3.5/5 ★ – ohmightyqueen's review of Hollow Knight.

Play time: 21 hours (unfinished) I have tried to play this game 3 times since it released. Twice on my nintendo switch (about 20 hours total) and once on Steam/Steam Deck(which is where the play time on this review comes from). Each time i have been punished beyond measure for wanting to like or even love this game. I often compare it to being a 2D equivalent of Elden Ring imo and ive never played a game so hard. Even with a walk through i found this game so punishing. The platforming and learning of new abilities and beating the standard enemies is really fun, although challenging and brutal at times i really truly loved that part of the game. However, the bosses really do take away any love i have for it. They are just so much more incredibly harder than the rest of the game and for me personally, this takes the enjoyment completely out of it. Id love to have finished this game but i reached a point and realised i just wasn't having fun anymore. Ill probably pick it up a a little more and play here and there to explore, but without regular play i doubt ill get past the bosses im stuck on and that really does suck. I've seen online how people dont think there should be an easy mode or something to help the player but i disagree. Opening up this game to people who really want to enjoy the lore, the beautiful graphics and cute characters would only be beneficial to everyone, including disabled people who would otherwise miss out on this awesome experience. Truly disappointed that it was beyond my experience level and i wont be finishing it. I would like to check out Silksong if it ever releases but really pray that they introduce an easy mode for everyone to enjoy. 3.5 stars for it disappointing me with its difficulty. I actually think this could have been a 5 star for me if i could have completed it!