Hollow Knight


Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania video game developed and published by Australian independent developer Team Cherry. The player controls a nameless insectoid warrior in exploring Hallownest, a fallen kingdom plagued by a supernatural disease. The game is set in diverse subterranean locations, featuring friendly and hostile insectoid characters and numerous bosses. Players have the opportunity to unlock abilities as they explore, along with pieces of lore and flavour text that are spread throughout the kingdom.
The concept behind Hollow Knight was conceived in 2013 in the Ludum Dare game jam. Adelaide-based Team Cherry wanted to create a game inspired by older platformers that replicated the explorational aspects of its influences. Inspirations for the game include Faxanadu, Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X. Development was partially funded through a crowdfunding campaign that raised over by the end of 2014. It was released for Linux, macOS, and Windows in early 2017 and for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018, with a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition scheduled for 2026. Team Cherry supported the game with four free expansions as downloadable content.
Hollow Knight was well received by critics, with particular praise for its music, art style, worldbuilding, atmosphere, combat, and level of difficulty. It has since been regarded by some critics as one of the greatest games of all time. The game has sold more than 15 million copies. A sequel following major character Hornet, Hollow Knight: Silksong, was released in 2025.

Gameplay

Hollow Knight is a 2-dimensional side-scrolling Metroidvania. The player controls a silent insectoid warrior who explores an underground fallen kingdom called Hallownest. The player character can strike enemies with a sword-like Nail and can learn spells that allow for long-range attacks.
The player has a limited number of hit points, which are represented by masks. By striking enemies, the player character gains Soul, which is stored in a "Soul Vessel". Initially, the player can only use Soul to "Focus" and regenerate masks, but as the game progresses, players unlock and collect several offensive spells, which consume Soul. If all masks are lost, the player dies, and a Shade appears at the approximate location of the player's death. The player loses all Geo, the game's main currency, and can only hold a reduced amount of Soul. They must defeat the Shade to recover lost Geo and regain their lost Soul capacity.
During the game, the player encounters bug-themed non-player characters with whom they can interact. These characters provide information about the plot, offer aid, and sell items or services. Players acquire items that provide movement abilities including an additional mid-air jump, adhering to and jumping off walls, or a quick dash. To further customise the Knight, players can equip various charms, which can be found or purchased from NPCs. Some of their effects include improved combat abilities, such as granting the player more range with the Nail, or allowing them to collect Soul more easily. Equipping a charm takes up a certain number of limited slots, called notches. Many areas feature challenging enemies and bosses which the player may need to defeat in order to progress. Defeating some bosses grants the player access to new abilities. If the player defeats the final boss, they are given access to a game-mode called "Steel Soul". In this mode, dying is permanent, i.e. if the player loses all of their masks, the save slot will be reset.
The kingdom of Hallownest consists of several large, inter-connected areas with unique themes. With its nonlinear gameplay Metroidvania design, Hollow Knight does not restrict the player to one path nor require them to explore the whole world; there are places that can be missed when finishing the game. The player may need to acquire a specific movement ability, skill, or item to progress further, at certain points. To fast travel through the world, the player can use progressively-unlocked Stag Stations, terminals connected to a network of tunnels that are traversed via giant stag beetles.

Plot

At the outset, the player-controlled insectoid warrior arrives in Dirtmouth, a quiet town that sits just above the remains of the kingdom of Hallownest. As the protagonist ventures through the ruins, they learn that Hallownest was once a flourishing kingdom of insects which fell after becoming overrun with "The Infection", a supernatural disease that can infect anyone by entering the subject's dreams and controlling their minds and wills. The Infection gives its subjects heightened strength but at the cost of their civility, causing madness and undeath. Hallownest's ruler, The Pale King, had previously attempted to lock away the Infection in the Temple of the Black Egg. Despite the temple's magical seals, the disease managed to escape, and Hallownest fell into ruin. The protagonist's mission is to find and kill three bugs called the Dreamers–Monomon the Teacher, Lurien the Watcher, and Herrah the Beast–who act as the living seals on the temple door. Once the seals have been removed, the player may confront the source of the Infection. This protagonist frequently encounters Hornet, the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah, who tests the protagonist's combat prowess in several battles.
Through dialogue with non-player characters, environmental imagery, and writings scattered throughout Hallownest, the protagonist learns the origins of the Infection. In ancient times, a tribe of moths that lived in Hallownest worshipped the Radiance, a primordial being who could control the minds of other bugs. When the Pale King arrived at Hallownest from afar, he used his powers to give sapience and knowledge to the creatures of the realm. The moths also began to worship the king, purposely betraying the Radiance by wiping her from their collective memory. Beneath the notice of the Pale King, some worship of the Radiance continued, allowing her to remain alive inside the Dream Realm.
Hallownest prospered until the Radiance began appearing in the dreams of its people, poisoning their minds with the Infection. In an attempt to contain the menace, the Pale King used an ancient living substance called Void to create the Vessels – creatures with no free will or ability to dream that were immune to the Infection. The Pale King chose a Vessel known as the Hollow Knight to trap the Radiance within itself, leaving the remaining failures locked in a pit called the Abyss. However, the Hollow Knight accidentally had an "idea instilled" during its upbringing, possibly related to its close bond with the King, causing it to be an imperfect Vessel and the Radiance to eventually break out.
Throughout the game, it is revealed that the protagonist was a Vessel who managed to escape the Abyss. They gradually defeat the Dreamers and their guardians, removing the seals on the door. Inside, they encounter and battle with the infected Hollow Knight.
  • If the protagonist defeats the Hollow Knight alone, they take the Hollow Knight's place, sealing the Infection within their own body and then sealing themselves in the Temple of the Black Egg.
The protagonist can alternatively descend to the Abyss and remember its origins as a Vessel. In doing so, Hornet will intervene during the battle against the Hollow Knight and expose a crack on its mask. Here, two additional endings will be unlocked:
  • If the protagonist defeats the Hollow Knight with Hornet's assistance, the protagonist seals themselves, the Infection, and Hornet inside the Temple of the Black Egg, with the seal bearing an image of Hornet's mask.
  • The protagonist can enter the Hollow Knight's Dream Realm through the exposed point and directly battle the Radiance. During the battle, the Void is present underneath the arena and attempts to capture the Radiance. Defeating the Radiance allows the Void to surround and destroy the Radiance permanently. Hornet then awakens to find both the protagonist and the Temple of the Black Egg have disappeared, leaving nothing behind except the protagonist's broken mask.

    ''The Grimm Troupe'' expansion

In the second expansion to Hollow Knight, a "Nightmare Lantern" was added to the Howling Cliffs area. After striking a masked bug with the Dream Nail, the lantern summons a mysterious group of circus performers to Dirtmouth, who identify themselves as the Grimm Troupe. Their leader, Troupe Master Grimm, gives the player a quest to collect magic flames throughout Hallownest in order to take part in a "twisted ritual". He gives the player the Grimmchild charm, which absorbs the flames into itself, progressing the ritual and allowing the Grimmchild to attack the player's enemies. Eventually, the player must choose to either complete the ritual by fighting Grimm in his powerful Nightmare King form, or prevent the ritual and banish the Grimm Troupe with the help of Brumm, a traitorous troupe member, in the Howling Cliffs.

''Godmaster'' expansion

More content was added to Hollow Knight with the fourth and final expansion, Godmaster, in which the player can battle harder versions of all of the bosses through a series of challenges. The main hub of the expansion is known as Godhome. Within Godhome are five "pantheons", each being a "boss rush", containing a set of bosses that must all be defeated consecutively without dying. The final pantheon, the Pantheon of Hallownest, contains every boss in the game or alternate forms of original bosses. If the player completes the Pantheon of Hallownest, the Absolute Radiance, a more powerful version of the Radiance, appears, acting as the new final boss. Upon defeating her, two unique endings can be achieved in which the player morphs into a powerful Void entity and destroys Godhome. The Hollow Knight is subsequently freed and implied to escape the temple, encountering a surprised Hornet.