Visual Design of Games – Hollow Knight

Reading Exercises, completed on paper:

Hollow Knight Screenshot:

Analysis:

Hollow Knight is a gorgeous game with a strong narrative and incredible environmental storytelling. The screenshot included is of the memorial statue of the Hollow Knight, which you find very early in the game. However, the significance of this statue is not understood until much later after exploring more areas and learning more of the story. The visual design of this one screenshot is honestly kind of incredible, so let’s go through three of the principles it utilizes. WARNING: There will be Hollow Knight spoilers that follow.
1) Size
The Hollow Knight is the title character, but it is not the character you play as (the little guy at the bottom of the screenshot, colloquially known as the Knight). Seeing his imposing form tower above your own, small figure sets the Hollow Knight apart from yourself as a character of great important and reverance. Narratively, this serves a thematic purpose, as you follow in the Hollow Knight’s footsteps and ultimately battle him towards the end of the game. It makes the player feel rather insignificant when you first find the statute, but inevitably makes defeating the Hollow Knight a more meaningful encounter later.
2) Color
One thing Hollow Knight does amazingly across the whole game is its use of color, but nowhere is this stronger than in the City of Tears (where this statue is located). The playable character, or the Knight, stands out as illuminated and white. The Hollow Knight is black with dark blue accents. Visually, the color difference draws our attention to the Knight, which is an interesting choice. Again, I find this to be in line with the narrative: the game may be named after the Hollow Knight in black, but the real “hero” is our own Knight, as it is his presence that ultimately matters to the fate of this world. The Hollow Knight being faded and black is also representative of the fact that he is corrupted and “dead,” along with the rest of the City of Tears. Our hero is one of the few characters we meet who is still “alive,” and is thus portrayed as illuminated and bright. Other living characters are also more pale in color.
3) Alignment
In order to interact with the monument, the player has to stand roughly near its center. I think this serves to communicate the position of authority and import that the Hollow Knight carries, and how he was supposed to be more important than our own Knight. However, the fact that the Hollow Knight’s statue is set into the background reveals that despite his size and initial import, he is ultimately not the most important character on the screen. That honor is reserved for the Knight, who stands in the foreground. Furthermore, the position of the descriptive text allows you to learn about the statue while also gazing at the Hollow Knight, as you would do if you were actually there.