Metroid meets Bug's Life is the best game on Xbox Game Pass right now

As far as metroidvania’s go I’ve played less than I would have liked to, though I’ve always been down to play another Metroid game when one rolls around.

That being said, I love a game that challenges me which is probably why I’ve always gravitated towards Dark Souls and games that have tried to replicate its gameplay. While combing through the never-ending list of Xbox Game Pass games I found a title that would test my mettle whilst also helping me on my quest to play more metroidvanias, Hollow Knight.

Take a look at the trailer for Hollow Knight Silksong below

Hollow Knight is a 2D platformer about The Knight, who’s on a quest to bring peace to the land like many good heroes do. To be clear you’re not the Hollow Knight, you’re there to find the Hollow Knight.

It plays like every good metroidvania would with an enormous map that you’ll be backtracking through frequently, though there are fast travel points to get from A to B a little bit quicker. New areas are unlocked as you progress the story, and paths you previously went down become available to you when you have the right upgrades, like a double-jump and dash move.

What I liked most about Hollow Knight was how simply and intuitive the combat was. It’s one button to swing your sword, its actual name being a nail, and you can only swing it in four directions, up, down, left and right. Strike an enemy or appropriate surface from above and you’ll pogo off it, which is the quickest, but trickiest, way to dispatch an enemy or boss efficiently. Mastering the pogo is essential, and it’s also a handy move to learn for traversal as well. You later unlock a ranged attack, but you need to save up energy, or soul, to use it.

Those are the basics, and they’ll carry you through to the end credits once you’ve mastered them. You can of course find health and soul upgrades to make life easier, but they’re not mandatory by any means, and I’ve seen loads of high-level playthroughs where players have ignored them all.

Team Cherry

But what is it that keeps you playing, and why should you try it for yourself if you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass or any platform that matters? At its core I found Hollow Knight to be engaging from start to finish. If you’re the type of gamer who grows frustrated at a challenge, but is too stubborn to call it quits, this is the game for you, as the reward for perseverance is a feeling of overwhelming satisfaction.

I’ve played games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring countless times, and while I’ve always played fair there are some bosses that I’m just not in the mood to repeat on a new playthrough. I could beat the Twin Gargoyles by myself if I wanted to but to save time I’ll just bring Solaire in with me to make life easier. The same can be said for Alexander and the Fire Giant fight, I don’t need him but I hate that fight, so a helping hand is appreciated.

You can’t do that in Hollow Knight, and while there are some pretty broken builds you can make with various badges you’re usually at the mercy of your own skill level. There were only around three bosses that had me genuinely tweaking throughout my playthrough, and since they were mandatory fights I honestly thought I wasn’t going to see the end credits. Nevertheless I “got gud” and overcame every obstacle set before me, defeating the final, final boss on a stream with my friend. I’m hoping his eardrums have recovered from my screams of joy and victory.

Team Cherry

All in all I’d say Hollow Knight is an immensely satisfying game. It has some jankiness to it but it never hindered my enjoyment, and I felt regularly tested by the bosses and platforming segments.

It’s not perfect, as I think the world map is a little too big for a metroidvania even with the fast travel points, and some of the platforming segments are downright evil towards the end of the game, though with enough patience and dedication you’ll make it through to the end as I did.

Hollow Knight is one of the best games on Xbox Game Pass right now, and if it wasn’t for Xbox’s subscription service I don’t think I would have given this game a go otherwise. In fact I loved it so much that I’m hoping they release a sequel at some point, I wonder if there’ll be one?..