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Valdis Story and Hollow Knight review


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I'm a huge metroidvania fan from back in the days of Symphony of The Night, through to Order of Ecclesia on the DS and Shaman King on the GBA and even Cave Story and Shovel Knight. I do however find a lot of what comes out in the genre to be sub-par. I couldn't stand the gangling Dust, the whole experience felt like someone wanted to crossbreed the genre with a Don Bluth game. And the earlier Momodora titles were lacklustre. That said, in the last few years two games that fit the bill have really impressed me: Valdis story and Hollow Knight.

 

Valdis Story is wonderful. It has expansive yet balanced levelling, a large inventory, a nice currency system, and a useful spell system not quite like anything I'd seen before. The art style is cute and very creative, and the world is tumbledown, falling apart, sad in places but in others inescapably beautiful. The supporting cast is charged with hope and willingness to help, reflecting a story that's tragic but not melancholy, full of the anger and cynicism of the protagonists at being used like pawns by their inbred and interbred gods.

 

It was the combat and movement that blew me away though. There are four different characters to play, each with a slightly different story but a very different take on combat, and attacks that can be modified again by changing weapons when the opportunity arises – it won’t just be a new, longer sword, it’ll mean all new timing and combos and abilities. Each character feels solid and substantial, and yet amazingly deft with the addition of the skill-cancel invincibility-dash mechanic, which makes you mobile in the sense not of an insect but like a freight-train. It feels completely unique, different to dashing in any other game. There are two reasons why. For one it's done by tapping down, or leaning down-forward on the stick while moving, making it feel more like something from a fighting game; and two, it's limited, you have to charge it up either by parrying, by not attacking at all, or by killing outright, depending on the skill tree you go down. Either way it works and then some. It's required by the game's timed puzzles, which got a fair amount of criticism but which I absolutely loved. But it's used to its most dazzling effect in combat, for charging through your enemies when they won't give way, and this where the game really shines. Fights are controlled, heavy, fluid and fast; protracted maelstroms of aggression with you at the center. Enemies aren't super varied, but the bosses are frightening, often requiring a mental reset, though with good telegraphy and never unfair. If you pick the wrong combinations these encounters can go for three-quarters of an hour, though I found myself relishing this at times. It's a real workout and it feels great.

 

Overall Valdis Story was the game that made me realise it was possible to outdo SoTN, and not just by a small amount. It brought so much I wasn't expecting, I was moved throughout by the situations the characters found themselves in, surprised by secrets and lore. The action starts right away and doesn’t stop until the end. It's made by a studio called Endless Fluff, a two-person team who are also a couple but who never do the same thing twice. I'm sad about the fact they may not make another game like this.

 

 

 

 

The next game i want to talk about is even better: Team Cherry's 2017 masterpiece, Hollow Knight. I backed this one on kickstarter, though I can't really explain why. It looked almost like one of those games that uses an art style as an excuse covering lack of actual content, or perhaps to hide gameplay based around a single unoriginal mechanic done better by other games in which it was merely incidental (I’m looking at you, Limbo on the PS3). And in a world based on insects? No thank you. Yet the writers seemed to be going for more than that, and they were based in Adelaide, so I thought what the hell.

 

I wasn’t taken by the reviews when the game came out, though they were mostly raves. I wasn’t convinced after two hours of playing the game; I was a quarter of the way through, it was cute but haunting, shown not told, the experience draped in the sadness of a world so long gone it was being forgotten, and dying all over again. The music was lovely. The gameplay was nice enough, if nothing special. I was bored, wondering when something was going to happen. Was this all the game had to offer?

 

It turns out I wasn’t anywhere near a quarter of the way through. In fact I’d barely scratched the surface, and as the map began to unfold and expand so amazingly before me, and the game’s story grew more and more intricate and involving alongside it’s moveset and charms system, I was totally overwhelmed. I use that term as I’m not sure another would cover it. It all seems so reasonable, so many tiny steps, and before I know it I’m battling creatures ten times my size using dashes & dives, down-slashing to bounce off enemies mid-air and reset my double-jump, throwing spells like explosive candy. I’m no good at this kind of thing, I have trouble throwing out a hadouken reliably, ffs. And yet Hollow Knight was so cunning, so subtle about the way it introduced each game mechanic, so mean in the way it makes you hunger to master the next section, to discover that next secret, that I was learning to fight and climb without quite realising I was doing it. The environments and the creatures that populate them are meticulously detailed in their construction. And the bosses! Oh my word; I read online about people having hundreds of attempts at some of them. And they’re everywhere! Guardians and mini-bosses and trap rooms that spawn dozens of enemies and giant mother bosses with such fast patterns to learn and whooooo boy, it’s nasty. And infuriating (leave me alone, you bastard! I want to heal!) And at the same time completely wonderful.

 

There’s one thing that makes it all worthwhile, you see. Because while the gameplay becomes more labyrinthine than the maps it’s driven by, maps you grovel for to offset terrifying leaps into the unknown dark, and while the enemies grow maddening, impossible until they’re finally mastered, the story is something else again. I’m not going to claim I grasp all of it. How the kingdom of Hallownest fell, how the dreamworld links with the manipulations of the priests and the royal court, may forever escape me. And yet this world, its swansong of hope and blank forgetfulness, struck me to the core. The trailer below is all action, but the images i see behind my eyes will remain with me who knows how long. There is a magic here that reminds me of my childhood, and just how strong images and feelings about a fictional world can be. It's rare to find that at all when you get older, let alone in a two-dimensional platform game.

 

I’m not going to claim Hollow Knight is perfect. The game does take a few hours to get going. The save system can be frustrating. NPC's are washed out. The story might have affected me more than it warrants. And when you really look at it, it does what it does with great music but few tools. Inventory is limited, and you keep the same weapon throughout the game. Sometimes combat feels like an exercise in backdashing. Added to which, your character can feel a bit underweight; movement can be complicated, and enemies and platforming will be a slog at some point – there’s no way to avoid that, the game isn’t short. But I didn’t want it to be short, and I didn’t want it to give up its secrets easily. I played it on an arcade stick for three weeks and despite RSI setting in like never before I had to keep on. Hollow Knight somehow turns all its weaknesses into strengths.

 

The final free content update is out tomorrow, but if they make more I’ll pay whatever it costs. Overall, if you play only one more game in your life, of any genre, this might be the one to pick.

 

 

I should add that I'm far from alone, Hollow Knight has received universal acclaim. Now i go looking, the points I make above are reflected elsewhere, especially the one about the game taking a little time to find second gear. Not everyone hailed it as one of the greatest games ever made, but every single critic loved it, and they can't all be fans of the genre.

Edited by buttersoft
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  • 1 month later...

@buttersoft made the first Boss (told you i wasn't far into it! ) and I'm thinking so far a dark version of super mario world with rpg elements ? I like the way they use the same 'coin' collecting mechanic as seminal games like mario and sonic but they have more use than just giving you an extra life. Some of the platform and enemy behavior design seems like a straight homage to Nintendo.

 

What an awesome game ☺ Thanks for posting about it!

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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IDK if it's strictly an RPG, you don't really have stats save mb getting the nail upgraded. I know what you mean though, whatever you call it, it's great. And if you're only at the first boss... well, you ain't seen nothin' yet :) You'll find the first ability upgrade in the next area, and that opens things up pretty nicely by itself. That is, if you progress along the Pilgrim's Way. There are all sorts of holes you can fall down, you can wind up in areas you won't see for ages otherwise. The game is really clever like that - it offers you various leaps of faith, but whether you take each is up to you.

 

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. There are quite a few games like these out there, but the two i posted about are two of my faves.

Edited by buttersoft
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IDK if it's strictly an RPG, you don't really have stats save mb getting the nail upgraded. I know what you mean though, whatever you call it, it's great. And if you're only at the first boss... well, you ain't seen nothin' yet :) You'll find the first ability upgrade in the next area, and that opens things up pretty nicely by itself. That is, if you progress along the Pilgrim's Way. There are all sorts of holes you can fall down, you can wind up in areas you won't see for ages otherwise. The game is really clever like that - it offers you various leaps of faith, but whether you take each is up to you.

 

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. There are quite a few games like these out there, but the two i posted about are two of my faves.

Yeah not an rpg per se, just some elements like using collectibles to buy maps and other things like that.

 

In old fashioned zzap64 speak, maybe it would fit into the 'aardvark' category [emoji3]

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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I'm having trouble killing this dude that dissappears in a big shell whenever i get close to him. He spits out big glowing orange balls. Any tips ? :)

 

I managed to get enough currency to buy a charm that lets me map sections properly, which is helping a lot. The monochromatic art scheme does tend to get samey after a while and it's easy to lose where you are without proper working mapping. There's a lot going on in the art style, the old-school parrallax scrolling effects are truly stunning, but so subtley done, you don't even notice it till you look a bit deeper.

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If it's the big baldur, and you're in the temple where the snail shaman just gave you the spell, wait for the big one to spit little rolling baldurs at you, kill them for soul, and the use the fireball spell from a distance while the big baldur has its face exposed.

 

I know what you mean about samey... but you're about 2% of the way in right now.

 

EDIT: i mean to say, i felt the same way, the game feels a bit samey. But it really isn't - which is why i said it takes a bit to get started. You might be four or five hours in, and you're still well inside the first area :)

Edited by buttersoft
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If it's the big baldur, and you're in the temple where the snail shaman just gave you the spell, wait for the big one to spit little rolling baldurs at you, kill them for soul, and the use the fireball spell from a distance while the big baldur has its face exposed.

 

I know what you mean about samey... but you're about 2% of the way in right now.

 

EDIT: i mean to say, i felt the same way, the game feels a bit samey. But it really isn't - which is why i said it takes a bit to get started. You might be four or five hours in, and you're still well inside the first area :)

Hmmm i don't have any spells at all yet so maybe that's the problem [emoji3] thanks for the tip!

 

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Aussie Arcade mobile app

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  • 3 months later...

The Sequel to Hollow Knight, just got announced. I can't say it looks that different, it just looks more of everything, more animated in every sense. I think the story is going to harken back to when Hornet was stolen away to live with the weavers when she was a child.

 

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  • 4 months later...
Hollow Knight was just $8 on Switch, so I finally grabbed it. Jesus, can't believe I waited so long, this game is phenomenal. Beaten four bosses and the map is ever expanding. Loving every minute of it.

 

That's what i wanted to hear :) I feel like it's one of those games that if only people would try it...! Team Cherry are totally rolling in it now though, it sold like 2.5 million copies.

 

There 's so much to like about it though. I love the way it chose to tell it’s story not as a narrative in cut scenes but in the fragments of things left behind and the hangups of the ghosts left in the ruins. I also love the fact you can totally fall through area after area and end up in the deepnest long before you’re really meant to, winding up all alone in the dark having to fight your way back up with no upgrades and no charms. I haven't been so frightened in a game since the Day Z alpha, and that was a totally different experience.

 

I will say that it's so enjoyable and easy to get into, but ends up becoming the hardest game I’ve ever imagined someone making, possibly excluding hyper hexagon on hyper hegagonnest difficulty. The later challenges on the path of pain are something I can never hope to be good enough to beat. But that's hidden and completely optional.

 

If you like it, allow me to strongly re-recommend Valdis Story as well. The skill-cancel dash mechanic in that game has to be experienced to be believed - just don't bind it to a button, let it default to the stick :) And people are saying good things about the recently-released Bloodstained: Ritual of The Night - the kickstarter game from Koji Igarashi of SoTN fame. I have it, but haven't played it yet.

Edited by buttersoft
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I am in Deepnest right now. Just got the tram pass, so I can finally unlock the tram stations. I have upgraded my nail twice, and have dash, floor smash and wall jump upgrades. I've killed many bosses and a bunch of ghost challenges that give me essence. I am close to the 700 essence upgrade and am fighting the Deepnest ghost to get there. He's killed me 3 times now, pain in the ass.

 

The only thing that shits me is the amount of backtracking I am doing. I am not using a guide of any kind and this game is stupidly large. I spend hours just running around to places on my map that are dead ends, to see if it's the right dead end for me to access. I need to start taking notes when I get to a spot I can't traverse and writing down specifically what I need to get past it. A bench to bench fast travel mechanic would be the best thing this game could introduce. Running between stag stations is a pain, as is finding them in the first place.

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The only thing that shits me is the amount of backtracking I am doing. I am not using a guide of any kind and this game is stupidly large. I spend hours just running around to places on my map that are dead ends, to see if it's the right dead end for me to access. I need to start taking notes when I get to a spot I can't traverse and writing down specifically what I need to get past it. A bench to bench fast travel mechanic would be the best thing this game could introduce. Running between stag stations is a pain, as is finding them in the first place.

 

I can't completely disagree with those sentiments. I've always dreamed of a metroidvania with a truly massive open map that still feels meaningful, not just large for the sake of it, and Hollow Knight is the best i've seen in that regard. Personally i like getting lost and i quite like backtracking, they're features of the genre, though I do hit my limits occasionally. I reckon they designed this one to be played half with a guide, because at least half the people who play will use one at some point :) I think i did to find the flukemarm, because i wanted the flukenest charm, which is totally baller. I did also take a good load of notes though, keyed to the different colours of map marker you can buy.

 

Which one is the Deepnest ghost, what's it's name? EDIT: Oh, him, with the scythe and the balls bouncing around. Yeah, i had to have a few cracks at him. I find most of the fallen warrior ghosts pretty fun though.

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I can't completely disagree with those sentiments. I've always dreamed of a metroidvania with a truly massive open map that still feels meaningful, not just large for the sake of it, and Hollow Knight is the best i've seen in that regard. Personally i like getting lost and i quite like backtracking, they're features of the genre, though I do hit my limits occasionally. I reckon they designed this one to be played half with a guide, because at least half the people who play will use one at some point :) I think i did to find the flukemarm, because i wanted the flukenest charm, which is totally baller. I did also take a good load of notes though, keyed to the different colours of map marker you can buy.

 

Which one is the Deepnest ghost, what's it's name? EDIT: Oh, him, with the scythe and the balls bouncing around. Yeah, i had to have a few cracks at him. I find most of the fallen warrior ghosts pretty fun though.

 

Yeah, the scythe guy. He's the most annoying ghost I have fought so far. I really need to beat him to get the 700 essence upgrade, so I will have another few cracks tonight. I got a lot closer on my third try, he had two orange balls as well as the scythe, so I think I had him at his final form. After that, I will hit up the trams and see where they take me. I also stumbled across the Flukenest yesterday, really piss easy boss. I just ended up in the room and was like, oh, a boss fight. Beat him on my first try. Don't like the charm though. I use the rotating shield charm and the compass charm mainly. That rotating shield has saved my ass so many times.

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  • 4 weeks later...
82% completion, unlocked the final boss, but have yet to fight him. Just kind of dicking around a bit now. I will use a guide to get the rest of the charms, I have only unlocked around 65% of them currently. I will also need to beat the Grand Troupe DLC boss and beat the third level of the Colosseum of Fools.
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