A Cool Grotto Full of Bugs: Hollow Knight

It took me hours, but I just beat Nightmare King Grimm. That fight is horrendously difficult, but it’s perfectly tuned. It feels amazing when you’re able to execute a successful dodge and get a hit or two in along the way.

I kept dying in phase 2 out of 4. Then I put on a podcast and beat him that very try. I don’t know what that was about! I think my brain is better at videogames when it’s distracted.

1 Like
2 Likes

The Godmaster update is live now. The release notes in the title screen menu say there’s a new game mode to unlock after completing a new quest. It says the mode has been a popular request and is a genre standard. I’m pretty sure Team Cherry already announced that the update would include a story-integrated boss rush, so I wonder if the new mode will let us play a different character — maybe Hornet.


6 Likes
1 Like

I’d been waiting for this game’s release on PS4, and I like it so far. My next thing to do is the Hornet fight, but I have been procrastinating trying that again after dying a couple times. I’ve been exploring and grinding instead to get some of the items in the shop.

I hope that this game does some surprising things story-wise or otherwise as it goes along. I appreciate a game that’s designed to let you get lost, even if that means a world that becomes a little monotonous due to its size.

1 Like

Yeah, the game has quite a few surprises later on. I’d add that Greenpath is probably the most monotonous area of the game (I think due to ramping up difficulty and complexity slowly enough for players who’ve never touched a Metrovania before) so you are at a low point.

Anyway, replying very late to this, my problem with Nightmare King Grimm is that the fight is too simple. He has like 5 attacks that are always exactly the same, so looks like beating him involves training your lizard brain to execute like 5 types of dodges and 3 types of punishes at 99% consistency, and not much else. And to me, the dramatic intro and overblown orchestral soundtrack actively clashes with that kind of dry technical exercise – if I’m going to spend 3+ hours staring fixedly at boss patterns, I’d like it to be in a more chill, pleasant environment.

Note that the latest expansion (that I haven’t played yet, but watched on Twitch a bit) has introduced more and better ultra-hard postgame bosses, so Nightmare King isn’t the only challenge in town anymore anyway.

I stepped away from Hollow Knight back in August. I think I was at ~30 hours playtime. I was having a great time exploring, but hit 5 or so boss-fight dead ends. I just don’t have it in my right now to figure out how to beat any of them, but I look forward to returning to this when my focus is less stretched.

I did load the game up yesterday to check out the new Voidheart menu them — A+ very atmospheric.

My next two bosses (that I am aware of) are the mantids and the dung beetle. I have attempted those fights one time each.

It’s going to be kind of disappointing when there are no longer new areas to discover. I’m a little nervous that I will end up in a situation like this:

But the challenge level has been fine so far.

I think I’m nearing the end of the game now, having just triggered the trophies for all maps and all stag stations. I like that the bosses are not all simply a matter of memorization and reflexes, but also a matter of finding the right combination of charms. Mantis Lords gave me a lot of trouble, for example, until I went in with the dream shield.

There’s one sequence that I have yet to get through. I have tried it many more times than I have any boss. It’s the part in Deepnest where you have to pogo-jump on the spiked creatures to get across gaps. I just can’t seem to execute that consistently enough to get through. I’m curious to know what’s at the end, but I’m not sure I will ever find out.

Finding myself with an enormous quantity of souls and nothing to spend them on, I decided to check the bank to see whether the limit might have been raised at some point. What I found was much better.

1 Like

The bank is a great surprise! I remembered that I had dream-nailed the teller before she split and that she had thought something about hot springs. I’ve not found her at any yet, but I wonder if she can be tracked down.

Even though the game was pushing back harder than I can take right now, I’m glad to know that there’s till tonnes of stuff do when I return.

Re: The bank - Yes, you can find her, and it’s a fantastic moment.

1 Like

I was pleased where I put it down last March (seemed 99%-ish), but all the buzz from additional touches and updates I didn’t catch plus obviously GODMASTER have me itchin’

What a lovely pointy cute and creepy game, HK. Now with it fully released bug eyes toward what Team Cherry moves onto.

1 Like
1 Like

aw cute! didn’t realize it was Aussie

i’m watching my partner play this (coz they liked the look of it) and woof it’s really interesting seeing someone who doesn’t really play vidcons take on a metrovania. there are a few horror movie ‘don’t open the door!!’ moments when they check the map or start healing as a bug is closing in though. i haven’t played it under my own steam and now i’m not sure i will, it’s kind of exhausting to think about

I just realized that when this split into a thread I became the owner, so I can change the title, awww yeah such power

1 Like

I still love this game. I do feel like the charm system is kind of a poor fit, with a lot of gimmicky charms that don’t really serve any use. you pretty much have a standard loadout and never change it aside from minor tweaks or substituting the compass for another minor buff for boss fights. I appreciate that the game makes you commit to them though.

Honestly my biggest issue is that you can’t buffer healing after taking hits or performing attacks. A lot of deaths I’ve had have felt unfair because of this. But the boss fights are overall very well designed and the platforming is great. The underlying philosophy of this game really resonates with what I feel are the strongest parts of 2D exploration action games like metroid or castlevania, and it carefully balances that with accessibility without it ever feeling like a compromise.

2 Likes