Hollow Knight stands out as a captivating Metroidvania action-adventure game where you navigate a vast, interconnected underground kingdom filled with secrets and challenges.
Set in the ruined realm of Hallownest, you take control of a silent, insect-like warrior known as the Knight, venturing through forgotten ruins to uncover the source of a mysterious infection plaguing the land.
This single-player experience emphasizes exploration, precise platforming, and tactical combat, drawing players into a hand-drawn world brimming with lore and atmosphere.
Gameplay
The core loop revolves around traversing nonlinear areas, battling foes, and acquiring new abilities to access previously unreachable spots.
You wield a Nail as your primary weapon for close-range strikes, while collecting Soul from enemies allows you to heal or unleash spells like focused blasts or protective barriers.
Health appears as masks that deplete upon damage, and death sends you back to the last bench you rested on, leaving behind a Shade that holds your lost Geo currency and must be defeated to recover it.
Charms provide customization, such as extending Nail reach or aiding Soul gathering, equipped within a limited number of notches for strategic builds.
Platforming demands mastery of moves like dashing, wall-clinging, and double-jumping, earned through progression, which opens up the map in rewarding ways.
Game Modes
Hollow Knight focuses on a main campaign with optional challenges, but it includes specific modes unlocked through play.
Steel Soul mode activates after completing the game, introducing permanent death where dying resets your save file entirely.
Godseeker mode, tied to the Godmaster expansion, lets you tackle pantheons of consecutive boss fights in a dedicated arena called Godhome.
These modes cater to players seeking heightened difficulty, with boss rematches available in the Hall of Gods for practice or pure combat tests.
Expansions and Updates
Four free expansions enhance the base game: Hidden Dreams adds new bosses and a fast travel upgrade, The Grimm Troupe introduces a ritual quest with unique charms and fights, Lifeblood brings optimizations and a fresh boss encounter, and Godmaster delivers extensive boss rushes.
As of early 2026, the game received updates for Nintendo Switch 2, improving frame rates and resolutions, ensuring smooth performance on modern hardware.
The sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, launched in 2025 with its own expansions, but the original remains actively supported for new players.
Is It Worth Playing?
With over 15 million copies sold by 2025 and Metacritic scores reaching universal acclaim on Nintendo Switch, Hollow Knight continues to draw in fans of challenging exploration games.
Players praise its tight combat, intricate world design, and sense of discovery, often comparing the satisfaction of overcoming bosses to skill-based triumphs in demanding titles.
If you enjoy Metroidvania games that reward patience and map navigation, this one holds up well in 2026, especially with its free content packs extending playtime to 20-30 hours or more for completionists.
Critics highlight the art style and soundtrack as standout elements, making it a strong pick for solo adventurers on Nintendo Switch, though the difficulty may test newcomers.
Overall, it earns a recommendation for those ready to invest time in mastering its systems and uncovering every hidden corner.