Hollow Knight is a cute yet dark Metroidvania from the talented minds at Australian developer Team Cherry. After a hugely successful 2017, the insectoid platformer is preparing to embark on the greatest adventure of all as it makes its way to Nintendo Switch this year. To celebrate its impending arrival, Nintendo Life was lucky enough up to catch up with director Ari Gibson to discuss the game's reception, its passionate fan art community, the Nintendo franchises that inspired Team Cherry and much more...
Nintendo Life: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Hollow Knight on Nintendo Switch!
Ari Gibson: Thanks! We’re really excited for the release. There’s a whole new audience of Nintendo fans who’ll finally be able to play the game and we think it’s a great fit with the console.
How has the development of the game been going on the platform?
Development has been quite smooth and Nintendo have been fantastic to work with, helpful throughout. The testing process in particular has been a nice change, playing on a couch, rather than just glued to our PCs.
So when did development start for the Switch port?
Way back in 2016 we were developing a Wii U version of the game, alongside the PC version. Eventually we shifted that version to Switch as the players moved across to the new Nintendo system.
Indies in general have been much more prominent on Nintendo Switch compared to recent years. It must be exciting to work on such a popular platform so early in its life cycle?
With Hollow Knight on Switch we feel like we’re right in the middle of the activity and we couldn’t be more excited. Nintendo have been a huge supporter of indies with the Switch and it’s the perfect home for many of them with its handheld/home-console modularity and those cute little turn-them-on-their-side controllers. It’s got everything we’d want!
It's great to see Hollow Knight receiving so much praise on social media, but there's been a large influx of fan art, too. Considering the relative age of your company and the game, this must be very flattering.
It’s the craziest thing! We’d never of guessed there’d be such an interest in weird, slightly-spooky insects. The fan art is a huge inspiration and motivation even as we continue to create more Hollow Knight stories in our upcoming content packs.
Looking at the game itself, there's an interesting contrast between the cute characters and the atmospheric colour palette. How did the aesthetic of the game develop?
The Hollow Knight look is all about speed. Simple is fast. Monotone is fast. The whole thing started as part of a 72-hour Game Jam event, which William and I took part in. Obviously, our ambitions for the game grew beyond the scale (and time-frame) of the Jam, but the quick-to-produce aesthetic remained from it.
How did you go about balancing the atmosphere with the narrative and humor - was there a priority or did it evolve organically?
Everything evolved naturally, with William and I writing the narrative as we built the world. There are plenty of dark bits and plenty of dark-yet-slightly-humourous bits but we never consciously worried about the balance between the two.
You're a young team made up of a few people from South Australia. What was your exposure to video games growing up?
William and I both grew up on the NES, then SNES and we still have huge fondness for games of that era. With Hollow Knight we set out to make a game that evoked the feelings when playing Metroid, Faxanadu or Zelda II for the first time. Quite a bit of Mega Man X influence also crept in as we built the game.
Hollow Knight has been a very well supported game after it's release. Can Switch owners expect all of the content in one package and how much more DLC is there still to come?
Absolutely! Hollow Knight on Switch will launch bundled with the two previous free content packs, Hidden Dreams & The Grimm Troupe, and a bunch of smaller optimisations and improvements we’ve made along the way. We’ll be announcing details on the third content pack in the near future, which is looking likely to arrive shortly after the Switch launch. Beyond that pack, we have our second playable character, Hornet, in the works. She has her own story, abilities, bosses and more, which we’ll be talking about at a later date.
We would like to thank Ari for his time. Hollow Knight on Nintendo Switch is expected in Q1 2018.
[source hollowknight.com]
Comments 53
Release date?!
I recommend Hollow Knight for every metroidvania fan. This is my first Metroidvania game, and granted, it was really hard and I've yet to finish it, but damn. The OST is amazing and every character is just so cute and interesting.
I've been curious about this game ever since I saw it at a GDQ event. If I do get it, it'll probably be on the Switch. Here's hoping for a physical release!
I've avoided getting this game on PC just to get it on the Switch. The Switch really is the best platform for indies so far
It’s the craziest thing! We’d never of guessed there’d be such an interest in weird, slightly-spooky insects.
It's "never have!" Who edits these?
@Yrreiht "The Switch really is the best platform for indies so far"
Of course the switch have no games
@Switch_will_fail Says Q1 so should be by March. Hope there's a physical release...
@admwllms I hope so. Holding out for the Switch version is becoming very difficult. But I've waited this long, so what's another 2 months?
I would have bought this on Wii U, I'll be skipping it now.
@therealgamer You must be fun at parties
Best indie game that was sadly overshadowed by the likes of Cuphead and Night in the Woods....looking forward to the Switch release (and especially content pack 3)!
Really can't wait for this one, it's extremely up my alley. Waiting for the Switch version to be released has been hard, let me tell you.
Day. One.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Me too. Its perfect for the Wii U. I play the game on PC (GOG) and its a really good game.
Shoutout the devs still promise to put their games on the Wii U
AckkStudios - Yiik
Battle Princess Madelyn - Causal Bit Games
World to the west - Rain Games
@Switch_will_fail yeah that's how I'm looking at it too, can't wait.
When some indies were announced last year, there was this game and Flinthook I was looking forward to. At least there is good news about Hollow Knight
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I understand where you're coming from, but put yourself in the shoes of the developers for a minute. Would you put your game on a dying console where your game is unlikely to find success, or would you rather put it on a fresh new console that has provided great success for previous indie games?
Of course it would have been great if they could get it on Switch and Wii U, but not all developers have the resources to develop for multiple platforms like that and I don't blame them for focusing on the Switch.
I played bout 15 hrs and was hating it ... overwhelmed by the size and the controls seemed awful - played on Mac with dual shock 4 and was finding the controls to be laggy, sluggish and imprecise ... the platforming and combat (particularly the bosses) has to be spot on in a game like this so kept dying repeatedly through no fault of my own. Was gonna give up and smash the controller. As a last resort I dipped into the graphical options and turned off v-sync .... which completely fixed the control issue. Ended up loving it and played 50hrs +. It does take a while to get into but once u get the hang of it and start uncovering new areas it becomes magical. Managed to get a 95% completion and prob my fave game of year. Actually even preferred it to Breath of the Wild and would say its probably the best example of the genre EVER (maybe even including Super Metroid). Defo gonna double dip and get Switch version also. At £15 on Mac, it was probably the best value for money game ive ever played... hopefully the dreaded Switch Tax doesnt rear its ugly head.
Hollow Knight is a fantastic Metroidvania game. I loved the atmosphere and how the gameplay is handled, very challenging and wonderous to play
Currently playing it on PC. Such a wonderfully beautiful game. And very underrated as well.
Alright, so even though there isn't a confirmed release date, Q1 2018 is the most specific Team Cherry has been. Hopefully having this feature means they're starting up the PR machine for the Switch release and that it's releasing sooner rather than March.
Neat, looking forward to the game. I’ll get it on Switch if the port is good.
@KayFiOS
It’s a quote, so the correct sentence will be the one that was actually said - grammatically correct or not.
@Tsurii No, that's how kids who failed 3rd grade grammar talk. Could of, would of, and should of, are incorrect, and any deluded twit who believes otherwise ought to hang for their stupidity! Let me direct you to where you can learn why you're wrong.
http://www.stgeorges.co.uk/blog/learn-english/would-have-v-would-of-english-grammar
Pull your head out of your ass.
I'm looking forward to this more than most of the big upcoming retail releases! This is going to be a great experience on the Switch.
Easily one of the best Indies in recent years, I really hope fellow Switch owners embrace it and yield the massive audience it deserves. Unfortunately, HK seems to have flown slightly under the radar compared to other indie darlings. I'll be depressed and ashamed if this barely cracks the eshop top 10.
Anyway, I've been waiting far to long for HK to come to a console. I can feel my saliva frothing.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE First of all, HK has not been ported to any console yet, Team Cherry are a small team with limited resources and necessity to make the most sound investments. So it is extremely understandable and obvious that Switch is their focus. Even PS4 must wait.
Asking otherwise or offering contempt for their desire to thrive is misplaced and only portends to sores on butt. Feel free to make purchases as you see fit, but don't try to turn this into a Wii U obituary.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Really? That’s a bit over dramatic. I supported the Wii U up till the very end, but I totally understand why it was skipped.
But I’m also one of those lunatics that is double dipping on some of my favorite Wii U games because I want to play them on Switch.
Are you skipping Stardew Valley and Bloodstained also?
That’s silly.
This game is one of the only four games I'll ever double-dip for. It's THAT good. Get the game as soon as you can!
@19Robb92 Fair enough. I assumed the interview was a verbal exchange.
@ACK @Traskin7
he clearly derives more pleasure from displays of public berevement than playing games. its narcissistic for him to feel that the devs should take notice... but hey he might just change the world, one tantrum at a time:)
Been waiting. This is one of those that I won't hesitate to buy even though the backlog is getting big. I've almost picked it up on PC a couple times, but it's going to be more at home on the Switch.
@KayFiOS I hope you are not a teacher , LoL..
This title looks absolutely awesome looking forward to it .
@Romeo-75 I normally do my best to ignore crappy grammar--this is the Internet, after all--but using "of" instead of "have" is the one thing that bugs the ever-loving crap out of me for how frequently people do it. So maybe I'm acting childish by not controlling my outbursts. I can live with that. At least I'm not writing like a child.
@KayFiOS @Tsurii You're both wrong, it SHOULD be "We'd never of had guest." Grow some Brian's.
@19Robb92 @KayFiOS Even given that NL is transcribing spoken words rather than copying written words, "of" is not what was spoken. It was "have". It may have been elided, in which case there's a case to be made that it should have been transcribed "never've" in the same way "would've" is. But "of" is simply wrong, and is yet another sign that NL really needs to hire a copy editor.
(Side note: If "of" is in fact what was spoken, there is a way for a transcriber to indicate that the error was original and not an error in transcription. That is wasn't utilized is another indication that this is NL's error. I'll let NL's eventual copy editor explain it to them.)
@Tsurii No, that's not how people talk, knowing that that's not how people talk makes it more likely that English is their first language, not less, and going straight for the stick in the ass comment speaks far more about your attitude than theirs.
I have almost finished it on PC.
A great game with a fantastic atmosphere and interesting story/lore.
It's pretty challenging, although only the optional stuff can be overbearing, but it's always rewarding you for exploration and taking on challenges or just playing well.
The most frustrating thing was that sometimes when I got a new ability I couldn't remember where the places was where you needed them... :---D
I recommend it to every metroidvania and action-platformer fans!
@JimmySpades Thank you! I won't say my behaviour was 100% acceptable, but at least when I try correcting someone, I do my freaking research, unlike @Tsurii.
@GlutenFreeGamer And thank you, as well. I needed a good laugh to put me in a good mood again.
@JimmySpades NL needs to do a lot of things; for starters optimize their articles for mobile browsers. I swear those Taboola ads down below cause my new phone to slow down to a crawl. I'm thinking about using an ad free browser app exclusively for browsing NL. Only way I can type anything here is by copying it from the notebook app, or by editing my comment.
I feel proud that I was part of the Kickstarter for this game 😁
@therealgamer You kinda contradicted yourself there...
I played a bit of this on the pc, it felt almost like a 2d bloodbourne. I don't like playing on the pc much so never put in many hours but have been looking forward to getting this on switch since I first saw it was coming. I did expect to see it a long time ago though. At least I hope after all this time it will run smoothly
@EvilLucario Out of interest, what are the other three, buddy?
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Cutting off nose to spite face, springs to mind. Your loss!
We really should be talking about Team Cherry and Hollow Knight here, folks, not clogging the comments section up with grammatical nonsense. The same goes for cry babies spitting their dummies out because a tiny indie outfit whose game is still only on PC has the audacity not to spend thousands on bringing their game to a previous generation console with a limited install base.
Bringing the topic back to the game, I’m really looking forward to buying Hollow Knight on Switch. Along with Inside, No More Heroes 3 and Owlboy, it’s has been my most anticipated indie on the system for some time. Can’t wait for that release date, fella’s!
Looks good, but I won't buy it because it uses Unity. There will be performance problems (long loading time and low fps).
Been waiting for this for ages, but still no actual release date? Come on!
@Nincompoop That's bulls***. At the current versions Unity and Unreal are as good as the developers using them. If you think otherwise just shows you know nothing about game dev and optimization.
Edit: Out of curiosity PUBG was made with Unreal. lol
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Moaning about games that did not come to the Wii U is so ... last year.
@The_Pixel_King Xenoblade 1, Xenoblade X, and Metroid Prime Trilogy. No other games matter, just those three along with Hollow Knight.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE If you have even a PC/laptop with a half-decent integrated GPU, there's no reason not to pick this up on there.
@therealgamer Really because I have plenty of games for Switch, Mario kart 8 Deluxe, Disgaea 5 Complete, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, Octopath Traveler Demo, Sonic Mania, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Celeste, Owlboy, Snipperclips, and considering its been less then a year, I have more games on my Switch t hen I do on my Wii U - besides why would I get this game on the Wii U lol - I have a Xenoblade 2 Limited Edition Pro Controller, the Switch is a stronger system, a better screen - and I have a 256gb Micro SDXC Card (with far more memory so I can store far more games) I have nearly 10 games in 11 months...plenty of content for 2018 (without mentioning Dead Cells, Hollow Knight upcoming Metroid or upcoming Kirby - which will last well into 2019. I like the "switch has no games" comment, both indies and major franchise exclusives...it has about 100+ titles, and (twice as many on the way) I enjoyed the Wii U (cause I got one back in 2013 pre-owned, and I've had a handful of games I've enjoyed on it) but at this point...the Wii U Gamepad feels like a piece of plastic lol a leapfrog tablet ...kinda cheap (though its nice to have sitting next to my Switch) so I can use the wii U to browse online while I play a Switch game. I have not only joy-cons but the Pro Controller, expanded memory and a nice screen protector...not to mention the HORI officially licenses Table-top stand (which like the screen protector only cost me $8.99) Im glad Nintendo went back to Cartridge over Disc - I can reach for my Switch 1 foot away from my bed IN sleep mode, quiet, no delay, no wait - grab it, press the Home button, launch the system out of Sleep mode, pick a game from the stripped down/bare bones UI & launch right in with minimal delay to almost none, the Switch is the opposite of the Wii U, Wii U suffered from (not being a bad system) but a clear marketing plan...what was it ? a console, but a wanna-be portable, but the game-pad couldnt go any further then a few feet from the disc-drive itself cause it would loose communication....so...it was neither a hybrid or portable...and from 2012 to 2014 Marketing was horrendous for the device (despite that a few games trickled out like Bayonetta 2 & Xenoblade Chronicles X...New Super Mario Bros U and Super Mario 3D World among a few others (DK: Tropical Freeze & Mario Kart 8) I just feel at this point while I still own a Wii U & New 3DS XL and Switch - its easier to just own them all...if there was a game I missed on the Wii U I could always pick it up, but it seems a majority of the Wii U titles are being ported over to the Switch (or already have) and then from this point forward all exclusive content & big titles will be predominantly on the Switch...I usually dont early adopt but I'm glad I did with this system, I have about 5-6 titles I want this year on the Switch ontop of the 10+ titles I already own (which also include Axiom Verge, Cave Story+, Celeste and The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ cool thing about cartridge, these little cartridges are damn near indestructible + no loading time basically. + Physical copies of games are nice b/c I can get hand-me-downs from friends, and end up not having to pay anything for the game...and the Switch is region free...so any japanese import I can grab up, for cheap play and toss to friends. I feel that the Switch is an improvement in several key areas (of marketing, expandable memory, more developers signed on board, open source development hence why more indies are being supported then EVER before, and of course the sad fact that the Switch has already outsold the Wii U (in less then a year in its shelf life) while sales reports don't mean much when were talking quality software...fact remains the numbers speak for themselves...its sorta like "proof is in the pudding" I hold the Wii U it feels like a toy for 8 year olds...I hold the Switch its got some heft (not too heavy) but a nice thickness to it...plus it looks like (if I ever have battery issues) years down the road, it wont be hard to replace the battery or get fixed (Nintendo even had an article about this) meaning updating/upgrading/fixing the Switch internally wont be a nightmare like it was for other devices in the past. Which is also nice to know. It's not perfect (no device is) and I have a variety of devices (Across the board Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft/PC included) I can give them all a fair shake but...Breath of the Wild runs better in docked mode, and I keep my system DOCKED in Sleep mode..so I can hop in/hop out- gaming at the speed of light...I can reach for it, 1 button, 3 seconds later...playing a game, pause it no delay, hop back to menu, check battery status, or look up some News Info or Eshop Info, and/or check what friends are online and boom right back to game. I can keep Wii U gamepad next to me so I can look up something online (a guide/walkthrough if needed) I think the Wii U and Switch work well together in that regard. Wii U = for non gaming / cheap tablet like basic-browsing/shopping. Switch for gaming (and future gaming) - and when I'm on the go I can take the New 3DS XL & Switch (both have carrying cases) so I can travel with both systems.
Anyway naturally the Switch physical release of this game will probably be a few bucks more - something I'm already expecting which really doesn't bother me, if the game comes out in a physical indie bundle/box w/ game cartridge some sort of game manual, including both (of the first 2 DLC packs if not the third that was only recently announced) for say $29.99 or $34.99 I'd have no complaints about that (its about the same price I paid for Cave Story+, Axiom Verge, and The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, also I just got for $20 Switch physical (The End is Nigh from the same creator of Super Meat Boy & The Binding of Isaac -Edmund McMillen & Nicalis). His physical games always come with some sort of additional content (pack of stickers or little toy/figure w/ a classic gaming manual included). It seems week after week a handful more games come out for the Switch...and last time I checked Xenoblade is a game, Odyssey is a game, Owlboy is a game, I Am Setsuna is a game, The End is Nigh is a Game, Layers of Fear is a game, Fe is a game, Redout is a game, 1001 Spikes is a game, Bayonetta 2 is a game. I can ignore Nintendo Lab-o - that seems geared towards a younger audience altogether, but heres to 2018 & more games upcoming.
@Nincompoop SUcks for you, b/c its already been shown at PAX West 2017 (September) and it runs smooth, its already been optimized at frame-locked STSR-setting (docked or undocked) Unity works quite well for this game (not to mention at the Handheld Lounge) in Late Sept 2017...game was showcased (a near retail version of the game) looked fine, ran fine, runs fine on PC as well (even lower end rigs run it fine) V-sync not enabled, and FPS lock allow for an easy transition. The game has very few issues if any (and those that have already had hands-one are quite impressed) plus any performance issues = Team Cherry will iron out fairly quickly (as they did early on post Steam release in Late 2016, early 2017. Switch launch = will run fine, look good, it already does, already there is current-up-to-date videos of the game running on the system and near finish (cause the launch date / will soon be announced) its as close to finished as can be - cause with the 3rd DLC pack (Gods & Glory) will likely come after Switch launch (as the interviewer was told) - if there is any performance problems (knowing Team Cherry) it will be ironed out fairly soon, and the game will look & run quite enjoyable...a few minor early-on performance problems guaranteed will be ironed out, no way I'll miss this good-running gem. But to each their own, your loss not mine.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Eh wii u's bad screen no thanks lol i use the wii u as a cheap-leapfrog-plastic-tablet at this point...it was ok for its time, but thankfully its on its way out...I did enjoy about 8 games over 5-6 years for the wii u and I can see why someone would want to play it on the wii u (esp if they dont have a switch, so naturally they are going to sit in comments section and rant about not having it or skipping it) well if you dont own a switch......lol of course your going to skip it...if you own a wii u & switch and skip it just b/c of some defiant child-like bias "wahhh i got both systems...but the system I want it on, isnt coming out for" yea...well such is the way of the world, have you seen the 32,000 videos on youtube of "RIP to Wii U, onto 2018" lol ...just the way it is I dont hate any device...but you can always get on PC / Steam if I didnt have a Switch I would get on PC...(or any device it came out on) but seems to me once the game drops on the Switch, an update or two - optimization aside - it will run quite good (every game that I have so far has run fairly well on the Switch, SOME Of which are more demanding then Hollow Knight will be) - anyway I say get it any which way you can - to enjoy...but as I wrote above ^ skip out on it for all I care....your enjoyment is for you to be concerned about - lol anyway back to Celeste.
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