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Personally, I'm fine with games drawing inspiration from the Souls series. If there's one thing Souls does well, it's atmosphere and story. One of the main reasons I keep picking up souls and trying to beat it is because I want to experience the story for myself, even though I already know the plot. The same this is happening with this game, tbh. I royally suck at metroidvania type games but I still bought and am trying to play along because the atmosphere of this game is so good.
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Jun 20, 2017 07:12
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So speaking of which, let's lore analyse so far! What do we know? (Information below is only drawn from environments and bestiary entries so far in the game) We know that bugs who descend into Hallownest often get lost or go mad and aggressive, explaining the enemies. We also note that the mantises are still lucid and functional, and don't consider themselves a part of the Hallownest kingdom. Mantises don't have orange/yellow eyes or markings, and neither do the friendly NPCs. So we know orange stuff is a sign of 'infection' by the madness. When we get to Hallownest, it's full of infected bugs wandering around, semi-stuck in their duty. They weren't able to beat the infection, despite whatever the 'Hollow Knight' there was a statue of was meant to do. The player gets soul from hitting and killing things, which you use for focus and for magic. We don't know much about focus yet. With magic, Salubra will ask us if we've been 'naughty' and playing with spellcasting in her description of the Shaman Stone, and Soul Sanctum backs that up with mountains of dead bugs and soul trapped in jars. So, harm = soul collection = magic casting. The bugs in Soul Sanctum are meant to be 'learned' and they seem to have kept a bit of that even after infection. Perhaps they were trying to use Soul to stave it off with the mass sacrifices - though clearly, it didn't work.
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Jun 20, 2017 10:30
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We know that the husks are "remains of bugs, animated by a strange force" according to bestiary entries.
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Jun 20, 2017 11:16
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And possibly that we are the remains of a bug animated by a different force, which is why we bleed black stuff. Maybe we're related to the Soul Sanctum somehow, seeing as how we can extract SOUL and use it to do magic.
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Jun 20, 2017 11:38
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Note that fangirl bug was suffering from infection before meeting us.
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Jun 20, 2017 11:45
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NHO posted:Note that fangirl bug was suffering from infection before meeting us. So was sly, and now he's running a successful business.
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Jun 20, 2017 11:52
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Cornifer has always been perfect though, and always will be 
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Jun 20, 2017 12:04
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He could stand to visit his wife more often...
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Jun 20, 2017 12:06
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the bugs sitting there with all the orange gas around their head while they dream is kinda like the first stages of the infection. if they'd progressed further i'm sure they wouldn't have been coherent enough to be woken up. not that there's timed npcs in the game. you could leave those two sitting there until the end of the game if you really wanted to for whatever reason.
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Jun 20, 2017 12:19
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For anyone considering picking this game up, the steam summer sale has started, and it's now at 34% off. I'll probably pick it up myself before the sale ends.
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Jun 22, 2017 22:44
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I love the hell out of this game and it might be my favourite Metroidvania style of game yet, but I suck just enough that I still can't beat The Radiance forever haunting me. It's kinda like in DS3 I was not able to beat the thunder-dragon-riding-guy-optional-boss.
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Jun 23, 2017 18:56
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I'm playing this now and trying to avoid being spoiled or whatever. I've done the first area and greenpath, mostly. The greenpath boss lady was quite tough for me, I had to try her maybe 15-20 times, but that's fine. Otherwise I don't die regularly. So am I too bad at videogames for this, seeing I've heard later bosses are 'too hard' ?
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Jun 25, 2017 21:24
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It gets easier once you unlock some movement abilities, other upgrades and your nail damage. Finding good charm combos makes some boss fights seem a lot easier. The storyline bosses aren't as hard as the optional ones (by design), but some of them can give you a tough time Soul Master.
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Jun 25, 2017 21:44
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With the right combination of charms and most upgrades you can face tank most bosses.
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Jun 25, 2017 22:07
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redreader posted:I'm playing this now and trying to avoid being spoiled or whatever. I've done the first area and greenpath, mostly. The greenpath boss lady was quite tough for me, I had to try her maybe 15-20 times, but that's fine. Otherwise I don't die regularly. So am I too bad at videogames for this, seeing I've heard later bosses are 'too hard' ? When I first started playing I had a load of problems with this boss and the next two after it, one of which straight up brickwalled me. Once I got the win there I had the confidence to keep going and beat the rest of the game. Most of the really difficult bosses are optional.
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Jun 25, 2017 22:18
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New Update - Episode 9: The Royal Waterways Today's episode shows us all the poo poo in this game. Royal Waterways is a weird level, mainly because it gives us more questions than answers. The level, much like City of Tears, acts as a fork leading to several different potential areas. The theme of this area is very odd; its definitely gloomy and tends to build up tension with the player, but its mainly due to the overall atmosphere of the level rather than building up to any big plot point. We're also introduced to the "Flukemon" series of enemies, which are only seen here and who's name I only remember due to how goofy it is in general. I do make a bit of a mistake when I was recording this episode though: At the beginning I wanted to show off an entirely optional wing of this area, but in doing so I forget to check out a good 25% of the level to the left of the bench so I'll have to come back here during a clean-up vid to get the power ups held therein. There's also the fact that we can't quite get the big power-up here until we complete Crystal Peaks so we're also gonna miss another 25% of the level sadly. As for the boss, well he is delightfully crap in all the best ways.
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Jun 26, 2017 18:22
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The sewer fight you skipped is totally doable now with a certain trick: Basically use the spore shroom, baldur shell and thorns of agony together. I think i was also using soul catcher and some other one price charm but cant remember what. Basically this allows you to mass kill the little flying assholes, harm the boss, and heal at the same time.
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Jun 26, 2017 19:11
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Some of those noble haircuts could perhaps be described as a Pooffant, but I have yet to see a Poopadour.
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Jun 26, 2017 21:49
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I hope we meet Dung guardian again.
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Jun 26, 2017 22:08
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The dung beetle boss is also chumped by range upgrades, partly because most of his attacks can be juggled if you swing upwards and manage to hit. You can bounce him when he's in ball form, and his flying dung balls, back up harmlessly into the air. Also given how edgy this game is, it's probably also the less wholesome kind of pleasure house too. Iretep posted:The sewer fight you skipped is totally doable now with a certain trick: Basically use the spore shroom, baldur shell and thorns of agony together. I think i was also using soul catcher and some other one price charm but cant remember what. Basically this allows you to mass kill the little flying assholes, harm the boss, and heal at the same time. The more secretive sewer boss is also very vulnerable to pogosticking. Just keep bouncing on it, you'll get far fewer adds, and you can generally pogo the rare flying adds too when needed. though waiting to be able to one shot the flying flukes, possibly through fragile power, is a good idea for this strategy as it is in general.
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Jun 27, 2017 00:35
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Which game is about killing an opera singer, Parasite Eve? I'm really glad you finally got ahold of the Dream Needle, hitting a lot of enemies and getting their thoughts is always pretty awesome. Dung Defender is the greatest of the poo poo-tier bosses though. The music makes a fun fight even more enjoyable, and his badge is not only great for combos, but also great to just wear when talking with other NPCs!
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Jun 27, 2017 01:52
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RedMagus posted:Which game is about killing an opera singer, Parasite Eve? It's certainly one of them. It seems like... the Dreamers? It seems like they're aware something is going wrong but they're compelled not to fix it.
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Jun 27, 2017 04:02
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You can theoretically get to the second half of City of Tears by going all the way right to the area on the far right of the map, I think, but it's a really roundabout method: Crystal Peak -> Ancient Basin (where you fell in at the end there) -> take the other transport method that isn't the stag to go right -> go up, go right. And I think to make it through that you would still need to go through the waterways anyway to get the acid immunity anyway. But it is another way in.
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Jun 27, 2017 04:22
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Glazius posted:It seems like... the Dreamers? It seems like they're aware something is going wrong but they're compelled not to fix it. See unlike the post-Hornet scene, this is actually good cryptobabble: to the point and giving you enough clues to puzzle some meaning out of it. e: bewilderment posted:Crystal Peak -> Ancient Basin (where you fell in at the end there) -> take the other transport method that isn't the stag to go right -> go up, go right. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 11:56 on Jun 27, 2017 |
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Jun 27, 2017 11:51
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bewilderment posted:You can theoretically get to the second half of City of Tears by going all the way right to the area on the far right of the map, I think, but it's a really roundabout method: I absolutely accessed the City of Tears' second half by backdooring through the elevator to the Place What Highwang Is In Right Now after stumbling into THAT from Crystal Peak.
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Jun 27, 2017 13:12
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vdate posted:I absolutely accessed the City of Tears' second half by backdooring through the elevator to the Place What Highwang Is In Right Now after stumbling into THAT from Crystal Peak. Oh right, whoops, I think I did the same. Despite seeing it in the video, I forgot that Ancient Basin connects through that elevator.
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Jun 27, 2017 13:31
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Hey Highwang, you're probably off on some other adventure, but if you're interested, there's a secret little area you missed. Under the switch in the Dung Defender's room, you can use that downward smash spell just under the platform, and discover a cute lil' side area where DD makes his gross home. There isn't anything too interesting/useful there, aside for... well, uh "art".
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Jun 28, 2017 08:09
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FisheyStix posted:Hey Highwang, you're probably off on some other adventure, but if you're interested, there's a secret little area you missed. My god.
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Jun 28, 2017 08:12
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That dung boss makes me wanna see wang utterly fail at lethal league 
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Jun 28, 2017 09:55
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"Deep in the Waterways beneath the City of Tears lurks a shunned being. Once a knight, now lost to puerile obsession: The Dung Defender. Despite his exile, the Dung Defender has for centuries maintained a self-conferred charge: the protection of his mysterious gleaming 'beloved.' Stalwart and full of bravado, the Dung defender eagerly challenges all who would enter his noxious realm."
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Jun 28, 2017 14:22
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The Waterways were probably my least favourite part of the game playing through it myself. The enemies are tedious, falling in the water is tedious, the optional boss isn't particularly interesting and is basically just a damage check, and Dung Defender is the lone bright spot.
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Jun 29, 2017 05:01
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The one part of the story I don't like are the Dreamers. The way they're characterized, there are three distinct characters, but in cutscene they only really share one textbox. This would be fine if the three characters were all in agreement, but they're not; they're constantly bickering. Given the textbox, it's hard to tell who has started speaking and who else has stopped, especially if you're playing for the first time. Were I a playtester on this game, I probably would've flagged that. Having played the game as much as I could, here's what I can say for sure about them. One of the watchers wants her seal to remain in perpetuity. Another watcher sees it as necessary for the seals to break. The last watcher seems blasé about the whole thing, not necessarily caring for how long her seal lasts, only that she does her job all the while. (While we know the Watcher's individual names, at this point in the LP we still won't know what ones are which.) The other thing that annoys me about them is that every time the Dreamers try to hinder your progress, all three of them do so -- including the one who actively disagrees with the other two and thinks that all of this is wrong and doomed to fail. I can understand if she goes along with it the first time, but given how she also does it each subsequent time makes me curious to her exact characterization. It's probably an oversight, but it irks me given how well the story is done is basically every other area. The story of Hollow Knight is one that really only begins to make sense on your second, third, or fourth playthrough. First time, it's basically walking around in a haze, making interacting with the characters who actually know what's going on (like both Hornet and the Dreamers) very frustrating because it's almost as if they speak a different language. In Hornet's case, when you meet her at the fountain in the City of Tears, she challenges you to find the "grave in ash", but doesn't tell you where or what that is. If you read the plaque on the fountain, you get the location for the Temple of the Black Egg. A first time player would assume that this is what Hornet must've been talking about, only she wasn't; there's nothing there, at least not then. It wasn't until my second 100% playthrough did I really clue into what she was actually referring to. Doing a good lore run on your first playthrough is rough. I have a pretty good bead on Hornet and the Dreamers now after repeated playthroughs, but there are still some characters which appear later on that I'm still not sure I entirely understand, despite having listened to them several times over.
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Jun 30, 2017 02:54
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New Update - Episode 10: Resting Grounds Time to invade every bug's personal space. Today we get the Dream Nail, which is a really cool item just in terms of getting more LORE from the game, along with progressing several facets of the plot. This thing can be used on NPCs and even enemies, though for the latter its a huge risk due to how long the windup is. We also get a good look at the Resting Grounds, which is mostly a nice tranquil area and a decent change of pace compared to all the high-pitched combat we've been dealing with. This area pretty much reminds me of why I like this game so much, since the environment speaks worlds about the game world before we even talk to the local populous. Not a lot happens in terms of fighting, so enjoy this kinda chill episode as I peer into people's brains. Next two episodes, i get woefully lost.
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Jul 3, 2017 18:18
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I love how inside the dream, the Seer has this very lovely voice, and upon exiting, age adds onto it but it still is the same voice. Just a nice connection, same as getting scolded for trying to read the mind of something that knows you're already there. And yes, THE WORST sidequest.  I think they're a moth as well though?
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Jul 3, 2017 20:19
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Ho, a moth dreamsaber!
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Jul 3, 2017 20:24
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Morroque posted:The one part of the story I don't like are the Dreamers. The way they're characterized, there are three distinct characters, but in cutscene they only really share one textbox. This would be fine if the three characters were all in agreement, but they're not; they're constantly bickering. Given the textbox, it's hard to tell who has started speaking and who else has stopped, especially if you're playing for the first time. Were I a playtester on this game, I probably would've flagged that. The Dreamers only hinder you one time, though? The first time they appear they didn't even do anything, they just told you to leave them alone. I mean the one who wants the seals to break (later game spoilers) actively helps you to destroy her seal by calling Quirrel to her archives. Edit: I met Cornifer in the Resting Grounds and I have no idea what I did differently. I even arrived at the Resting Grounds late, after I got the double jump so it should have been more likely for him to be gone. 
SirSamVimes fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Jul 3, 2017 |
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Jul 3, 2017 23:09
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Are we allowed to point out if you missed a minor secret or two? 'Cause I've found a few I've found you passed over! - Exit the stag station in Greenpath and attack the wall to the upper right. - In the elevator in the Pleasure House, the second level from the top has a bug husk on the left side. Walk against the right wall on that level. May contain ghost. - Right below where you get the Soul Eater charm, one of those wheezing mummy bugs attacks you by jumping out of a wall. Kill it and walk through the wall.
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Jul 3, 2017 23:48
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I'm pretty sure the Hero's Crest actually decreases the duration of spore shroom, not increases it, but the tradeoff is, as you said, vastly increased damage of the cloud. Both in more rapid ticks, and each tick hurts more. The full damage of the stink cloud works out to more than the normal spore cloud's full damage. (2-3 per tick, meaning the average is now 50% more, so 40-42 total average damage.). Reminder: Vengeful Spirit only deals 15 damage. The stink cloud damage is enough to one-shot the sturdier flying enemies, like the Mantis Petra in the mantis village. Oh, also the mantis villagers have no patience for poor personal hygiene, and your smell will make them aggro if it damages them. On the grey mourner's quest- The best, or at least most reliable, way to do that escort quest is before transforming that one area, and before doing a thing with the badge you get from the most infamous area. The most important rule while doing this is DO NOT SIT ON A BENCH. What you do is you take the beetle to the target area, and take your time following the route backwards from the place you want to bring the flower to the mourner. Most of the bigger more dangerous enemies only respawn when you sit on a bench, so if you don't all you'll have left is small fry and terrain hazards. Just rely on your own healing and take your time on both legs of the trip. You can also present the flower to a number of different NPCs to get varying reactions from them. Focacciasaurus_Rex fucked around with this message at 03:07 on Jul 4, 2017 |
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Jul 4, 2017 02:35
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dancingbears posted:Are we allowed to point out if you missed a minor secret or two? 'Cause I've found a few I've found you passed over! Focacciasaurus_Rex posted:That last Grey Mourner tip.
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Jul 4, 2017 02:48
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Highwang posted:I've had a couple that have been pointed out to me already and will attempt them. Generally I want to say refrain from it but so far they've all been plot-innocuous so its fine so long as it stays that course. Also keep tact in mind, I won't do stuff if its being issued as an order, even if I accidentally forget. I tend to operate on spite. Oh, it's not an order. Leaving some stuff for the audience to hopefully find themselves is a good tactic. I just got a bit impatient and had to jump in, like a goon. My apologies!
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Jul 4, 2017 03:17
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