Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
A critique, review and analysis of Team Cherry's Hollow Knight. A Desolate Dive into Hallownest.
SOCIAL MEDIA: twitter.com/MontyZander
PATREON: patreon.com/montyzander
Hollow Knight is my game of last generation. Spider-Man is spectacular, Hellblade is finely crafted, but there’s something so… fascinating about Hollow Knight. This is the toughest critique I’ve done yet, because this game has no flaws aside from nit-picks. It’s a perfect game in its own right – never-mind the astonishing value for money it possesses, and to top it all off, it has the best core fanbase of any game I’ve played. I haven’t seen any toxicity, any “git guds,” just some incredible fan-art and warm, welcoming arms wrapped around new players.
Hollow Knight is a miracle of a video game – and if you’ve played it… you know exactly why. Exploring Hallownest is one of those sensations which I struggle to put into words. But in this video I’m going to try, whilst also dropping some lore tidbits that I find particularly interesting.
Exciting stuff.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:45 - Part 1: The Metroidvania Dilemma (Dirtmouth & Forbidden Crossroads)
00:16:50 - Part 2: Opening Up The World (Greenpath & Fungal Wastes)
00:30:36 - Part 3: The Harmony of Hallownest (City of Tears & Royal Waterways)
00:46:44 - Part 4: The Horror of Hallownest (Deepnest & Soul Sanctum)
00:56:07 - Part 5: Trials & Tribulations (Crystal Peak, Fog Canyon & Kingdom's Edge)
01:15:56 - Part 6: Tying Up Loose Ends (Ancient Basin, The Abyss, Howling Cliffs & Queen's Garden)
01:28:16 - Part 7: No Gods, No Kings, Only Bugs (The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster)
01:37:28 - Part 8: More Than A Metroidvania (The Hollow Knight, The Radiance & Silksong)
I MADE MY GIRLFRIEND PLAY DARK SOULS
youtube.com/watch?v=fSVB1adZgSA&t=279s
FOOTAGE/REFERENCES USED
Razhork: youtube.com/watch?v=sSiK-AfINSc
CrankyTemplar: youtube.com/watch?v=FVbLNvcuzLg
DKGaming: youtube.com/watch?v=tyxs6Op67bw
Jim Sterling: youtube.com/watch?v=daeaav9WeGM&t=277s
Team Cherry: youtube.com/watch?v=Gv6CRPqkpuU&t=126s
Qwarky: youtube.com/watch?v=iBks8aZtbw4
JoshBycer: gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20140623/219621/Making_Sense_of_Metroidvania_Game_Design.php
Music used all belongs to Christopher Larkin and Team Cherry.
A critique, review and analysis of Team Cherry's Hollow Knight. A Desolate Dive into Hallownest.
SOCIAL MEDIA: twitter.com/MontyZander
PATREON: patreon.com/montyzander
Hollow Knight is my game of last generation. Spider-Man is spectacular, Hellblade is finely crafted, but there’s something so… fascinating about Hollow Knight. This is the toughest critique I’ve done yet, because this game has no flaws aside from nit-picks. It’s a perfect game in its own right – never-mind the astonishing value for money it possesses, and to top it all off, it has the best core fanbase of any game I’ve played. I haven’t seen any toxicity, any “git guds,” just some incredible fan-art and warm, welcoming arms wrapped around new players.
Hollow Knight is a miracle of a video game – and if you’ve played it… you know exactly why. Exploring Hallownest is one of those sensations which I struggle to put into words. But in this video I’m going to try, whilst also dropping some lore tidbits that I find particularly interesting.
Exciting stuff.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00:00 - Introduction
00:02:45 - Part 1: The Metroidvania Dilemma (Dirtmouth & Forbidden Crossroads)
00:16:50 - Part 2: Opening Up The World (Greenpath & Fungal Wastes)
00:30:36 - Part 3: The Harmony of Hallownest (City of Tears & Royal Waterways)
00:46:44 - Part 4: The Horror of Hallownest (Deepnest & Soul Sanctum)
00:56:07 - Part 5: Trials & Tribulations (Crystal Peak, Fog Canyon & Kingdom's Edge)
01:15:56 - Part 6: Tying Up Loose Ends (Ancient Basin, The Abyss, Howling Cliffs & Queen's Garden)
01:28:16 - Part 7: No Gods, No Kings, Only Bugs (The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster)
01:37:28 - Part 8: More Than A Metroidvania (The Hollow Knight, The Radiance & Silksong)
I MADE MY GIRLFRIEND PLAY DARK SOULS
youtube.com/watch?v=fSVB1adZgSA&t=279s
FOOTAGE/REFERENCES USED
Razhork: youtube.com/watch?v=sSiK-AfINSc
CrankyTemplar: youtube.com/watch?v=FVbLNvcuzLg
DKGaming: youtube.com/watch?v=tyxs6Op67bw
Jim Sterling: youtube.com/watch?v=daeaav9WeGM&t=277s
Team Cherry: youtube.com/watch?v=Gv6CRPqkpuU&t=126s
Qwarky: youtube.com/watch?v=iBks8aZtbw4
JoshBycer: gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20140623/219621/Making_Sense_of_Metroidvania_Game_Design.php
Music used all belongs to Christopher Larkin and Team Cherry.
