Most action-adventure games hand you a map and a checklist. Hollow Knight, released in February 2017 by the Australian studio Team Cherry, does the opposite. It drops you into the ruined kingdom of Hallownest with no quest marker, trusting you to find your own way through its interconnected caverns.
What Designers Say About Its World-Building
Game designer Ari Gibson, who co-founded Team Cherry with William Pellen, has described the game’s map as a character in itself. In interviews around the launch, Gibson emphasized that the team wanted players to feel lost but never hopeless. The result is a world where every corridor leads somewhere meaningful, even if that meaning only becomes clear hours later.
The developers drew heavily on their admiration for classic 16-bit era games. They cited Super Metroid and Zelda II as structural influences, but Hollow Knight’s hand-drawn aesthetic sets it apart. Each of the game’s over 40 areas was sketched and animated frame by frame, a process that took nearly three years to complete.
Critics at the time praised the game’s restraint. Rather than bombarding players with tutorials, Hollow Knight teaches through environmental storytelling. A broken statue here, a faded mural there — these details reward careful exploration without ever breaking the silence of the underground. Readers exploring hollow night will also find useful context in Tonka Bean: The Fragrant Seed Behind Perfume and Cuisine
How Hollow Knight Compares to Other Metroidvanias
Alongside contemporaries like Ori and the Blind Forest and Dead Cells, Hollow Knight stands out for its sheer density. Where Ori focuses on fluid movement and emotional narrative, Hollow Knight emphasizes combat precision and atmospheric dread. The game’s boss fights, numbering over 40, demand pattern recognition and patience rather than mere reflexes.
Its map system also diverges from genre norms. Players must purchase a quill and map from a wandering merchant to chart their progress, and even then, new areas remain blank until explored. This mechanic, unusual even in 2017, forces a level of spatial awareness that few games require.
The comparison extends to difficulty. Hollow Knight’s challenge is often described as brutal but fair, a phrase that has become a cliché in reviews. Yet the game’s checkpoints are generous, and its charm system allows players to tailor their build. This flexibility makes the difficulty feel like a choice rather than a barrier.
The Financial and Legal Landscape of Indie Success
Hollow Knight’s commercial trajectory is a case study in indie economics. Developed on a modest budget, the game sold over 2.8 million copies by February 2019, according to a statement from Team Cherry. That figure, reported by multiple outlets, does not include later sales on Nintendo Switch, which many analysts believe doubled the total.
Legally, the game’s success spawned a wave of imitators. Several studios attempted to replicate its hand-drawn style and interconnected level design, leading to a crowded market. However, no direct copyright disputes have been publicly reported, as game mechanics themselves are not protected under copyright law.
Team Cherry also navigated the tricky terrain of platform exclusivity. They launched on PC first, then ported to consoles over the following year. This staggered release strategy, common among indie studios, allowed them to build word-of-mouth momentum before expanding to larger audiences. Hollow Knight on Steam keeps a longer factual record of the subject for those who want more
Origins: From Game Jam to Global Phenomenon
The seeds of Hollow Knight were planted in 2013 at a game jam in Adelaide, Australia. Gibson and Pellen, both self-taught programmers, created a prototype called Hungry Knight, a crude platformer with a simple premise. That prototype, though rough, contained the core idea of a small knight exploring a vast, hostile world.
Over the next four years, the duo expanded the concept into a full game. They funded development through a Kickstarter campaign in November 2014, raising over $57,000 — more than double their initial goal. The extra funds allowed them to hire composer Christopher Larkin, whose melancholic score became integral to the game’s identity.
Hollow Knight launched on February 24, 2017, for PC. The initial reception was positive but not explosive; it took months for word-of-mouth to build. By the time the Nintendo Switch version arrived in June 2018, the game had become a cultural touchstone, often cited as one of the best games of its generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Hollow Knight first release?
Hollow Knight launched on February 24, 2017, for PC via Steam and GOG. The Nintendo Switch version followed on June 12, 2018, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports arriving later that year.
What is Hollow Knight best known for?
It is celebrated for its hand-drawn art style, atmospheric soundtrack, and challenging but rewarding combat. The game’s vast, interconnected world and minimal storytelling have also been widely praised by critics and players alike.
Is Hollow Knight suitable for younger players?
The game contains no graphic violence or gore, but its dark themes and difficult boss fights may frustrate younger audiences. The ESRB rates it E10+ for fantasy violence and mild language, though the game’s tone is more somber than typical for that rating.
How does Hollow Knight differ from its sequel, Silksong?
Silksong, announced in 2019, stars Hornet, a character from the original game. It features faster movement, a new crafting system, and a more linear progression compared to Hollow Knight’s open-ended exploration. As of now, Silksong has not yet been released.
Is Hollow Knight still receiving updates?
Team Cherry released the final major content update, Godmaster, in August 2018, adding new bosses and a boss rush mode. Since then, the studio has focused on developing Silksong, with no further updates planned for the original game.
