first of all, which is the better controller for hollow knight, an actual controller, or a keyboard.
second of all, while I do not share the sentiment that it is the best game, it does a lot of things right, and practically every game can learn something from it. want a good horror game? take notes from deepnest. Want a challenging end-level section, especially for a platformer? queens gardens is a prime example. want to design a boss? we have an abundance of great bosses. For example:
Now, when people discuss what the best boss in the game is, they usually point to (spoiler), (spoiler), and (spoiler). However, I believe that the best boss is the humble Brooding Mawlek.
Now, on their first playthrough, someone will usually discover this towards the very end of the game, as it is tucked away in a tiny little corner of the map. Once they find it, they will probably have all the upgrades in the game. guarding the boss fight is a wall jump challenge with spikes. of course, thanks to your double jump, you can almost completely ignore it. your equipment makes the boss itself somewhat easy, with most of the bosses attacks being trivialized by the invincible dash. still, the boss is rather engaging even for those who have beaten the hardest bosses in the game.
Then you face the final boss, and promptly get your butt whooped until you eventually become
much better at the game. On your second playthrough, you probably blitz through the early game. Once you get the wall jump, one of your first targets will likely be this boss, due to its early game location. now, because you dont have the double jump, you actually have to do the wall jump challenge. you come in, expecting to crush it, but to your surprise, it is still a decent challenge. Now that you have no invincibility dash, the entire fight changes. the claw strike can no longer be ignored by dashing through the boss and you have to go over the boss with a dash to dodge the spew. your lack of strong spells also makes the boss longer. still, you overcome it anyways.
you then discover the dlc bosses, and unlock a new circle of hell. on your third playthrough, you think that after facing the hardest this game has to offer, you are prepared for the boss, when you realise something. the boss is guarded by spikes. you can pogo spikes. you try it, and although it is tricky, you succesfully arrive at the boss before facing any other boss. you walk in, expecting it to be trivial, and find that it is actually hard. the lack of any movement options makes this boss very hard. the claw strike and leap are much harder to avoid, and the spew attack looks impossible. but with your improved skill at the game, you persevere. you find that the claw strike can be parried, the leap gives you an opportunity to heal, and the spew attack can be avoided by pogoing off of the boss and going over. you manage to overcome the boss, and you have beaten brooding Mawlek before any other boss.
Brooding mawlek is the best boss, because it perfectly shows the games strengths, such as the lack of linearity in the game and the ability to test players of all skill levels. its entire design philosophy is incredible, and proof of the games fantastic game design.[/spoiler][/spoiler][/spoiler]
