History YMMV / HollowKnight

* TheInverseLawOfFandomLevity: While the game has a lot of VideogameCaringPotential and various lighthearted moments, it's still a dark and gritty tale about a dead kingdom devastated by a MysticalPlague; with its bleak landscape, depressing atmosphere, and incredulous amount of ambiguity and fear that wouldn't be too out of place from a Soulsborne game. On the other hand, the fanbase has a great affinity for cute fanarts of the various characters and silly memes on stuff like Hornet telling you to "Git Gud", Pale King having a sawblade fetish and [[FountainOfMemes Zote the Mighty in general]].

* TheInverseLawOfFandomLevity: While the game has a lot of VideogameCaringPotential and various lighthearted moments, the game is still a dark and gritty tale about a dead kingdom devastated by a MysticalPlague; with its bleak landscape, depressing atmosphere, and incredulous amount of ambiguity and fear that wouldn't be too out of place from a Soulsborne game. On the other hand, the fanbase has a great affinity for cute fanarts of the various characters and silly memes on stuff like Hornet telling you to "Git Gud", Pale King having a sawblade fetish and [[FountainOfMemes Zote the Mighty in general]].

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest''[=/=]''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', as both are fantasy-themed Indie {{Metroidvania}} games released around the mid to late 2010s, have cute, small and genderless creatures as protagonists and have a lot of LightDarknessJuxtaposition in their stories. The combat system and some mechanics of the second game also got a lot of comparisons to ''Hollow Knight''.

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest''[=/=]''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', as both are fantasy-themed Indie Metroidvania games released around the mid to late 2010s, have cute, small and genderless creatures as protagonists and have a lot of Light/Darkness contrast in their stories. The combat system and some mechanics of the latter game also got a lot of comparisons to ''Hollow Knight''.

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest''[=/=]''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', as both are fantasy-themed Indie Metroidvania games released around the mid to late 2010s, have cute, small and seemingly genderless creatures as protagonists and have a lot of Light/Darkness contrast in the story. The combat system of the latter game also got a lot of comparisons to ''Hollow Knight''.

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest''[=/=]''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', as both are Indie Metroidvania games released around the mid to late 2010s. The combat system of the latter game also got a lot of comparisons to ''Hollow Knight''.

** Zote. His {{Jerkass}} behavior makes a lot of fans hate him, but there's also a camp who find this and his antics hilarious, which is a bright spot in a game filled with bleak environments and dark lore.

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest''[=/=]''VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps'', as both are Indie Metroidvania games released around the mid to late 2010s. The combat system of the latter game also got a lot of comparisons to Hollow Knight.

** Fog Canyon. That place is filled with Oomas that can cover up the corners and paths that you need to get into, and they can home themselves to the Knight when attacked, causing two masks of damage -- at that time where the player might not have gotten a mask upgrade yet. Oh, and that place is filled with traps, such as electric Charged Lumaflies near platforms, [[SpikesOfDoom environmental thorns]] and acid pools, all of which are easy to inadevertently fall into thanks to the area's very vertical layout, long drops, and narrow ledges. It's very easy to die in this place if you're not careful. But it helps that Fog Canyon only serves as a bridge between Greenpath and Fungal Wastes early on. You can generally just traverse this canyon without worry once you get the needed upgrades late in the game.

* BraggingRightsOption: For the ''Godmaster'' content, defeating bosses without taking damage and without charms shows that the player can finish a No-Charm Binding in the Pantheons or defeat bosses in Radiant difficulty. There are also some "Meme Charm Builds" common in Website/YouTube demonstrations wherein the player would use Charms that are useless or have no benefits at all in boss fights, such as Wayward Compass, Gathering Swarm, and the Greed charms... All for the sake of memes.

** Xero is potentially the "tutorial boss" amongst the Warrior Dreams, since he is located just a few rooms in the Resting Grounds from where you obtain the Dream Nail. Mostly due to BossArenaIdiocy - The platform where he's in having a safe spot below where his blades cannot hit you, while you are free to heal. His attacks aren't that complex either. To reflect this, he just rewards you with 100 Essence after being defeated.
** Even easier still among Warrior Dream is Marmu. Located as she is in the thorn-covered platforming challenges and confusing layout that is the [[ThatOneLevel Queen's Gardens]], Marmu's grave is sitting smack dab in front of a Stag station, no questions asked. Her arena takes place in a wide open area without any risks, her only attack has her bouncing around in predictable arcs, her health is minimal at this point in the game, even with a fully-upgraded Nail, and she takes heavy knockback even from a single strike. Compared to the [[DemonicSpiders Traitor mantises]] you've had to fight just to reach her, this adorable caterpillar is a pushover. [[PlayerPunch Have fun beating up the spirit of a little girl that just wanted to learn how to fly.]]

* CatharsisFactor: For those who really hate Zote for the {{Jerkass}} attitude that he shows the Knight, the player can have fun whacking Zotelings (mooks with Zote's face on them) in the Eternal Ordeal, a secret MiniGame introduced with the ''Godmaster'' update.
** In the base game, you can always choose to not help him once he gets into a pickle. Players with sufficient foreknowledge can let him die when you first find him, but afterwards you could also leave him squirming in a spider's web for the forseeable future.
* CheeseStrategy: The so-called "minion build", combining all the charms that send out minions to deal damage (Grimmchild, Weaversong and Glowing Womb) and then staying out of the way of the boss until it goes down, provides a slow but safe victory against some of the game's toughest foes, most notably Failed Champion.

** For min-maxers, the Wayward Compass is mostly unequipped when fighting a boss.
** Since the Knight [[OneHitPointWonder dies in one hit anyway]] against Radiant bosses in the Hall of Gods, players opt to ditch any health-increasing/manipulating charms, money-related charms, damage-activated charms, and recovery charms (i.e. Stalwart Shell, Thorns of Agony, Gathering Swarm, Greed, Heart, and the Lifeblood Charms, etc...) and choose to go on the full offensive instead, even if one has to [[PhlebotinumOverdose Overcharm]].

*** In [[FinalDeathMode Steel Soul Mode]], players don't have to bother getting the three Unbreakable charms anyway, since the Fragile charms work just fine, especially since the goal of the mode is to avoid dying, negating the downsides of the Fragile charms in the first place.

** There are enemies such as the Sporg with explosive attacks that deal two damage. Their attacks are usually very fast and have some way of tracking your position.

** Fog Canyon. That place is filled with Oomas that can cover up the corners and paths that you need to get into, and they can home themselves to the Knight when attacked, causing two masks of damage – at that time where the player might not have gotten a mask upgrade yet. Oh, and that place is filled with traps, such as electric Charged Lumaflys near platforms, [[SpikesOfDoom environmental thorns]] and acid pools. It's very easy to die in this place if you're not careful. But it helps that Fog Canyon only serves as a bridge between Greenpath and Fungal Wastes early on. You can generally just traverse this canyon without worry once you get the needed upgrades late in the game.
** Just as the WakeUpCallBoss in Greenpath ([[spoiler:Hornet]]) speaks about speed and agility, so do the Mantis Villagers in the Fungal Wastes, as they also move fast, have short wind-up times on their attacks, that can also hit at a considerable range.

** The Radiance and the Pale King were thought to be allusions to the Abrahamic God or any other mythological god in literature, for being gods associated with light and that people being influenced under a HiveMind or an established kingdom is likened to being a part of a religion. What makes people think about this connection more is that there is a believer of the Radiance's infection aptly called "Moss ''Prophet''".

*** The Radiance gets remembered once again, no thanks to a [[spoiler:statue of the Radiance being found in Hallownest's Crown. That is, a stone idol influnced the bugs. Fans see this as an allusion to deities being sculpted in statues or idols]].

*** The circumstances surrounding the Hollow Knight make them an obvious MessianicArchetype - [[spoiler:They were TheChosenOne among their siblings and once donned a white armor as the Pure Vessel. But the Pale King (its father) planned it as a sacrifice to seal the Radiance within the Black Egg Temple (as well as being chained hanging in the temple's center), in an attempt to save the bugkind away from the infection. What deviates the Hollow Knight's story from Jesus was that it eventually got infected as a consequence of having an idea instilled. Fortunately, its shade also comes back to assist you in defeating the game's antagonist in the third ending.]]

* EvilIsCool
** [[spoiler:The Radiance]] is awe-inspiringly giant and majestic, with brilliant white plumage and a regal bearing accentuated by her sharp outline. She also wields terrifying power, firing massive light beams, homing orbs, and conjuring golden-white spears and arrows out of thin air. It's not difficult to imagine her as [[spoiler:the former god-queen of the entire world, and is still perfectly capable of ruling it again.]]
** [[AmbiguouslyEvil Though it's debatable as to whether or not he's truly "evil"]], Grimm's resemblance to vampires and more obscure bugs, wide variety of powers (including shooting fireballs, curling himself into a spear-like shape to dive, teleportation, and a wicked uppercut), [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic amazing music]], and mysterious-yet-respectful demeanor has cemented him as one of the most popular characters in the game.

** Given the state of her [[spoiler: half-siblings]] and the game's vague dialogue, many mistake Hornet as a [[spoiler: being made of void]]. Insisting that she ''is'' will often result in backlash from the community at large.

*** Adding to the above, there's a widely-accepted theory that the living bug mace used by the maggot as the False Knight/Failed Champion is not Hegemol's actual weapon, and it could just be a preference of the maggot. Other depictions of Hegemol in the statues or dreams do not show him using a weapon, and this can be an ambiguous clue that Team Cherry intentionally placed to incite fan theories. The other evidence has Sheo describing Hegemol as someone soft-spoken and with a sense of humor, traits that refer to a kind individual. Using another living bug as a weapon is not an act of kindness, and something that Hegemol may not do, supporting this fanon's points.

** Carver Hatchers share a similar sound effect with Flukes, leading to the theory that Carver Hatchers are a variant of Fluke species.
** Grimm and The Radiance are often said to be related by kinship, generally by being portrayed as brother and sister to give them a SiblingYinYang relationship due to them both moth-like higher beings with opposite color schemes (dark/bright) and powers over similar spheres (nightmare/dream).

** Despite being declared genderless due to [[spoiler:being made of Void]], good luck finding fan works that doesn’t portray The Knight and The Vessel as male. Although there's a few out there whom make them female instead.

** There is an ArtificialBrilliance that makes these "bats" harder - Several flying enemies are coded to keep hovering just far enough from your slashes. They can also synchronize their moves just to stay far away when you are in mid-air (i.e. if you jump towards them, it will also be the same time that they will move away).

*** The Colosseum has sections of nothing but bats being dropped on you, often when fighting something else. The explosion lingers for a few seconds, and space can get so tight there that this matters (and, of course, deal two mask damage).

--->I used to think the kingdom below was all dead cold rock, but I've since been told different. Travellers speak of startling variety in Hallownest's caverns. Even just besides those Crossroads there's meant to be an area full with leafy greenery.\\
I told those same travellers about the wonderful grasses that grow around the town. They didn't seem impressed.

** The Knight is [[MythologyGag designed based from their original appearance]] in Team Cherry's first game, ''Hungry Knight''. In that game, the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Knight is hungry]] and must collect and eat fruits or else they will die. That concept is a bit [[{{Irony}} ironic]] in the case of this game's lore now that we know the Knight has no mouth nor voice. So, how did they eat fruits back then? By shoving them into their eye holes?

** ''Hollow Knight'' fans also resonated well with the fans of ''VideoGame/BugFables'', as both games are themed around the tiny insects. It also helps that the latter game actually [[ShoutOut referenced]] ''Hollow Knight'' several times.

** Apart from being a MemeticLoser, the Pale King's obsession with sawblades, spikes and thorns in [[spoiler:the White Palace]] convinced some fans that he is a sadist. This resulted into memes about the King being glad or estatic whenever the "sawblade" topics come into mind, and jokingly imply that "No cost too great" applied to massive sawblade commands which bankrupted his own kingdom. Extreme cases include the King deliberately combining these traps into torture devices.

** Apart from being a MemeticLoser, the Pale King's obsession with sawblades, spikes and thorns in [[spoiler:the White Palace]] convinced some fans that he is a sadist. This resulted into memes about the King being glad or estatic whenever the "sawblade" topics come into mind. Extreme cases include the King deliberately combining these traps into torture devices.

** The beautiful ascending piano melody that plays after you defeat a boss.

--->"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DCyIm5dFQQ&t=4m10s Damn it Tiso! Even Zote survived the colosseum!]]"

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of "VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest" [=/=]"VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps", as both are Indie Metroidvania games released around the mid to late 2010s. The combat system of the latter game also got a lot of comparisons to Hollow Knight

** Another notable overlap is with the fans of "VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest" [=/=] "VideoGame/OriAndTheWillOfTheWisps", as both are Indie Metroidvania games released around the mid to late 2010s. The combat system of the latter game also got a lot of comparisons to Hollow Knight