Played this at the insistence of my friend Sal.

I rated it 2.5 stars as a free game. If they charged I'd rate it much lower. There are better games to play on coolmathgames.com, much less steam.

Its not terrible though, and I had a bit of fun. There was 1 funny moment, with a bug the game devs self-awarely put an achievement for activating instead of patching it.

Sonic Team made this game! After enjoying the Mario Movie and hoping (coping) that the next 3D Mario game after Bowser’s Fury will most likely be for the next gen Nintendo console, I immediately went to replay this game. I love this game so much, it is a technical marvel at how lovely, creative and wondrous Super Mario Odyssey is! I enjoy how the Joy-Cons and HD Rumble enhanced the platforming experience.

I wish we got proper dlc or a sequel to this game, but for what we have, Super Mario Odyssey is my favorite Nintendo Switch exclusive. Kirby and the Forgotten Land got close to beating it, but damn if this Mario game put a smile on my face from start to finish.

This game has heart, I just wish playing it was much better. Great soundtrack, playful visuals and a whimsical theatre style, it is those wondrous factors that make a Sonic Team game for me. Balan Wonderworld feels like an art project that wasn’t finished, though I am able to see the spots of beauty glimmering out.

Don’t think I could ever recommend it to anyone, but if this is Yuji Naka’s last major game, well damn. There’s always Prope’s Rodea the Sky Solider to replay. Every second was an adventure…

Hollow Knight is a very atmospheric game, with a massive, insanely detailed 2d world which is beautifully presented and varied with lots of beautiful scenery made with awesome talent and attention to detail by the artists. The sound design draws one into this atmosphere and takes one on an emotional ride with one’s character. I felt awe, peace, dread, fear, adrenaline, and many other emotions thanks to the art, sound, and game design synergising perfectly. The game plays to its strength by incentivising exploration and discovery, the player constantly finds new nooks and crannies off the beaten path, is drawn further into the worldbuilding, enjoys the sights, and is rewarded with a well-designed puzzle, fight, and reward.

There is a lot of bullshit in this game, most of it intentional, some of it frustrating. The game does not hide from being hard, but some aspects of the game were frustrating. I personally lost 6 hours to attempting the hardest boss fight I encountered, while also having to deal with a two-minute walk back to the boss room every time I died, dealing with dangerous platforming that could set me back and waste even more time as I did so. It made for a very frustrating fight, but very satisfying once I finally beat it. I would have rather not have gone through that bullshit though, given I later found out the whole saga was completely optional to the main quest. Some enemies were a real pain to defeat, I often found myself venting frustration to friends who had already beaten the game about the difficulty of many boss fights and rooms. it was also sometimes difficult to figure out where to go next, which was a good for exploration, but it often made me disoriented and confused as to what to do next to progress.

I hate giant bugs, so this game scared me easily, Hollow Knight often made me feel dread, and there were several jumpscares. I skipped some optional content purely due to being too scared to progress. For me some sections were a genuine horror experience, which can be a good thing, and it was still fun at the end of the day. Thankfully the game presented most bugs as mostly cute and stylized, which meant I could play most of the game calmly. The art direction is great, I already said the presentation is among the best in terms of beauty and quality. For me it could have been even better if it wasn’t bugged, though.

I received this game as a gift from one of my besties. It is worth what they’re asking RRP, which is A$21.95. Hollow Knight is near if not peak metroidvania. A modern classic for the genre.