The Art of Hollow Knight
In the atmospheric, 2D world of Hollow Knight, players traverse through ancient ruins and caverns to uncover a mystery. Enemies lie in wait, intricate traps threaten to spring at a moment’s notice, and treacherous environments require quick reflexes to escape. The player is surrounded by moody, detailed environments that depict a beautiful, yet decaying world. Each area in Hollow Knight has its own design, with each design telling its own story. From enchanting, overgrown forests to the bottoms of the abyss, this game envelops the player with breathtaking art from the very beginning.
Dynamic Environment
Hollow Knight’s environments are split into three layers: the foreground, the middle ground, and the background. The middle ground is where the game itself takes place. In order to prevent the middle ground details from getting lost in the foreground and background, the art stands out more in comparison. There are much stronger contrasts in the middle ground art, with thicker outlines that emphasize the figure against the background art. The enemies, hazards, and characters tend to be brighter in color than the rest of the environment.
The background is the largest portrayal of the environment that the player is in. Often times in Hollow Knight the background also forewarns the dangers that the player will encounter through the level. In the area called the Forgotten Crossroads, there are enemies called Goam that burst through the ground before retreating back to their burrows. These creatures are also portrayed in the background, which helps forewarn the player of the coming danger. The Forgotten Crossroads is also characterized by spikes, an environmental hazard that the player will have to avoid. These spikes are seen in both the foreground and the background before the player must deal with them in the middle ground.
Hollow Knight’s backgrounds also stack in layers to create a more 3D look and feel. For example, an old bridge is seen in the background of an environment. In front of that bridge is a layer of fog, and in front of that is some rocky cliffs on the right side. As the player walks through the environments, these different background layers will pan across at different rates. This creates an in-depth world that the player can easily be immersed in.
Though it is often overlooked, well-placed foreground details do wonders to adding to a game’s environment. Hollow Knight’s foreground is determined by the area that the player is in. Similarly to the background, the foreground layers on details In the Forgotten Crossroads, the foreground details are frequently black silhouettes of bug enemies flying across the screen. In other sections, it’s hanging stalactites or stalagmites that help to make the game feel more 3D.
Lighting and Colors
There are numerous ways in which Hollow Knight lights the environments. Though the lighting varies from area to area, the most common way is by using a luminous glow. This glow comes from the main character, as well as lamps, fireflies, and several other environmental details. These lights are cleverly used throughout the game to lead the player throughout the environment, as well as lighting up important locations. There are many benches throughout the game that are “safe spots” for the player to rest and regain their health. Because the players had been trained to follow the light through the environments, they would now see the bench as a moment of respite.
As the player ventures further into areas, the lighting shifts with it. In the more ominous areas, the lighting is dim and sparse. Typically, the brightest light in those areas is the player. This creates an isolated, lonely feeling for the player as they traverse through these dark areas. Even though these environments are dim in comparison to others, they are still lit enough for the player to see the hazards without sacrificing the somber mood.
Other areas, like the Fog Canyon, are characterized by bright bubble shapes. These bubbles take on a pastel pink hue, and float freely through the environment like light bulbs. Enemies in this area are jellyfish-like creatures that also have their own luminescence. Many parts of this environment also has what seems to be hot springs. The water bubbles and shoots puffs of steam into the air. This creates a fog in the environment, bringing an almost dreamy feel to the player.
The main colors of Hollow Knight tend to heavily contrast with each other due to the moody setting it follows. Overall the environments are dark, with the lighter colors focused around scenes that need to stand out. White is a sparingly used color, reserved for NPCs, the character, and some enemies. This is done so that they strongly contrast against the dark purples and greys of the environments. Solid black is reserved for the abyss themed aspects of the game, as well as being used in foreground elements. Together, these color schemes effectively unify the game.
Storytelling in the Art
In several of the areas of Hollow Knight there is a frequent recurring theme of skeletons and bug shells littering the ground. Though they are usually in the background, the sheer size of these skeletons does a great deal of storytelling. Many of the bones are cracked and falling apart, some have moss grown over them, and others are seemingly untouched time. All of these small details are important to the player to decipher on their own what has happened in the environment. Hollow Knight is a game that values the mystique of its world, leaving he player the freedom to find the answers on their own.
The City of Tears is a sizeable area in the game, hidden away in the caverns. This city is now in ruins, inhabited by only enemies and a select few NPCs. The roads and walls of the city are crumbling away, worn down by time and persistent rainfall from the cavern ceiling above. Scattered across the city floors are also bodies of what might have been previous residents of the city. The amount of detailing in the environment tells so much, and yet gives even more questions for the player.
Greenpath is an area in Hollow Knight that appears to be what once was a city, but has long since been overrun with invasive plants and forestry. There are plenty of city remains that are covered in creeping vines and clusters of foliage. An area that is next to this one, the Queen’s Gardens, has forestry very similar to what is seen in Greenpath. Thus, it is possible to deduce that the overgrowth taking over these city ruins is from the gardens nearby, ones that have been uncared for in ages due to the mysterious events that befell this world.
Why Does a Dynamic Environment Matter?
Dynamic environments can be incredibly helpful with making a 2D game feel more 3D. It has become much more prevalent in recent years, with games like Limbo and Ori and the Blind Forest, it tests the limits on making side-scrolling games feel more open. Though these dynamics can be great, it all depends upon what type of feel is necessary for the game itself. For some games, a static image is all that’s necessary. The reason that a dynamic environment works so well for Hollow Knight is that the game needs that type of depth to effectively deliver the story.
Hollow Knight’s environments are vast, with many mysterious elements to them. The first time the player opens and enters the Black Egg, a tomb for the original Hollow Knight, it releases a blight upon the world that blocks off portions of the map as well as causes the enemies to become more aggressive. This type of dynamic environment that changes depending upon player actions makes the player feel the weight of their choices more.
Having a destructible environment is something that many players enjoy. Though the world of Hollow Knight isn’t truly destructible, there are many decorative objects in the environment that the player can hack and slash through. Though it varies depending upon the environment, the destructible objects could be anything from grass, to metal posts, to clumps of rock. Watching these decorative objects get destroyed is often satisfactory, and provides the player a feeling of changing the environment even if they aren’t directly impacting the foundation of the world.
How is the Art Impacting Storytelling?
Hollow Knight’s art style creates cartoony, endearing characters. The main character is very small in comparison to the enemies that he fights, as well as the colossal environments he traverses through. Even though the story itself is dark and mysterious, the art is innocent and cute. This is intentionally done to draw the player in to feeling a connection to their character. Playing as a small creature in this expansive, dangerous world really helps the player to develop an empathy for them. Because of this, the events that happen throughout the story will affect the player differently than if they hadn’t developed this empathy.
In one portion of the game, the main character learns an ability that teaches them how to dash over long distances. In the environment that they first learn this ability there are pink crystals clustered around, which is something the player might have encountered beforehand. There is a hall full of these pink crystals that act as hazards, but normally the player’s jump does not reach past this hall. However, when the player acquires this ability, they are able to dash over the hall to safety. Without having to prompt the player with words, the environmental clue left at the location where the player learned the ability hints at what they will need to do at this hall of crystals.
Secret rooms are also left to be discovered in the world of Hollow Knight. One of these secret rooms is tucked away, with the only hint to its location being a small pink crystal on a wall. This pink crystal, though easy to overlook, is very out of place in the environment, as it’s in a different area than when the player first encounters them. Because of this one crystal the player is able to draw upon their experiences in previous environments and try dashing into this seemingly ordinary wall. By doing this, it will lead them straight into a room they otherwise wouldn’t have realized existed.
Hollow Knight also provides the players with an opportunity to influence the art of the game in an area. The player might stumble upon cluster of oval shaped homes, seemingly abandoned. Outside these homes is a grub-like creature crying, but offers no conversation. By exploring the world, players can find grubs trapped in glass containers. Breaking this glass frees the grub, and the grub can then return home.
Sometimes these grubs are hidden away, and won’t be seen in the open world. However, as the player nears the location of these grubs, they can hear the noises that the grubs are making. Though sound is a different form of art than imagery, it still plays a role in guiding the player towards the correct location, as the sound volume will vary depending upon how far or close they are to discovery. As the player finds more grubs, the cluster of oval homes begins to fill with those he rescued. Each time the player returns to the area after finding a new grub, the original grub that had been found crying will toss out rewards, and the grubs will cheer.
Overall, Hollow Knight’s art is stunning, and effectively used in the world to create memorable environments. With so many different areas to explore, each player will surely find something that really hits home with them. Each area has its own style of NPCs and enemies, all which follow in suit with the environment’s design. As the player goes through all the visual effects, imagery, and animations that the game has to offer, it will create an experience they won’t soon forget.
Sources
Hollow Knight (Forgotten Crossroads), Digital Image, Team Cherry, 21 June 2019, https://teamcherry.com.au/hollow-knight-then-and-now/
Hollow Knight (Bench), Digital Image, Fandom, https://hollowknight.fandom.com/wiki/Bench
Hollow Knight (The Abyss), Digital Image, Gamer Walkthrough, http://gamerwalkthroughs.com/hollow-knight/the-abyss/
Hollow Knight (Greenpath), Digital Image, Intercoastals, 2 January 2019, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b91417250a54f4d4bff95d3/t/5c2f5caa21c67c6b256d6633/1546607795911/?format=1000w
