Hollow Knight is Team Cherry's universally acclaimed 2D Metroidvania action-adventure indie masterpiece. Players take up the weathered nail of a silent insectoid Knight, descending into the melancholic, interconnected underground ruins of Hallownest—a forgotten kingdom fallen to a mysterious glowing orange infection.
Gameplay in Hollow Knight combines tight platforming, punishing melee combat, and rewarding non-linear exploration. Armed with a simple Nail, the Knight slashes enemies, strikes downward to "pogo" off spikes and foes, and weaves through attack patterns using smooth dashes and double jumps. Striking enemies harvests SOUL, a versatile resource in Hollow Knight used either to cast powerful offensive spells or to channel Focus to heal damaged health masks. Hollow Knight features a deep Charm system with dozens of collectible badges that customize combat builds, such as increasing nail reach, boosting spell damage, or summoning loyal hatchlings.
Crafted by a tiny three-person Australian development team, Hollow Knight astonished the gaming industry with its vast, gorgeous hand-drawn art, haunting soundtrack by Christopher Larkin, and incredible content scale. With over 150 unique enemies, dozens of breathtaking boss duels, and cryptic environmental lore, Hollow Knight stands as the modern gold standard of the Metroidvania genre.
In Hollow Knight, master the downward nail pogo strike on spikes and bouncy mushrooms to cross hazardous terrain and gain aerial advantage over bosses. When entering a new biome in Hollow Knight, follow the humming sound and trail of scattered papers to purchase a local area map from Cornifer the Cartographer. If you perish, prioritize hunting down your Shade in Hollow Knight to recover your lost Geo currency and repair your broken SOUL vessel.