Backlog Club: July - If You Haven't Played Hollow Knight Yet, Here's Your Chance

This game. Been in my backlog for sometime. I started it, ultimate got lost and haven’t gone back. This might be a good reason to start this game fresh. The atmosphere , music and gameplay are great I just never really dove into…err..burrowed into the game. Might as well before Silksong releases…it is still releasing isn’t it??

Just started my 6th playthrough. Gets better every time I play it.

Tried it multiple times, but just doesn't keep my attention sadly.

@sketchturner

Hot damn! 6th play through?? Thats something! I can’t say I’ve ever replayed a game 6 times over, must be a true banger. I’ve always wanted to get into the game but it just hasn’t worked out just yet!

@CorePrideX

You are not Alone! Shout out to @AmplifyMJ!

This might be the best game I never technically finished. I was enjoying it so much that I wanted to try and do everything before I took on the final boss. Doing this meant I think I accidentally activated a harder final boss that I couldn’t beat. I had to watch videos just to see the ending. Never mind.

This is a beautiful game to just get lost (literally) in. Maybe not the best pick for the middle of summer though, bit gloomy…

Could just be me but why are prices for all platforms being mentioned. Xbox seems to be getting ripped off slightly more than Nintendo switch owners which is nice to see. For me I tuned out over time. Came back to it after a while and no idea what I was doing or where I was going. May need to start afresh.

Really divisive game, people love it or hate it, no middle ground. I don't like it but I can see the quality of the game. Is kinda boring at the start and you are really lost with no clue of where to go or what to do, not a good first impression even for a metroidvania. Maybe they'll fix this for the sequel, gonna try it out on gamepass when it releases

I’m on my 4th playthrough right now actually

Still my favorite metroidvania and my favorite indie game.

Might do a 5th play through before Silksong comes out
Although in a few months I might be saying the same about my 6th

Accidentally started a playthrough on GamePass after already having beaten it twice on Switch. Have got 105% on Xbox now.

One of my favorite games, own it on multiple platforms. I'll grab the gamepass version for a fresh playthrough, always down for another dive into Hollownest

One of the all time great games. It's an absolute beast to conquer but conquer it I did. I've been contemplating going back and doing it all over again but my backlog won't thank me.

@Rainz Yeah it's my favorite game ever. I actually helped Kickstart it, which is something I never do but I could tell I really believed in the vision for the game.
That said, I got lost quite a bit my first playthrough and it really wasn't until my 2nd playthrough that everything fully clicked.

Yeah tried to beat a boss for 3 hours straight finally did it only for a regular enemy to kill me. Then when going back to defeat my ghost form to collect my cash etc I was killed by it and lost everything which I needed to purchase an item to progress. Quietly and calmly put the controller down uninstalled it and never looked back.

I hope it’s a hit with the people who haven’t played it! It is the second best game I’ve ever played and I have completed it 4 times

Ironically while waiting for this I started playing Earthbound.
I wonder if I should get back to my Hollow Knight save or just start anew... I forgot the controls.

I got pretty far and then quit at one of the bosses. Maybe I'll try and pick it back up. I think I was close to an ending - definitely not the final or best lol

I honestly keep trying to play it.

Then when I go back to it there’s new areas and stuff and I get lost, so I move on with a different game.

Im currently playing HK for the third time.

1) start to hornet
2) hornet to fungi brothers
3) fungi brothers to boss in city of tears, and currently ongoing.

@Multiple Playthroughs: I can’t imagine to play HK more than ones (at least not yet). But no problem with Metroid Dread. And as kid of the 90s I played the DKC trilogy and SMW 20 or more times.

Great game, but I wish I could have played it without all the DLC first, it became kind of overwhelming on the Switch.

I’ve tried this game out several times, and while I can appreciate why it’s such a beloved game, it just wasn’t for me. I would constantly get lost, and I know that’s simply part of the Metroidvania genre, but it was too much for me since I have limited time to game.

That said, not all Metroidvania’s turn me away. In fact, Blasphemous might be my favorite of them all. I think that game is really special, as well as Bloodstained: RoTN. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

Love Hollow Knight, such a good game.

Still baffled how silksong has no news even after xbox reveal.

I'm at like 28 hours in, had been stuck (lost) for ages but picked it back up a week ago and finally got a new ability that opened up some new areas so have a renewed interest in going further.

It's definitely a great game but the combat leaves a lot to be desired and there are WAY TOO MANY cheap tactics that are just annoying af like bees everywhere that blend in with the drab color scheme and even get hidden by the foreground art sometimes, which is just plain bad development meant to annoy.

Yeah... This game is nearly perfect to play it it's honestly better than Metroid dread and I adored Metroid dread

This is a game I wanted to love. Its a beautiful game but its never clicked with me in my many many tries at getting into it.

I have everything done except Pantheon of Hallownest. 10/10 game. I've died millions of times and never once felt like it was anything other than my fault. Probably the fairest hard AF game ever.

I actually have had Hallow Knight in my backlog for quite sometime, but I just finally started Triangle Strategy a couple of days ago, and wow, I can already tell it is going to occupy my full gaming attention for quite some time. 🙂
Unfortunately I will not be participating in this backlog club, but I hope everyone that does has a great time!

@Rainz @sketchturner
When you truly love a game, it is easy for this to eventually happen. 🙂
I honestly do not know how many times in my life I have played through A Link to the Past, but it is probably safe to say the number is in the 20’s. 😬

Top 10 games all time for me.
Yes, it can take a while to eventually click with the player, but when it does, it makes it so worthwhile.
I’ve done 4 play throughs now. All that’s left is to finally take down NKG and the Pantheons.

Great game. That is all.

I fought NKG and won the fight before fighting the final boss that lets you beat the game and into the credits screen. The final boss was actually surprisingly easy, until I realize Nightmare king grim is a dlc boss... oops!

Hollow Knight is nothing short of a masterpiece, one of the finest games out there, and I don’t say that lightly.

I have Hollow Knight and look forward to it... but not enough to find room for its 5.3 Gb at the moment. Especially with the reported 15+2 of Xenoblade 3 coming up.😅

Well, I've been at Hollow Knight on and off for some time.
I only have the one boss gauntlet left... Unfortunately, it's the hardest one. I dunno how people do this.

Hey, you finally landed on one I'm already playing. Well, replaying anyway. Hollow Knight is an absolute masterpiece of a game, and has perfected just about every important aspect of a metroidvania. The most important thing it gets right is the world design. Being alone most of the time is nearly a requirement for games in this genre, so without a strong moment to moment narrative, they depend more on backstory and the actual environmental design to bring the world to life. Hollow Knight's world is not only visually distinct from any other game I can think of, but has an impressive amount of variety within itself and does a great job of blending natural beauty with the ruin and decay of its fallen kingdom. You can almost always tell your general location at a glance, and the brilliant soundtrack adds even more personality to each area. It also has a healthy heaping of lore and at least a couple endearing characters who make the world feel lived in and worth saving. Beyond that, it has an excellent sense of ability progression that slowly unfolds the world around you in a way that feels natural, and something I like even more; the ability to occasionally wander into areas you're really not ready for and get brutally punished for your arrogance. Other aspects that stand out include the extremely diverse boss and enemy design, the level of customization and allowance for different play styles that the charm system enables, the tough but generally fair platforming segments, and frequently rewarding nutjobs like me who try to take a swing at every wall large enough to hide a secret passage. With Metroid still militantly sticking to its mechanically solid but narratively basic world design, and Breath of the Wild abandoning Zelda's standard character progression and slowly unraveling world, Hollow Knight stands as the champion of my absolute favorite style of game design in the modern era.

@FishyS I'm the same. I like it, it's insanely well crafted, but it's horribly frustrating to me because I get utterly lost and also have no clue how to beat even the first boss.

I'm glad I tried it, but it's definitely not my game.

I will give it another shot for Backlog Club, but I can't promise I'll stick with it.

Very fun game, beat it but didn't complete it. If they knocked off a few hours of the total length I might have 100% it. As it is it just wears out its welcome imo

This one has been on my backlog for far too long—I’m in!

Been on my backlog for too long.

As good as everyone says it is, but never understood why so many people return to it so much. Then again, I’m a very one-and-done kind of gamer so once I saw the true ending and such I was satisfied. Never had the urge to go back, the experience is just alright but I cannot deny the quality and hence will totally dive into silksong.

For everyone who gets stuck or lost a lot early on. I definitely remember picking up a lot more pace in the third area.
I may actually start replaying this as I never actually finished the main game despite doing most the endgame dlc stuff.
My favourite game I've played on Switch so far (BOTW on WiiU)

One of the top titles available on Switch. An absolute must play, and Switch is the PERFECT console for it.

@Takoda Hollow Knight's world is small enough for most of it to feel familiar, but large enough that you won't remember every step along each path, so I kind of like to wander around in it the way some people do with open world/sandbox games. I've been casually replaying it and deliberately avoiding the major story triggers when I can. Even with some muscle memory left from my first playthough, it's still a good challenge, and getting to listen to the soundtrack again makes it worthwhile on its own.

@Diogmites FromSoft took some hints from metroidvania/Zelda style games and it worked so well that indies started taking hints from FromSoft games and putting them into metroidvanias. You can definitely see the influence in Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, and a few others.

@solidox Actually Xbox owners have it as part of Gamepass at no extra cost. So... And if they have gamepass and want to buy it they get a discount. 11.99 US dollars.

I really REALLY like this game. Beat it, but thinking of playing through again constantly. Beat the first third three times over until that third time I got the controls down. Learn to move around during combat. Swing and run, swing and run. This game gave me better skills in general that commute to things like Smash Bros and Metroid, but even helped me learn what it means to want to beat a boss.

@Anachronism
That actually sounds like a neat and relaxing way to play through it again, yeah! Especially since I love to wander with open world games I totally get that.

@solidox Xbox version is play anywhere so you get a pc version as well.

@Grawbad. Actually I was referring to the prices listed on the article. switch $15/£10.99 and xbox $14.99/£12.49. Look at the prices in pounds and dollars. Game Pass is not free. Like the PS super ultimate mega tier subscriptions you pay to play.

@AstraeaV. Grawbad. Actually I was referring to the prices listed on the article. switch $15/£10.99 and xbox $14.99/£12.49. Yes quite why you cannot just buy a game and play it on any supported device you happens to have is mystery to me. As I said in another website “should have got Xbox”.

Hollow Knight and Ori. Two games that I really wanted to like and just never got into. They're both extremely well crafted but do not suit my playing style.

@solidox Yep, I know it isn't free, I was simply saying that if they have game pass they wouldn't need to pay 14.99 as it is already included in the service and if a game is ever leaving game pass they get a discount on all Gamepass games and dlc. So the 14.99 is only for those without Gamepass. All I was saying. This is without mentioning the game is 14.99 elsewhere too, its just on sale for 7.49 right now.

Hollow Knight, good choice. I bought it last year and have attempted it quite a few times but just can't do it, so I end up leaving it for another day.

Is it ment to be bloody hard? Or am I missing a trick or three? And why no normal level?

The one thing it lacks is that just 'one more go' like many tough games have. It's more the controller is going out the window. 😬

I completely agree with Kate's view that it's one of the games of the last decade. Very few games have such strong fundamentals and it's a pleasure to play undocked making it a flagship Switch title.

Loved it! Great variety of boss battles, fair but punishing difficulty, and just plain fun to play. My backlog is so full that I'll be several years behind for the rest of my life. Just now playing Mario vs Rabbids and can't believe how good it is.

Hands down no question my favorite video game of all time, and I'm not even interested in doing the Pantheons. It's got just the perfect mix of open ended exploration, satisfying combat, and abusable tech for when you really want to play around with the game. I highly recommend Mark Brown's Boss Keys video on the game; really gets into what makes the exploration in this game so good.

I listen to the soundtrack while I’m driving and imagine I’m fighting the Dung Defender, cos I love that fight and his theme song 😂

I literally finished the final boss yesterday (not the actual final boss, just the first one). The music is what got me into it, the exploration and world kept me going. If I weren't so bad at the boss fights I'd probably keep going, but as it stands I'm happy to put a bow on it now that I've seen the credits.

(And also Triangle Strategy is calling my name again 😊)

Top 5 games easy and I haven’t even seen everything it has to offer- got what I think was the “true” ending (before the DLC added more IIRC) but there was still loads to explore and all the DLC that I didn’t touch at all. Phenomenal game. Not worth holding out on a sale for, £11 is an absurd price for it as it is.

I've bought this game several times and never really play it because I always feel this immense pressure on myself of me not possibly enjoying the game as much as people expect me to. It's this weird anxiety that I should just ignore. I feel the same way about Hades. I know both are great games but almost overwhelming

It's weird I had a new year resolution to post all of my backlog and hollow knight is what I started with

Died early on and had no idea I could go get my proper life bar and whatnot back by beating my ghost, got to the mantis lords before I finally figured it out by chance XD. I'm not really a fan of most hard games, but realizing I was basically playing on hard mode till then, and still loving every second, was definitely an "okay, I'm hooked" moment. Favorite game of all time and nearly the only one of my favorites I have no desire to 100%... did it for the main game, but DLC are way too hard for me and I don't like dying and having to repeat whole entire boss fights.

Guess I'm in, I finally picked it up on sale. No time like the present.

Somehow I made it to what I think is the final boss before quitting. I mostly remember being lost and frustrated, without any real clues on the map on how to progress.
The only way I see myself ever replaying it is with a walkthrough, but that's probably not gonna happen.

Hopefully they make silksong a bit more easy to follow.

I’m sad for you if you haven’t played this. Do yourself a favor. I got it expecting to not like it, but it was just so great.

@zool it’s supposed to be difficult. Tbh I don’t know what know what kept me playing it, but it was so worth it.

@Randomarcadedude, I felt the same way about Hades. Don’t feel pressured to like either.👍

Argh I really want to, it’s also been on my wish list for like, ever, but I’m really trying not to buy new games until I’ve cleared at least some of my existing backlog. I’m almost through Earthbound I think, but on hols in a few weeks and I won’t be taking my Switch. Just going to have to resist this one for now, but I look forward to reading the comments

Good idea, think i got it with ps plus so will give it a proper play, really is on my backlog lsit, played it once, got my a** kicked but never returned for a proper play