good on them for having enough scratch to make it a franchise.
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Alex79
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Re: Hollow Knight

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That's a shame, it really feels like the pinnacle of the genre to me. The music itself is just exceptional.

Does this just do nothing for you?



I think its incredible!
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KissMammal
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by KissMammal »

I think the game as a whole is very much a love it or hate it kind of thing, and I'd extend that to the visuals too (can't really say the music made much of an impression on me, though to be fair I often play switch games on mute).

I don't think it's an objectively ugly looking game - it's very accomplished and I can see why people like the look of it - it just really isn't my cup of tea stylistically. Nothing about the character design or the world appeals.
That's a shame, it really feels like the pinnacle of the genre to me
As a Metroidvania, to me HK goes against the conventions of the genre to such an extent that it feels antithetical to what I personally want and expect from the genre. I'd argue that it almost feels like an anti-Metroidvania, or at best a very unconventional one.

The common response people tend to give to any criticism of the game (eg that there's a lot of aimless wandering and pointless backtracking) seems to be "that's Metroidvanias/that's the genre", and I'd really dispute that. Absolutely key to the appeal of Metroidvanias for me is how the initial feeling of being overwhelmed slowly gives way to a growing sense of progression and empowerment (generally in the form of ability upgrades and fast travel options, both of which HK has very few of). In HK, that feeling of being overwhelmed never really goes away, so to me it feels like a key part of the MV formula is missing.... A staple of the genre is also the inclusion of a comprehensive and detailed map - they are all about exploration, yes, but not about feeling perpetually lost, and to me that's an important distinction.
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Magical_Isopod
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Re: Hollow Knight

Post by Magical_Isopod »

Alex79uk wrote: February 21st, 2019, 1:03 pm That's a shame, it really feels like the pinnacle of the genre to me. The music itself is just exceptional.

Does this just do nothing for you?



I think its incredible!
It's not bad music by any stretch, like I clinically understand it's trying to evoke emotion but it's kinda like movie score - it does nothing for me in isolation, but I understand it as a tool to set a scene.

For perspective though, I've been working on a project now for a little over a year that I reeeeeeally want to make into a video game one day. I've been writing story and characters and music, and it will probably take shape as a low-rent turn-based RPG. I'd like to do low-poly PS1 style graphics to keep the project reasonable - I have a 10-year plan of self-learning and development.

Anyway.

The point is, I'd score that game entirely with a combination of moody synth, EDM and powernoise. I love listening to electronic music and pairing a boss fight or a story beat with it - there's a reason Einhander is one of my Top 10 games.

So very recently, I came up with this scene either at the end of the game or the end of the second act where the protagonist sacrifices himself to land a massive blow on the Big Bad while saving his friends. This is the track that I'd pair with the aftermath, as the hero drifts away and the credits roll in ambiguity (not my work, but hits exactly the right emotional beat):



I'm very much a student of the synthesizer.
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