Although I have a number of games on my wishlist, Justine knows that when it comes to birthday presents I am averse to treating it like an opportunity to just order things that I could buy myself. As a result, she spent some time researching things that I may like, searched through my collections, and bought off list.
She did very well. Of the two games she bought, both are titles which are well considered and which I wanted to play. I may not immediately start Echoes of Wisdom, the Zelda game where you play as Zelda, since I have recently restarted Oracles of Ages on the 3DS Virtual Console, and we all know what happens when I try to play two Zeldas at once. But I did immediately start Hollow Knight.
I am sure I have played this before, in that I remember the start of the game, but I have no record of playing it on any platform and I certainly don’t own it. Maybe I watched someone else? That wouldn’t explain the muscle memory I have, or the recognition of how the slight pause when you strike an enemy conveys such impact. This is another stylish game, making me feel good about my abilities, even when I keep dying due to a lack of them.
It’s also a bit too dark. I know it’s set underground, but even so a few more lanterns wouldn’t go amiss.
I have explored a lot now. I’ve been through the first, blue, area, and found a (pinkish) mine which I couldn’t progress through. I’ve collected lots of money but not enough for all the charms I want. I defeated some big nasty bug thing pretending to be a knight, and a big mummy flying firefly thing. I went through a pretty green area, Greenpath, where lots of plants were growing even though they get no sunlight. I have opened the stag stations, and found some sort of underground railway but haven’t found the tokens for that yet. I fought a red-cloaked enemy who I understand to be the protagonist of Silksong. I have a cloak that allows me to dash through the air, and have now ventured into an area where lots of enemies want to poison me.
That’s not very kind.
