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Hollow Knight VS Bloodstained: Which is the better Metroidvania
- Thread starter Isamu
- Start date
I've only played Bloodstained but this thread is making me think I should play Hollow Knight.
... but it's like 30 hours long though.
... but it's like 30 hours long though.
Didn't finished Bloodstained, played probably half of it, but imo it's some tiers below the first class of the genre. It's fun, a little derivative, and completely broken balance wise. Typical 7/10 game for me.
I don't think Hollow Knight is exactly the second coming like its fanbase do, but it's still probably on the genre's top 10. I can't really see how Hollow Knight isn't the better game in any aspect tbh.
Someday society will understand why La-Mulana is the best game ever made, and this will be like the age of aquarius for videogames.
I don't think Hollow Knight is exactly the second coming like its fanbase do, but it's still probably on the genre's top 10. I can't really see how Hollow Knight isn't the better game in any aspect tbh.
Someday society will understand why La-Mulana is the best game ever made, and this will be like the age of aquarius for videogames.
Hollow Knight is right next to Symphony of the Night for me. Two of my favorite games of all time.
I haven't played Bloodstained yet but I'll be pretty happy if it turns out to be even remotely as good as those two games.
I haven't played Bloodstained yet but I'll be pretty happy if it turns out to be even remotely as good as those two games.
Hollow Knight was very well made, and it is a game worthy of its full price, no doubt.
But.
Hollow Knight is definitely not Igavania that I wanted. I had fun with Hollow Knight.
But it is still not Igavania.
So yeah, Bloodstained all day, every day.
But.
Hollow Knight is definitely not Igavania that I wanted. I had fun with Hollow Knight.
But it is still not Igavania.
So yeah, Bloodstained all day, every day.
Bloodstained was definitely fun and if you have an interest on the genre it's a solid entry, but it suffers from an inconsistent visual style which results in a very sloppy looking game. Also it's not better than any of the handheld Castlevania's, so if you're content with having more of the same it's a good choice. I really liked it myself, but would never consider it one of the better ones.
Hollow Knight on the other hand ranks among the best in the genre (might be my second favorite after Super Metroid). It has a great art-style, tight controls, varied environments, is challenging in all the right ways. The game does have some weak areas (most of them optional) and it goes on a bit too long (I don't really see myself replaying it), but it had me glued to the screen for hours on end.
Hollow Knight on the other hand ranks among the best in the genre (might be my second favorite after Super Metroid). It has a great art-style, tight controls, varied environments, is challenging in all the right ways. The game does have some weak areas (most of them optional) and it goes on a bit too long (I don't really see myself replaying it), but it had me glued to the screen for hours on end.
I haven't played Bloodstained yet, but I've played a few Castlevanias and I wouldn't say they are as good as Hollow Knight, partially because of the RPG-like systems the Metroidvania-style games use, which I don't find very enthralling. If Bloodstained follows in a similar vein, then I think that would prevent it from going beyond HK.
I think monster boy is better than bloodstained... Ori as well.
Hollow Knight sitting so far ahead of all those games though. Give me that soundtrack every day.
Hollow Knight sitting so far ahead of all those games though. Give me that soundtrack every day.
I was mentally checked out of BS before I had gotten to the true through the story. Was a game worth finishing but I didn't feel like a second playthrough was worth it especially on the hardest difficulty. VS Hollow Knight I went right back in on the permadeath mode and 100% it again. Just felt like a way more satisfying experience to me.
This is my feeling as well. I've bought a lot of Metroidvanias just because I thought I loved the genre. After playing a bunch of them I realized that I actually just loved Metroid and Castlevania.
Hollow Knight never hooked, mainly because I don't really like its style.
Bloodstained is close enough to the gothic/movie monster style that I was missing.
Both are outstanding, but I probably prefer HK by a bit. These two games are the Super Metroid and SotN of out time, easily.
Hollow Knight is the better one.
Mostly due to the odd concept of playing a bug with a tiny needle, when compared to Bloodstained which rails on the visual expectation of existing idea.
Mostly due to the odd concept of playing a bug with a tiny needle, when compared to Bloodstained which rails on the visual expectation of existing idea.
Hollow Knight was a lot more polished. Bloodstained is still riddled with bugs. That said, I still prefer Bloodstained because I can't stand the HK artstyle.
Bloodstained is just another Castlevania. It's undercooked and missing polish. The art is pretty bland to me and music is meh. Shard system is fun but it's something we have already seen in Castlevania Aria of Sorrow. Bloodstained is ok, but...
Hollow Knight is a masterpiece, one of the kind game. Every part of the game is polished. The atmosphere is unmachted in this genre. Music is superb. Exploration is great ( unlike bloodstained). Combat is simple but the pin system is great. It hits perfect marks for me. Definitely one of the best games I have played last year and it shows that Iga games became stale. I know that HK and Bloodstained are pretty different experiences but Iga could learn a thing or two from HK.
Hollow Knight is a masterpiece, one of the kind game. Every part of the game is polished. The atmosphere is unmachted in this genre. Music is superb. Exploration is great ( unlike bloodstained). Combat is simple but the pin system is great. It hits perfect marks for me. Definitely one of the best games I have played last year and it shows that Iga games became stale. I know that HK and Bloodstained are pretty different experiences but Iga could learn a thing or two from HK.
I played and finished both recently thanks to Gamepass and I prefer Bloodstained. Hollow Knight for sure is the more beautiful game but I like the mechanics, RPG-elements and level design of Bloodstained more. Hollow Knight was a bit too convoluted for it's own good.
Tried that, too. But didn't play it for long because I think it's beautiful but boring :-/
Bloodstained is built for players that like the IGAvania games. The rpg-lite progression and weapon/skill systems have been honed over multiple games, so you are always getting stronger just by moving around. That has a certain appeal in itself- in the end you can brute force your way through the game as you become far more powerful than anything you find.
Hollow Knight is more like Metroid. Upgrades are largely found, and there's far more trade-off in offence/defence/mobility. It's exploration is far, far better, intending to make you feel lost when you first go (or even fall) into an area.
With Bloodstained, due to it's heritage I felt I knew the rough pattern of the castle before even getting past a quarter of it. There's a village, a castle, flooded caves beneath it, a clock tower, a garden, etc. With Hollow Knight, it's such a beautiful, fantastical work of imagination that I had no idea what to expect next. The city itself is beautiful, and the whole mournful atmosphere of a crumbling civilisation of bugs just tugs at the heartstrings.
Thing is, some people feel more comfortable with Bloodstained's familiar setup rather than feeling like they haven't made meaningful progression in a session. That's understandable. All in all, I'd say they appeal to different needs in terms of what a player wants out of a Metroidvania-type game (or 'exploratory platformer' or whatever). If you want the constant feeling of advancement and growing stronger regardless, a tried-and-tested way of keeping a player engaged which is why everything has rpg elements now, then Bloodstained is great. It's exactly what it's trying to be which is a comforting sequel to Order of Ecclesia etc, a romp through a haunted castle fighting demons and undead etc. I found it quite uneven in that, for all that the Castlevania action combat is addictive as hell (literally in this case), the character graphics on Switch weren't great, some skills felt way better than others, it crashed a couple of times and the village quests are such a tedious collection of fetch quests that they felt pointless, as did much of the crafting. However, it's been patched a couple of times since to balance some of those out.
On the other hand, if what you want is exploration in a fresh, fantastical setting, with less certainty that where you are going is the 'right' way forward, then the atmosphere of Hollow Knight will stay with you longer afterwards.
Personally I'd give HK the edge as it's polished in a way that Bloodstained isn't, but it really does depend on what style of game you want. I enjoyed them both but had largely forgotten BS a few months later, whereas HK stuck with me. Can't wait for Silksong.
Hollow Knight is more like Metroid. Upgrades are largely found, and there's far more trade-off in offence/defence/mobility. It's exploration is far, far better, intending to make you feel lost when you first go (or even fall) into an area.
With Bloodstained, due to it's heritage I felt I knew the rough pattern of the castle before even getting past a quarter of it. There's a village, a castle, flooded caves beneath it, a clock tower, a garden, etc. With Hollow Knight, it's such a beautiful, fantastical work of imagination that I had no idea what to expect next. The city itself is beautiful, and the whole mournful atmosphere of a crumbling civilisation of bugs just tugs at the heartstrings.
Thing is, some people feel more comfortable with Bloodstained's familiar setup rather than feeling like they haven't made meaningful progression in a session. That's understandable. All in all, I'd say they appeal to different needs in terms of what a player wants out of a Metroidvania-type game (or 'exploratory platformer' or whatever). If you want the constant feeling of advancement and growing stronger regardless, a tried-and-tested way of keeping a player engaged which is why everything has rpg elements now, then Bloodstained is great. It's exactly what it's trying to be which is a comforting sequel to Order of Ecclesia etc, a romp through a haunted castle fighting demons and undead etc. I found it quite uneven in that, for all that the Castlevania action combat is addictive as hell (literally in this case), the character graphics on Switch weren't great, some skills felt way better than others, it crashed a couple of times and the village quests are such a tedious collection of fetch quests that they felt pointless, as did much of the crafting. However, it's been patched a couple of times since to balance some of those out.
On the other hand, if what you want is exploration in a fresh, fantastical setting, with less certainty that where you are going is the 'right' way forward, then the atmosphere of Hollow Knight will stay with you longer afterwards.
Personally I'd give HK the edge as it's polished in a way that Bloodstained isn't, but it really does depend on what style of game you want. I enjoyed them both but had largely forgotten BS a few months later, whereas HK stuck with me. Can't wait for Silksong.
Hollow Knight, it's atmosphere is so thick you could chew through it. Exploration is awesome and it's just full of intrigue.
It honestly is a one of a kind game. Everything being hand drawn is just icing on the cake. Amazing game and definitely the best game I played this year.
It honestly is a one of a kind game. Everything being hand drawn is just icing on the cake. Amazing game and definitely the best game I played this year.
Bloodstained. It is really the idiosyncrasies of the IGA games that make the genre enjoyable to me. Ridiculous powers, sometimes downright overpowered weapons, unusual movement options, goofy enemies, that's what I enjoy. HK was fine but traversal was super tedious and dragged down the game. I also didn't like the art style and the sound design at all.
A lot of people will say Hollow Knight, but I definitely preferred Bloodstained.
Hollow Knight is a very fun game, but I didn't really feel like I wanted to finish it. It came across as a mellow, artsy game without much spectacle and variety, but with charming moments and fun gameplay and controls. The second I picked up the controller and moved the character I said "Oh, this is gonna be a fun game". And it really is! But I just felt a little bored by its overall presentation, and a little annoyed by systems like the map.
But Bloodstained is almost good enough for me to 100% it, something I never do in games. It is filled with all sorts of variety in its world (from a ship to a tower to a train and a library, for some examples), enemy variety, weapon variety, fun campiness in the dialog, world, and enemies, and it all comes together as an extremely memorable experience. But also the combat is very fun thanks to the sheer volume of weapons, abilities, and equipment. Finding your favorite equipment and weapons, and using strategies like cancelling your attacks by landing is all very satisfying. Bloodstained is unashamedly such a videogame-y video game, and I absolutely love it for that.
I'm not a big Metroidvania guy, but Bloodstained is easily my favorite I've ever played, even over Igarashi's other games.
Hollow Knight is a very fun game, but I didn't really feel like I wanted to finish it. It came across as a mellow, artsy game without much spectacle and variety, but with charming moments and fun gameplay and controls. The second I picked up the controller and moved the character I said "Oh, this is gonna be a fun game". And it really is! But I just felt a little bored by its overall presentation, and a little annoyed by systems like the map.
But Bloodstained is almost good enough for me to 100% it, something I never do in games. It is filled with all sorts of variety in its world (from a ship to a tower to a train and a library, for some examples), enemy variety, weapon variety, fun campiness in the dialog, world, and enemies, and it all comes together as an extremely memorable experience. But also the combat is very fun thanks to the sheer volume of weapons, abilities, and equipment. Finding your favorite equipment and weapons, and using strategies like cancelling your attacks by landing is all very satisfying. Bloodstained is unashamedly such a videogame-y video game, and I absolutely love it for that.
I'm not a big Metroidvania guy, but Bloodstained is easily my favorite I've ever played, even over Igarashi's other games.
Hollow Knight for me. Bloodstained just has too many filler rooms (and, indeed, whole areas like the giant place) and while there's some really nice systems which I admire (like the first-time bonus you get for eating various recipes) there's also plenty of soulless filler (pretty much all the side-quests).
Easily Hollow Knight, but Bloodstained is still an excellent game and might appeal to a different group, due to how easy it is and with grinding implemented so anything can be overcome by most - at least on the normal difficulty - just by spending a little extra time. Hollow Knight in contrast, will be too difficult for many.
While HK has a lot of merit, I found the game to be a chore. It severely limits you in tons of arbitrary ways just for annoyance's sake. Bosses are hit sponges, the map is too big with not enough warp points, etc.
Bloodstained on the other hand was pure straight fun through and through, so I'll go with that.
Bloodstained on the other hand was pure straight fun through and through, so I'll go with that.
Bloodstained was amazing, I loved it from start to finish and continued to play after beating the game and doing everything. Hollow Knight on the other hand while it is a good game I just didn't have much fun with it and stopped played it.
