Recent reviews by linkerError

As much as I want to recommend this game, I can't. The first 30-40 hours are fantastic -- quests are great, journaling system works good, the conversations are fluid and dynamic. The dungeons are incredible! And then you hit a brick wall -- mobs become inexplicably harder, XP drops to nothing and the game slows to a crawl. No matter what I do, I can't seem to find any content suited for my level anymore. I'm hesitant to return because I know I'll have to lower the difficulty in order to progress because I'm not willing to save-scum my way through the remainder of the game. Sadly, it doesn't look as if Obsidian ever plans on correcting these flaws.

As it is, I consider this product to be incomplete -- not supplying enough content to get through the difficulty curve or at least offering respawning mobs so I can grind out some levels is a critical flaw in the game's design and one I cannot forgive. It is a shame because this is otherwise a perfectly serviceable -- and perhaps excellent -- game.

its neat

Hollow Knight borrows from all the right places. It borrows the punishing difficulty and checkpoint "bonfire" system from Dark Souls, along with the game's somber, almost mournful demeanor and depressing, muddy color palette. From its metroidvania siblings, it utilizes a tried and true progression structure where new items and abilities allow you to access places you couldn't reach before, continuously expanding the real estate available for you to explore.

Speaking of which, Hollow Knight is brain-crushingly huge -- large new areas just keep on coming even very late into the game. For me, the end is finally in sight and I'm still discovering new biomes and exploring new sections of existing biomes. Furthermore, these areas are relentlessly beautiful, telling the story of a civilization lost to the sands of time.
In other places, Hollow Knight exceeded my wildest expectations. This is, by far, one of the most interesting metroidvania worlds I've ever explored. It is made all the more interesting by the fact that the world is populated. Sparsely, yes, but populated all the same. You can chat with the other bugs and learn the history of Hollownest. You can read the descriptions on charms and you can plumb the depths looking for historical sites and artifacts. Creativity seeps out of every crevice of the world. We are meant to mourn this dying world and wonder at what it once was even while marveling at the glorious remains of this mysterious lost civilization. For those interesting in uncovering its secrets, it's packed with cool details, small touches and graphical flourishes that make its world feel much more alive and connected than worlds in bigger-budget titles.

For those willing to brave it's challenging depths, Hollow Knight offers more open world exploration than you can shake a stick at. While I haven't finished it yet, it's shaping up to be one of the greatest metroidvanias ever constructed. I think it's safe to say that Hollow Knight is a masterpiece. If you've got the skill to survive it, you're in for a treat.

Note: While I own this game on Steam, I did not complete it on Steam. This review is based on the PS4 game "Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition" which is the same game in all but name.

Mind-crushingly huge. Breathtakingly gorgeous. Legendary music. Well acted and well written. Outstanding open world action role playing. One of the best games ever made.

Core mechanics are fun but overly long games turn what could be a fun distraction into a seemingly endless battle. Hold off for a while until they've worked on it more.

Not a game.

Who knew that Resident Evil 2 minus the slow loading times, muddy graphics, ♥♥♥♥♥♥ camera angles and bad controls would be an early contender for Game of the Year? Seriously, it's Resident Evil 2: Perfect Edition. Play this nao!

A really neat Rogue-like, in the most literal sense of the term. Houses an excellent quest and story generation system along with a satisfying variety of character creation options, a choice of starting locations and even a main quest line. Top it off with weekly and daily challenges, neat graphical flourishes, a fast travel system... the list goes on.

At the risk of sounding cliche, it's easy to learn and difficult to master. That comes with a minor asterisk to say that there is a bit of a learning curve with the controls and shortcuts, but these are well documented in the help system.

If you can get over the simplistic retro look and feel of the game and the initial learning curve with the controls, there's a gem of a game underneath waiting to be explored.

As much as I can appreciate trying to emulate an investigation, this game fails at it. For starters, it's not much of an investigation. There are no witnesses, no people and no real direction to the game. The whole town is mysteriously barren for 'story reasons', but we know the real reason: the devs couldn't afford these things. While some would count this as a strength, I don't. It's a very limited indie game with no characters and no gameplay beyond walking around and reading clues/examining the environment. This would be fine if the game billed itself as more of an adventure game along the lines of Myst, but it doesn't -- it wants to call itself an investigation game. Like, sorry, but no. It's an adventure game. A sub-par one at that. You could get a better experience by playing literally any other point and click adventure game. And those games will likely have characters, a plot and a story to consume. Y'know. Content. This game lacks content, and tries to deceptively market its lack of content as a strength. Don't be fooled. This is Steam shovelware masquerading as a full game.

It's... pretty. Simple. Fun. Reminds me of BSG. Easy to learn but tough to master. It rewards pausing combat to look at the tactical situation (a great option!). It's a steal at $7 but I wouldn't pay full price. I love the minimalist design and great music. If you're a fan of space games, dogfighters or Battlestar: Galactica you can't go wrong. It caught me off guard and charmed me with it's simplicity and excellent design -- if you're on the fence, I can say it's worth trying.

My only major criticism is the lack of good dog-fight chatter. Would have added loads of ambiance.