Hollow Knight's dark-but-cute art style is serenity among horror. It's soundtrack perfectly paints detail into it's moments, with uses of every instrument having so much weight & pulp, but never losing color unless it intends to. Just like how instruments can work together, the visuals & music of this game are incredibly cohesive. Sometimes a soft slow track with only 1 instrument doing a couple of weak sympathetic notes, among an empty graveyard of clear-minded fog, are a mix that really touch something deep in the player, letting you even stop & take a moment to experience the unique sensory experience the game is communicating to you (I swear the Resting Grounds actually made oxygen leak from my screen to refresh me).

This game gets it's pacing just right, letting you always move forward with a trickle of taste on your tongue. Every few steps you'll meet a new friend or critter & learn about them, or meet a character you recognize from earlier, all with deeply hooking qualities off the bat, & each growing or changing as you passively follow their stories. The cast of bizarre & fun characters, against such a dark backdrop, is a contrast that i think can bring a tear to anyone's eye. Even the goofy slapstick characters can have a real emotional connection due to the tone & setting of the game. It blows my mind.

This game has a lot to feel & a lot to teach. Not just in design, but in our outlook. The best metaphor for this game would be "A starry night sky". It's a game set in a ludonarrative world of overwhelming darkness, hopelessness, & sadness, as you witness a fallen kingdom & what once was, learning about it's fate & the fate of it's people. But in that night sky, there are an uncountable amount of bright burning stars that steal the show, boosted in their beauty & hope by the darkness that surrounds them. This game is absolutely stunning in so many ways, & i have nothing but respect for the dedication Team Cherry put into every aspect of their passion project.