Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania video game created and published by Team Cherry, an independent game development team from Australia. Players control an unnamed insect-like warrior, often called "The Knight," as they explore Hallownest, a once-thriving kingdom now ruined by a mysterious illness. The game takes place in many underground areas filled with both friendly and dangerous insect-like characters, as well as challenging bosses. As players explore, they can unlock new abilities, uncover stories, and read descriptive text scattered throughout the kingdom.
The idea for Hollow Knight began in 2013 during the Ludum Dare game jam. Team Cherry, based in Adelaide, aimed to make a game inspired by older platformer games that emphasized exploration. The game was influenced by titles such as Faxanadu, Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X. Development was partly funded through a fundraising campaign that collected over $57,000 by the end of 2014. The game was first released for Linux, macOS, and Windows in early 2017, then for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018. It later became available for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026. Team Cherry provided four free expansions as downloadable content to support the game.
Hollow Knight received positive reviews from critics, who praised its music, art style, world design, atmosphere, combat, and challenge level. Some critics have called it one of the greatest games ever made. The game has sold more than 15 million copies. A follow-up game featuring a major character named Hornet, titled Hollow Knight: Silksong, was released in 2025.
Gameplay
Hollow Knight is a 2-dimensional side-scrolling Metroidvania game. The player controls a quiet bug-like warrior who explores an underground ruined kingdom named Hallownest. The character can attack enemies with a sword-like weapon called the Nail and can learn spells for long-distance attacks.
The player has a limited number of health points, shown as masks. By defeating enemies, the player gains Soul, which is stored in a "Soul Vessel." At the start, Soul can only be used to "Focus" and restore masks, but later, players unlock offensive spells that require Soul. If all masks are lost, the player dies, and a Shade appears near the death location on the map. The player loses all Geo, the game's currency, and can carry less Soul. To recover Geo and Soul capacity, the player must defeat the Shade. If the Shade is not defeated before dying again, a new Shade replaces the previous one, and the Geo it held is lost.
Throughout the game, the player meets bug-themed non-player characters (NPCs) who provide story details, offer help, and sell items or services. Players collect items that improve movement, such as an extra mid-air jump, wall climbing, or a dash. To customize the Knight, players can equip charms found or bought from NPCs. Charms may improve combat, like increasing the Nail's range or making Soul collection easier. Each charm uses a limited slot called a "charm notch." Many areas have tough enemies and bosses that must be defeated to progress. Beating some bosses unlocks new abilities. Defeating the final boss grants access to a game mode called "Steel Soul," where dying permanently resets the save slot.
The kingdom of Hallownest has several large, connected areas with unique themes. The nonlinear Metroidvania design allows players to choose their path and may miss certain locations upon finishing the game. Progression often requires specific abilities, skills, or items. Players can fast travel using Stag Stations, terminals linked by tunnels traveled via giant stag beetles, which become available as the game progresses.
Plot
At the beginning of the game, the player controls a bug-like warrior who arrives in Dirtmouth, a peaceful town located above the ruins of the kingdom of Hallownest. As the main character explores the ruins, they discover that Hallownest was once a thriving kingdom of insects that fell into ruin after being overrun by "The Infection," a mysterious illness that enters the dreams of bugs, controls their minds, and causes them to become mad or undead. Hallownest's ruler, The Pale King, tried to trap the Infection inside the Temple of the Black Egg using magical seals. However, the disease escaped, leading to the kingdom's destruction. The player's goal is to find and defeat three bugs called the Dreamers, who act as living seals on the temple door. Once the seals are removed, the player can confront the source of the Infection, the Radiance. During the journey, the player often meets Hornet, the Pale King's daughter and one of the Dreamers, who challenges the player in two battles.
Through conversations with other characters, descriptions of the environment, and writings found throughout Hallownest, the player learns about the origins of the Infection. Long ago, a tribe of moths in Hallownest worshipped the Radiance, a powerful being who could control the minds of other bugs. When The Pale King arrived, he gave wisdom and knowledge to the creatures of Hallownest, and the moths joined the other bugs in honoring him, causing the Radiance to be forgotten. Even though the Pale King was unaware, some moths continued to worship the Radiance, allowing her to survive in the Dream Realm.
Hallownest prospered until the Radiance began appearing in people's dreams, spreading the Infection. To stop the disease, The Pale King used a substance called Void to create creatures called Vessels, which could contain the Infection inside their bodies. He chose the most suitable Vessel, the Hollow Knight, to trap the Radiance within itself, while the other Vessels were locked in a place called the Abyss. After the Hollow Knight was sealed in the Temple of the Black Egg, the Radiance remained inside the Vessel, weakening the temple's seals and allowing the Infection to escape.
Throughout the game, it is revealed that the player is one of the Vessels who escaped the Abyss. They defeat the Dreamers and their guardians, removing the temple's seals. Inside, they face the infected Hollow Knight. Depending on the player's choices, different endings occur: the player may defeat the infected Hollow Knight and take its place to contain the Radiance, defeat the Hollow Knight with Hornet's help, or fight and defeat the Radiance directly in the Dream Realm.
In the second expansion, a new item called the "Nightmare Lantern" was added to the Howling Cliffs area. When the player uses the Dream Nail on a masked bug, the lantern brings a group of circus performers called the Grimm Troupe to Dirtmouth. Their leader, Troupe Master Grimm, gives the player a quest to collect magic flames across Hallownest to perform a ritual that feeds on the nightmares of the dying kingdom to keep the Nightmare Heart alive. The player receives the Grimmchild charm, which creates a small creature resembling the Troupe Master. When the charm absorbs the flames, the ritual progresses, and the creature gains the ability to attack enemies. Eventually, the player must choose to complete the ritual by fighting Grimm in his powerful Nightmare King form or stop the ritual with help from Brumm, a member of the Troupe who betrays them.
The final expansion, Godmaster, adds new content to the game. Players unlock a new area called Godhome, which includes multiple boss fights and "The Hall of Gods," a hallway with statues of the game's bosses. Selecting a statue allows players to fight the boss again. The expansion focuses on the Godseekers, a tribe of bugs from a distant land who were abandoned by their gods. After obtaining the Godtuner, the player helps the Godseekers connect with the gods of Hallownest by completing five challenges called "pantheons," each requiring players to defeat a set of bosses in a row without dying. The final pantheon, the Pantheon of Hallownest, includes every boss in the game or alternate forms of original bosses. If the player completes this challenge, the Absolute Radiance, a stronger version of the Radiance, appears as the final boss. Defeating her leads to two unique endings where the player transforms into a powerful Void entity and destroys Godhome.
Development
The idea for Hollow Knight began during a game-making event called Ludum Dare 2013. Two developers, Ari Gibson and William Pellen, created a game named Hungry Knight. In this game, the main character fights bugs to avoid starving. The game was not well received at first and had a low rating of 1/5 on Newgrounds, but later improved to 4/5. The developers wanted to make another game with the theme "Beneath the Surface," but missed the deadline. This idea inspired them to create a new game set in an underground world, described as a "deep, old kingdom," with insect characters.
Games that influenced Hollow Knight include Faxanadu, Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X. Team Cherry said that Hallownest, the world in Hollow Knight, was in some ways the opposite of the world tree in Faxanadu. The developers wanted to recreate the sense of wonder and discovery they felt in childhood games, where players could find strange secrets or unusual creatures. They believed that controlling the character was key to the game's enjoyment. Movement was based on Mega Man X, with no horizontal acceleration, strong aerial control, and the ability to dash mid-jump. This design made players feel that any hit could have been avoided until the last moment.
To create the game's art, Gibson drew sketches by hand, which were then scanned directly into the game engine. This helped create a vivid sense of place. The developers kept the design simple to avoid delays. The world's complexity was inspired by Metroid, which allows players to feel lost and enjoy discovering their way. Only basic signs guide players to important locations. The biggest challenge was designing a mapping system that balanced hiding secrets without confusing players.
Hollow Knight was introduced on Kickstarter in November 2014 with a goal of A$35,000. The campaign succeeded, raising over A$57,000 from 2,158 backers. This allowed the team to expand the game's scope, hire a technical director named David Kazi, and add a composer, Christopher Larkin, and a marketing manager, Matthew Griffin.
The game reached a beta version in September 2015. After switching from the Stencyl engine to Unity, the team continued to meet stretch goals, adding more content to the game.
Release
Hollow Knight was first released for Windows on February 24, 2017. Versions for Linux and macOS were made available on April 11 of the same year.
The Nintendo Switch version of Hollow Knight was announced in January 2017 and became available on June 12, 2018. Team Cherry originally planned to release the game for the Wii U. Development for the Wii U version started in 2016, along with the PC version. However, after the Wii U was no longer produced, the project was moved to the Nintendo Switch. Team Cherry worked with Shark Jump Studios, an Australian developer, to help complete the game for the Switch more quickly. Initially, the team planned to release the Switch version "not too long after the platform's launch." Later, the release was delayed to early 2018. The exact release date was shared during a Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2018 on June 12, 2018. The game became available that day through the Nintendo eShop.
Versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released as Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition on September 25, 2018.
A piano sheet music book and album for Hollow Knight were released in 2019 by the video game music label Materia Collective. The music was arranged by David Peacock and performed by Augustine Mayuga Gonzales.
A Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game was announced in December 2025. This version includes the same higher frame rates and resolutions as Hollow Knight: Silksong and was released in 2026. The Nintendo Switch 2 edition came out after a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase on February 5, 2026, along with versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The PC version was also updated to support ultrawide monitors.
On August 3, 2017, the Hidden Dreams free downloadable content (DLC) was released. This DLC included two optional boss encounters, two songs in the soundtrack, a new fast travel system, and a Stag Station to discover. On October 26, 2017, the second free DLC, The Grimm Troupe, was released. This added major quests, boss fights, charms, enemies, and other content. This update also added support for Russian, Portuguese, and Japanese languages. On April 20, 2018, the Lifeblood free update was released. It included various optimizations, changes to the color palette, bug fixes, minor additions, and a new boss fight. On August 23, 2018, the final free DLC, Godmaster, was released. This DLC included new characters, boss fights, music, a game mode called Godseeker, and two endings. It was renamed from its previous title, Gods and Glory, due to trademark issues. All four DLC packs are available for free.
Reception
Hollow Knight's versions for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One received "generally favorable" reviews, while the Nintendo Switch version received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic. OpenCritic reported that 97% of critics recommended the game. Jed Whitaker of Destructoid called it a "masterpiece of gaming," and Tom Marks of PC Gamer described it as a "new classic." IGN praised the game's visuals, sound, music, and other details that helped create an immersive atmosphere.
Reviewers noted that the combat system was simple but had depth. They praised how responsive and precise the controls felt, similar to the movement system. On IGN, Tom Marks said, "The combat in Hollow Knight is relatively straightforward, but starts out tricky… It rewards patience and skill." In his PC Gamer review, Marks highlighted the "brilliant" charm system, stating, "What's impressive is that I could never find a 'right' answer when choosing charms. There were no wrong choices." Adam Abou-Nasr of NintendoWorldReport wrote, "Charms offer a huge variety of upgrades… removing them felt like trading a part of myself for a better chance at an upcoming battle."
Reviewers described the game's difficulty as challenging. Vikki Blake of Eurogamer called it "ruthlessly tough, even occasionally unfair." Adam Abou-Nasr of Nintendo World Report noted that the game felt unfair at times, writing, "so frustratingly hard that I cannot recommend this game" in his notes, but he added that it eventually became easier to play. Jed Whitaker said he never found the bosses unfair. Reviewers from Destructoid and Nintendo World Report felt a strong sense of accomplishment after overcoming difficult fights. Critics compared the game to the Dark Souls series, noting mechanics like losing currency on death and needing to defeat a Shade to regain it. Destructoid praised these features, as well as the ability to heal by holding down a button, saying they helped create a fair system of punishment and reward.
By November 2017, Hollow Knight had sold over 500,000 copies. It surpassed 1 million sales on PC platforms on June 11, 2018, one day before its Nintendo Switch release. It sold over 250,000 copies on Switch in the two weeks after launch. By July 2018, sales reached over 1.2 million copies. By February 2019, sales had passed 2.8 million copies. As of August 2025, the game had sold more than 15 million copies.
The game was nominated for "Best PC Game" in Destructoid's Game of the Year Awards 2017 and for "Best Platformer" in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards. It won the "Best Platformer" award in PC Gamer's 2017 Game of the Year Awards. Polygon later included the game in a list of the best games of the decade.
Sequel and other media
A sequel called Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced in February 2019 and released on September 4, 2025. The game takes place after the events of the original Hollow Knight and follows the character Hornet as they explore the kingdom of Pharloom. Silksong uses a combat style similar to the original game but includes several changes in gameplay. The player controls Hornet, who can move more quickly than the main character in the original game. Instead of using Charms, players use a more detailed system called Tools and Crests. Initially, Silksong was planned as an expansion for the original game, but it became a separate title because its content grew too large. Like the original game, Silksong will also have its own downloadable content, beginning with Sea of Sorrow in 2026.
A comic book titled Hollow Knight First Chapter: Quirrel was released in 2017. This 14-page story is a prequel that follows Quirrel, a supporting character from Hollow Knight, as he travels to Hallownest and prepares for his role in the game. A book called Wanderer's Journal, which focuses on the world of Hollow Knight, was published in 2019. It includes colored artwork of the game's characters and environments. The book was created by Kari Fry and Ryan Novak in partnership with Team Cherry and is sold by Fangamer.