Hollow Knight game Review - An Exceptional Adventure
Hollow Knight: A charming metroidvania, between Tim Burton and 1001 legs on PCOver the years, the genre of metroidvania has never ceased to surprise players. After the good (even very good) VVVVVV in 2010, Dust: An Elysian Tail in 2012 or even Valdis Story: Abyssal City and Guacamelee! in 2013, the pinnacle of the genus seemed to be reached in 2015 with Ori and the Blind Forest. Carried by its artistic direction referring to the most beautiful productions of the studios Ghibli, the latter was raised to the rank of masterpiece. If you thought you would never find a game with such an aura, it was without counting on the work of three young Australians, behind the first game developed by their studio Team Cherry: Hollow Knight.
THE KNIGHT TO THE NAIL
At first glance, Hollow Knight has everything from an indie little game that does not dare to get too wet. Launched three years ago and supported by a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Team Cherry project arrived in total indifference last February. Small contextualization of this metroidvania at first glance very classic: after a mysterious introductory cutscene drawn entirely by hand introducing the danger lying in wait for the world of Hallownest, populated by anthropomorphic insects, we are in the skin of a little ear-like traveler. To defend itself during its adventure in the city of Dirtmouth and the kilometers of underground passages which surround it, this one has for only weapon a nail, which we will keep from the beginning to the end. Of course, as in all good metroidvania our rather atypical hero will gradually (and regularly) unlock various attack skills and movement skills (double jump, dash, walljump ...). Rather practical in this game where exploration is essential.Let it be said, the map is gigantic and offers its share of varied and exotic scenery: lush forests, cold caves, gloomy cities populated by crazy insects ... Each environment is interconnected with the others in many ways. The dark and greyish shade that predominates, especially at the beginning, can be disorienting but regularly gives way to more cheerful colors. We are not going to dwell any longer on the artistic direction which is simply fabulous. Each decor is full of details. Under his cute airs hides a universe filled with melancholy, with the false airs of Tim Burton to which one would have added a little Pixar / Disney and a touch of Miyazaki. A mixture that immediately seduces. The scores of the young composer Christopher Larkin, sometimes discreet when necessary or stressful during boss fights, sublimate everything.
CHOOSE THE CAFARD
One of the strengths of the game comes from the fact that Team Cherry has chosen to offer free progression by inviting exploration. With the exception of the very first zones at the start of the game, each player will discover the mysteries of Hallownest in their own way. A bias that will put off some, as well as the fact that, unlike traditional metroidvania, the card is not written as the player advances in the world without asking questions. Here, each zone has its own map, which must first be purchased from a traveling cartographer, always well hidden in a quiet corner. This can be confusing during the first hours of play, or even discourage, but it shows the willingness of the developers to make us wander around without reference in this hostile world.Caution is therefore required, but curiosity is rewarded. It will often happen that you lose all your money by chain dying on a somewhat difficult platform passage, only to discover that it only leads to a quarter mask, giving an additional point of life when recomposed. The freedom offered to the player necessarily brings backtracking (the fact of retracing his steps), but the whole is compensated by an intelligent and precise level design, an almost immediate handling of our avatar and a well managed platformer component. Hollow Knight offers a perfect reading of the environment and the action. You can easily identify enemies by the sounds they make, and even the famous cartographer whistles happily to indicate his presence nearby.
1001 cockroaches
Do not expect to make only friends during your descent into the unknown. Insects lurk in the shadows and are mostly hostile. Count no less than 130 types of enemies to face and 30 bosses full of charisma, promising a number of grandiose (and difficult) moments of play. You will first need to analyze the opponent's movements, even if it means dying repeatedly, knowing how to seize the opportunity to give a hit and correctly manage your palette of movements as well as your soul gauge. It fills up with each blow carried by our dear earwig, and allows you to choose between using attack powers or recharging your life by immobilizing yourself.The salt of the game therefore comes from the proper use of this tool, to use sparingly because it leaves you vulnerable. You can also rest on benches, the campfire Hollow Knight sauce, which also serve as backup points. Team Cherry thus borrows from several licenses, to offer mechanics that we know by heart but which are perfectly mastered, as well as some good ideas such as the possibility of equipping charms, offering various passive bonuses.
Just to bring some comfort, Hollow Knight offers its lot of colorful and engaging PnJ. Some will offer you various services (banking, sale of objects, etc.), while others are only there to share a few lines of dialogue. The narration will pass through them in particular, knowing that investing in this world requires a certain effort and a certain patience. It will be a while before you can get some answers to the questions that are sure to tease you: Why are you doing this? What dark past is hidden behind the caves you explore? The information is distilled throughout the adventure via carefully written dialogues (only in English, an FR patch is provided) or objects hidden in the levels. The less courageous will risk abandoning the affair quickly, as the exploration of kilometers of underground passages without anyone to take you by the hand can be frustrating.
Especially since Hollow Knight reserves its share of passages / bosses to pull their hair if your reflexes are not sharp enough or if you are victims of the few freeze inherent in the use of the Unity engine. The others will find there a rather full-bodied and dense game, rich in post-game content as well as in optional bosses, which will not fail to make an impression with its atmosphere and its few moments of original staging. Suffice to say that we will dive back into it with pleasure when the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions arrive, or when the developers tackle the creation of DLC, making other cross characters playable during the adventure.
The notes
+ Positive points
The universe, original and aesthetically successful, which invites discovery
Sound design and music enhance the atmosphere
The exacting and flawless combat system and gameplay
Rich and dense in content (20 to 30 hours to complete the adventure of the base game)
Offers its share of memorable moments
-Negative points
Frustrating when you wander for a while without finding the right path (and the cartographer)
Not to put in all hands, because of its difficulty and its adventure which leaves the player left to himself
Little innovative in the end
If Hollow Knight does not reinvent the metroidvania formula in any way, it is displayed both as a reference and a culmination of the genre. Requiring concentration, discipline and rigor, it will keep you in suspense for easily over thirty hours, in a universe populated by insects as rich as intriguing. Your moments of wandering in its visually charming environments will only highlight its ingenious level design. If you liked Ori and the Blind Forest but you regret its little pushed fights, go for it without hesitation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment