Hollow Knight

How to Play Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is a metroidvania action-adventure set in Hallownest, an interconnected underground kingdom of ruined towns, fungal caverns, forgotten paths, and infected creatures. Explore beyond Dirtmouth with the Knight, use the Nail for close-range attacks, and watch enemy patterns before moving in for another strike. Hitting enemies builds Soul. Spend Soul on spells when you need damage, or hold Focus when it is safe to restore lost masks. Defeated enemies commonly drop Geo, which can be spent with merchants on maps, supplies, Charms, and other useful items. Benches are important checkpoints. Resting saves progress, restores health, sets the return point used after defeat, and lets you change equipped Charms. Charms modify abilities or provide passive effects, but each one consumes notches, so choose a combination that fits the next route or boss. When the Knight dies, a Shade remains near the place of defeat and carries the lost Geo. Reach and defeat that Shade before dying again if you want to recover it. Hallownest is designed around backtracking. Movement upgrades and other abilities open routes that could not be crossed earlier, so remember suspicious ledges, sealed passages, and unreachable platforms. Buy area maps when they are available, then use landmarks and benches to plan a safer path. Before a boss fight, arrive with enough health and practice reading the full attack cycle instead of trading hits. This embedded Unity WebGL version downloads roughly 913 MB during its first load and is intended for desktop browsers. Keep the tab open while the files are assembled. Save data is stored by the browser, so using private browsing, clearing site data, or switching browsers or devices may prevent an earlier save from appearing.

Game Controls

Left / Right Arrow - Move Up / Down Arrow - Look, navigate, or interact where supported Z - Jump X - Attack with the Nail Other ability keys - Check the game's Options menu for the active bindings Mouse - Navigate supported menus

Tips for Hollow Knight

• Use a desktop browser and allow time for the roughly 913 MB WebGL build to finish loading.
• Click inside the game window before playing so keyboard input goes to the iframe.
• Build Soul by striking enemies, then Focus only when you have enough distance to heal safely.
• Recover the Shade after a defeat before dying again if you want to reclaim the lost Geo.
• Rest at benches to save, restore masks, set a respawn point, and adjust the equipped Charm loadout.
• Watch an enemy's complete attack pattern before committing to a long sequence of Nail strikes.
• Remember blocked passages and unreachable platforms, then return after unlocking a new movement ability.
• Use fullscreen mode when precise platforming or a boss arena feels cramped in the standard player.

Why We Recommend This Game

Hollow Knight pairs hand-drawn underground environments with precise Nail combat, pattern-driven bosses, Charm loadouts, and routes that expand as new movement abilities are unlocked. Hallownest rewards returning to remembered passages, while benches, maps, Geo recovery, and the Shade system make exploration feel deliberate without removing the risk of pushing farther into an unfamiliar area.