Traveled with my Switch this week
And played one of the coolest games I’ve ever played
I was in Anaheim for a quick trip earlier this week, and to tell you the truth, I almost never have time to game when I’m traveling for work. But this time I made it a point to make time before making that cheddar.
I made the video below for those of you who haven’t heard of the game Hollow Knight before, let alone played the Nintendo Switch.
I’ve owned the game for a while, but just never played it. This is a common theme for game collectors. Let’s be honest. Shelves full of “I’ll get to it someday.”
Anyway, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Hollow Knight…
There’s something about it that hits different. Maybe it’s the quiet, almost lonely atmosphere. Maybe it’s the way the world unfolds slowly, without holding your hand like modern games tend to do. Or maybe it’s just the fact that it respects your intelligence enough to let you get lost.
This is a pure Metroidvania in the best sense. You explore, you backtrack, you unlock abilities, and suddenly areas that once shut you down start opening up. It’s that old-school loop that never really gets old when it’s done right.
What really caught me off guard though, is the music. The score by Christopher Larkin isn’t just background noise, it defines the mood. There are moments where I just stopped moving and listened. That doesn’t happen often.
Hollow Knight was created by a tiny Australian team called Team Cherry. This wasn’t some massive studio with endless resources. It started as a Kickstarter project and turned into one of the most respected indie games of the last decade.
I’m still early in the journey, so I’m not here to pretend I’ve mastered it. But that’s kind of the point. Right now it feels like discovery. Like I’ve just cracked open something deeper than I expected.
And honestly… I can’t wait to get lost in it again.
Have you played Hollow Knight?
As an adult, I always want to game more, but I never seem to have the time. I have a pattern of starting a game I really like, playing it a lot for 2-3 days, and then I'm forced to put down the controller because life interferes. Which wouldn't be that big a deal, except I usually don't find my way back to the game for like 6 months, and by then I feel like I basically have to start over because I've forgotten everything about it. But because I don't want to do that, I usually just stop playing it altogether. As frustrating as this can be, I guess I'm okay with it. After all, if gaming was more of a priority to me, I'd find a way to make time for it. There are occasional exceptions to this rule, however, and all this is my long-winded way of saying Hollow Knight fell into a middle ground for me, somewhere between the rule and the exception. I didn't finish it, but I stuck with it longer than most games. Unfortunately, I got away from it long enough to kill my flow and break my connection, but I had a helluva lot of fun playing it up to that point. Engaging gameplay, beautiful to look at and listen to, and a cool storyline. For all the reasons I've blathered on about here, I have no business reviewing games, but Hollow Knight is a winner. Highly recommend. I hear great things about the sequel too, though I haven't played it yet.
Thanks for putting it on my radar. High praise for the music. Gameplay in the trailer looks smooth, the glide/flying mechanic seems like something that would make the battles even more entertaining.