The two times I quit, what changed the third time, and why the first three hours actively lie about what this game is.
Hollow Knight does not want you to like it at first. The opening hour is slow, cryptic, and punishing in a way that reads as unfinished if you don't already trust the genre. I quit within the first forty minutes on my first attempt, and again about ninety minutes in on my second.
The third time, I made it to Greenpath. That's the turn.
Once the map opens up and you get your first real charm, Hollow Knight stops being a test of patience and starts being a puzzle box. Every dead end you hit early on becomes a shortcut later, once you've got the right ability. The game is quietly, obsessively well-designed — it just refuses to tell you that up front.
Combat is simple on paper — nail, dash, heal — but the depth comes from spacing and patience, not combos. Bosses hit like trucks and forgive nothing, but every loss taught me something specific I did wrong. That's rare.
Be honest with yourself: this is not an instant-gratification game. Budget three hours before you know whether it's for you. If you're still bored after Greenpath, it's fair to walk away — but most people aren't.
Gem. Genuinely one of the best indie games made, and one I'd have missed twice if I hadn't forced a third attempt.
Gem — would recommend