Why is it that games in horrifying worlds always seem to be the most challenging and fun? We have plenty of great games with bright and colorful worlds or stories. Yet the game Hollow Knight has a mix of challenge and intrigue. I never realized the world of insect's was so terrifying. 

Hollow Knight is a platformer adventure game brought to us by Team Cherry. You play as a mysterious insect knight with no memory. His driving force is to find the secret to why the kingdom of insects is in ruins. Those that live above ground live in poverty and darkness. Those that did not survive wander with no mind or soul of their own. The ruins of the insect kingdom drive you to find the dark magic that laid this world to waste. 

The gameplay is what you'll make of it. The platforming itself are things we have seen time and time again. Wall jumping, dashing and double jumping are nothing new. The thing that drove me forward is the combat. Your knight only has a rusty nail to fight with. Whether it's the enemy insect knight Hornet, mantis samurai or soul sucking dung beetle mages, you will have plenty of challenge surviving in this world. As you progress through the game you'll find plenty of skills, passives and upgrades to your nail.

My biggest credit to the game is the story. Hollow Knight doesn't give you a lot to work with. Despite not knowing what happened, the air of mystery drew me to continue this strange quest. Every small bit of information was satisfying as I progressed through the game. Usually the dark and dim art styles don't do anything for me. Games like Inside or The Binding Of Isaac overdid the dark tones for me. Something about this strangely somber kingdom kept me going. The mystery was aided by the artstyle in the best way possible. The music also added to the driving tones behind this game. I felt relief whenever I heard the sound of the bug train station so I could save. The song heard in the drowning city echoed the pain of a civilization lost. 

The exploration in this game also has a negative side to it. The map system is not very helpful. You'll need to equip one of the game's charms to see exactly where you are on the map. This wastes a valuable slot for potentially more powerful passives. You also have to buy markers from the map shop to mark where important sites are in each area. If you do not find the map maker in each area before you defeat the main boss you'll have to buy the map from the shop once you beat the boss. While exploration is fun, backtracking can be annoying if you are going for 100 percent runs. The platforming is average, The jumping and navigation are things I've been through time and time again. It's done well but nothing unique jumped out at me.

Despite being the kingdom of bugs, this game deals with soul stealing, occult magic, backstabbing and betrayal. In some people's view, Hornet might be a hero as well as a villain. This kingdom has fallen in ruins due to people trying to go beyond their station as mortals. This game does push going beyond the rules quite often in order for the Hollow Knight to get what he wants. Soul manipulation might be disturbing to some people as well. Souls are required to use some abilities.

The Kingdom of Bugs has fallen. Save it, or destroy it in Hollow Knight.