Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a sprawling, hand-drawn metroidvania from the small Australian studio Team Cherry, whose depth, atmosphere, and unforgiving difficulty outshone much larger productions and made it one of the defining independent titles of the entire decade. The game casts the player as a nameless knight exploring the vast, interconnected underground kingdom of Hallownest, inhabited by insect creatures afflicted by a mysterious sickness called the Infection.

The world is designed with admirable interconnection of shortcuts, hidden chambers, and optional areas, and the game relies almost entirely on visual storytelling and fragmentary dialogue rather than explicit text, lending the whole story a melancholic, mysterious atmosphere. The approach to orientation is also unusual: the map isn't drawn automatically—the player must buy it from the cartographer Cornifer and fill it in only at benches, so entering a new area always means a moment of genuine disorientation.

The combat system combines precise platforming with strikes from a weapon called the Nail, a simple yet merciless attack mechanic, and gradually unlocked abilities like double jump, dash, or wall jump typical of the metroidvania genre. The healing system requires strategically pausing mid-fight to convert soul gathered from previous attacks, raising the risk and tension of every encounter with enemies and bosses. Players craft their own playstyle using charms with a limited number of slots, which alter weapon reach, healing speed, and movement style. Christopher Larkin's captivating orchestral score gives each area its own mood, from quiet melancholy to boss-fight urgency. Team Cherry supported the game long-term with free expansions adding new areas, bosses, and game modes, making it an unusually content-generous title for a fraction of the cost of bigger productions. Hollow Knight is generally ranked among the best metroidvanias in the genre's history.