This article is part of our new experimental series, Backlog Club, where we (Nintendo Life!) pick a game that's likely to be on our list of "games we should get around to playing", and then we (NL + you!) spend the next month playing that game.
In the first part of our Hollow Knight playthrough, Kate has noticed that Hollow Knight makes her feel like it's the '90s again... in a good way.
YOU GUYS. Hollow Knight is really good. Why did no one tell me? I mean, apart from everyone who's ever played it, who I steadfastly ignored because it didn't look like my kind of game, and because Ori and the Blind Forest — a rather similar platforming metroidvania game — was too hard for my poor little hands?
Well, the mistake has been rectified, at least. I've finally played Hollow Knight. In fact, I've apparently played it for 28.5 hours, which is a lot of bug-time. And there's so much to talk about from that entire day's worth of playing! The melancholy, the audio work, the music, the cuteness... but instead, as you can tell from the title, I want to talk about how Hollow Knight contributes to a legacy that has existed since the very first days of gaming: The need to take notes.
There are very few games these days that require a notebook to understand, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's totally reasonable to expect a game to give you all the information you need within itself, with the exception of games like Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and Stardew Valley, for which a notebook is where you write all the things you can't possibly remember, like gifts, catalogue items, shop times, and where and when to catch fish.
I often play games with a notebook, but that's only because I'm often reviewing them, and I need to note down things like "this is very boring" or "every time X happens, the Switch fan starts making a very loud complaining noise", so I can put them in my review.
But rarely do I get to use a notebook for frantic scribblings, trying to piece together mysteries, work out narratives, and make maps — and even though that sounds tedious and potentially stressful, it feels massively nostalgic, harkening back to an age where games told you NOTHING, manuals sometimes told you some things, and ASCII-illustrated game guides were printed off from the internet in huge sheafs of your parents' expensive printer paper.
Hollow Knight, at least for me and my partner (we're playing it simultaneously — him on the TV, me on the PC), has been an excellent note-taking game. The in-game map is good, especially with the added complication of having to first find the map-maker in each new area, then make the map, but it doesn't tell you everything you need to know. That's not a flaw — it's a game about mysteries, exploration, and discovery, and it doesn't want to reveal all of its secrets.
So we've been map-making off-screen, creating to-scale replicas of Hollow Knight's corridors, towers, and all of its little metroidvania bits (you know, when you walk past a very obvious You Need An Ability To Get Through Here area) for our own use. There's a lot of backtracking in a metroidvania like Hollow Knight, and sometimes it's just really nice to be able to not only place a generic "go here" pin, which the game offers you, but to make a physical note that you would guess this area needs a dash/swim/shoot ability.
The added bonus is that my partner, who's the one actually drawing the maps, has done a really nice job. Each map is a web of soft, thin lines, annotated with thoughts and symbols, accompanied by the small shreds of story that we're trying to piece together. It's an art object in itself, really, and I've always loved seeing the finished document after an entire game's worth of record-keeping, filled with notes, scribblings, doodles, and secrets like a diary.
I'm envious of people who can both create notes and turn them into beautiful journals on the fly, like Dark Souls player Cora did, chronicling the results on Reddit:
Or even Polygon's writer and pen-lover Nicole Carpenter's bullet journal about Hitman 3, which she says helps her engage with the game in a whole new way:
"I’m using [the journal] to track story missions and challenges I’ve completed (or want to complete eventually), but it’s also a place where I’m writing down essential things to remember — little pieces of the story that I might otherwise forget, like security codes or floor plans. As I’m playing the game, I find myself learning the “language” of Hitman 3, noticing small details that are colossally important — stuff that seasoned Hitman players might automatically pick up."
I'm terrible at noticing both small details and larger patterns, instead focusing on more pressing issues like "not dying" and "yelling a lot about how hard the game is". Taking notes, and using my partner's maps, has helped me understand the game more, just like Nicole did, in a way that game guides, or map printouts, never could.
It used to be the same when I did exam revision. I would spend an entire school year having things go over my head, and not bothering to try to catch them, because I knew my brain was much better suited to doing my own notes, in my own time, and in my own style. There are studies about how note-taking leads to better recall, which isn't really surprising — but for me, it's not just the act of taking notes; it's the fact that I have control over them.
As I said at the start, there are not many games these days that require a notebook. Honestly, Hollow Knight doesn't really require notes, either. But taking notes is so simple, so meditative, and such a great way to fully connect with a game, that I might just make every game a notebook game from now on.
We've picked a theme for the poll that will determine next month's game — brain-bending puzzle games with unique mechanics! Whether you've played a little bit (and got stuck) or you've never played these before, we think that counts as a backlog game...
Tell us in the comments if you've been playing and enjoying Hollow Knight, and if you've been taking notes as well!
Comments 29
I actually just finished Hollow Knight last week for the first time. It's such a blast to play, and the idea of taking pen to paper for notes and a map? Such a great idea!
Hollow Knight is a brilliant game until you get to the post-game with the optional bosses and challenges. This game is near impossible to beat 100% and it's so frustrating when you like to do just that.
I love keeping notebooks (and, yes, journals). I've always had a journal going since I was in the army, and most of them are half gaming notes. I have so much fun writing down hints and drawing THE WORST maps (I am a decent artist but a crap cartographer). But I always forget to write down crucial stuff, and I'm tremendously disorganized, so my gaming notes are not super useful.
I think Hollow Knight is more notebook-worthy than most games, partly because that map is confusing as hell and partly because it's so freaking sketchable. The characters are all begging to be sketches in a notebook.
I want to play this game but I feel like I should finish Metroid Dread on hard mode first because of that whole metroidovania thing. Also... I just know Portal is going to win the vote for the next backlog club game, which is too bad because I REALLY want to play Baba is You and participate in this club for once. On the other hand, I've never played Portal for more than maybe 5 minutes and would really like to actually experience the whole thing. So... screw you, Superliminal, we've got other games to play, I guess!
I'm currently playing Hollow Knight but the 'must make maps/notes or you will wander around lost constantly' feature keeps making me fall off the wagon. I realize there are partial in-game maps much of the time but they're not enough for my poor need-GPS-for-a-1-mile-trip brain. Somehow I don't have this issue with most other metroidvanias.
That being said I think it is an absolutely beautiful and mostly well crafted game and I plan to struggle through some more of it this month. I'm glad the backlog club is making me play again even though I haven't gotten as far as I was anticipating.
For next month I would love if baba is you wins. Although I like the idea of Portal, I am bad with first person games and I got quite motion sick even just trying to watch a portal playthrough so I'll step out if Portal wins. Either way, well-chosen category for next month; I like the constant variety.
Very cool that you’re enjoying this masterpiece.
@seaboyluca yet a surprising number of people have done it. I myself am not a completionist when it entails crazy grinds or challenges, and never saw myself getting more than a “true final boss” ending in HK. But somehow the combat gripped me enough to complete 4 of the pantheons and nab the 112% completion. Would like to get the full full completion with that last pantheon but, eh… I hit my limit I think. Maybe some day.
@Dark_Isatari
I've seen some YT videos how people beat the hardest challenges and it never ceases to amaze me what some gamers are capable of.
I don't have the patience for it.
Funny, I'm around 28 hours as well and should finish it up...but the game is so cheap that it lost most of its fun. The constant one little flying annoyance on nearly every screen put there just to annoy and make you bounce backwards into falling/more damage is just very poor game design
Oh and putting the boss checkpoints just far enough away that you have to spend minutes getting back is again, very very bad design, and started to ruin the game for me making it more frustrating than fun.
I played Hollow Knight last month, beat the first final boss right before it was announced as the next backlog club, and then tried to move on but kept he sucked back in and now I've beaten the second final boss and the first pantheon. I will probably not be finishing the pantheons, but it is incredibly enjoyable.
I'm not much for boss fights, but I played this on a plane with nothing else to do, and that's probably the only reason I didn't give up on it
Glad you enjoyed it. I think I already left my rant on the last page, so I'll just say you guys are more committed gamers than I am for actually keeping a journal. I try to take mental notes and maybe remember to leave one or two marks on an in-game map, but I'll mostly just wander around until I don't find anything for an hour and then check a use location guide for my most recent upgrade.
@SteamEngenius You can mitigate the travel problem a bit if you keep working on the dream nail rewards. You eventually get a placeable fast-travel point. And the Thorns of Agony and Grubsong charms might help make the cheap hits a bit more tolerable. You can also nail bounce off some of the passive hazards for a last minute save. Other than that, the best advice I can give is it's usually easier to bait enemies into attacking and get them on the recovery than it is to try and get the first hit in.
@moodycat No kidding. I just finished up my second playthrough, and the White Palace was the last thing I did before the final boss. The endless buzzsaws are one thing, but the freaking timing section near the end is the real nightmare.
I had this game on my backlog for 3 years only did. the first 2 bosses.
Finished the game yesterday with 100% (not 112%) in less than 33h.
I really enjoyed it but I had problems to get started because of my bad combat abilities.
@moodycat I do like that it forces you to chain all your movement skills together. Landing a perfect sequence of wall jumps, double jumps, dashes, and nail-bounces feels awesome. That kind of challenge is better in short bursts than in one giant gauntlet, though.
Notebook? The internets your friend lol
@moodycat one thing that helped me is the users on the subreddit suggesting that you shouldn’t invest charm points on healing because it’s better to learn to avoid the attacks. However I will say the Uun charm can be a lifesaver.
La Mulana 1&2 springs to mind. If you’re hardcore/purist and not using the internet. A notepad is a must!
I didn’t mind the white palace, but the boss rush area….I just quit at that point. Kinda like the new Dead Cells DLC, I can’t play enough to get good enough to beat more than the hand of the king.
@Dark_Isatari I basically did the opposite. Never used spells, always had one or two soul-boosting charms equipped, and learned boss patterns well enough to recover from low health to full. Might not be the best choice for the full completion, but I did at least manage to beat Radiance that way.
It never even occurred to me to take notes or make maps with this game… I did an ungodly amount of back tracking in hollow knight (but I didn’t really mind cause I loved the game and was completely captivated by its atmosphere), so making notes/maps probably would have been a huge time saver! Might give it a try next time
@Anachronism Yea I know about the fast travel thing but it needs like 800 or 900 of the thingies I believe and I'm at like 300, so that's awhile off. I did just get the super dash so at least I have some new areas.to.check out. The more I talk about it the more I want to continue on now lol
I got back to Hollow Knight due to these articles and I can see the need for making maps. Currently at the Mantis Lords.
Sadly none of the games in the poll are in my backlog; I played and finished Portal years ago (more than once) and I don't have the other ones (though Baba is You is in my wishlist).
I got stuck in Hollow Knight and stopped playing for a few months. When I picked it up again I had to use physical notes to make it to the end. I absolutely loved this. When I fully committed to it like this, the game truly clicked for me.
I haven't done this since playing those ancient Dungeon Master games back in the early 90's. Can't say I miss it but I admire your dedication to the game.
@seaboyluca
Kinda agree. I can't decide. It frustrated me but also when beating them gave a great deal of satisfaction. I can't decide if the satisfaction makes the frustration worth it - I lean towards not (meaning I'd prefer them slightly easier to not feel like banging my head against the wall as many times)
@FishyS The shop in Dirtmouth has some items that will help you not get lost. If you buy the quill, then every time you sit at a bench you'll automatically update the map to show where you've been (filling in the rooms with solid color) as well as adding any new rooms you've visited. And if you buy and equip the Wayward Compass charm, you'll be able to see exactly where you are on the map.
Fun write-up on Hollow Knight. Good thing I've already played all of August's options because I'll probably still be needing to play Hollow Knight. I'm still only about 11 hours in and I've been playing since mid-June. 😥
On my second playthrough and loving it all over again.
The map is starting to fill out nicely although I haven't reached any of the three essential bosses yet.
Does anyone else keep longnail equipped religiously?
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