One of the coolest things that happens to us as individuals is how our opinions and feelings can change over time.

In 2019, I tried playing Hollow Knight for the first time and played quite a bit of the game, almost 10 hours, and although I was enjoying it, I wasn't captivated by the mystique that the game apparently had, like everyone else was. Fast-forward to 2024 and I start a new save from scratch and well... I think I finally understand the commotion...

Hollow Knight is one of the best games I've ever played and largely because an older (and more grumpy and tired, I admit) "me" simply sees games a little differently and has a much bigger baggage than the "me" from 5 years ago.

What I like most about Hollow Knight is how I see in it elements of several games that I love and are in my pantheon of favorites. For the first time, another metroidvania gives me the sensation of exploring the map of Super Metroid, with its twists and turns, with its dense areas, getting lost in the dark tunnels of Deepnest, being overwhelmed by the bees in the Hive, or stunned by the beauty and ambiance of Queen's Garden.

I love the game's slower pace, which demands much more from you but rewards you handsomely with each new boss.

Or even how visually, somehow, the game sometimes just feels like a 2D Bloodborne to me, oozing in visual style even though this style can indeed be somewhat monotonous and monochromatic at times. At least that brings a very unique consistency to the whole game, making all areas somehow part of the same world, regardless of the variations in temperature and height that the areas may have.

Or even how, in gameplay, it's something smooth, enjoyable to play, to move with the character, with a rich palette of tools to face enemies or simply wander through the vast map. Its combat strongly reminds me of a blend of Mega Man X with Mega Man Zero, or rather, the best of the combat from these two series in one game. And its fluid movement clearly reminds me of Alucard from Symphony of the Night.

Even though it brings me this collection of memories, Hollow Knight is still something with a strong, unforgettable identity, and rarely equaled in the genre.

It just doesn't get a perfect score because, in fact, sometimes the game just seems to waste a little of your time, the Stag Stations aren't enough, and sometimes the feeling of visual monotony can hit a bit. There's some flaws in its design too... You shouldnt have to equip a charm to see where you are on the map and you already have a button to use spells, it is RB/R1, Circle/B should be exclusively used to heal. But who knows if the game won't grow even more in my tastes over time? It certainly has the capacity for that. Hollow Knight is simply amazing all around afterall.