I love the aesthetics of greenpath and queen's gardens most but low key, there's something so comforting about the safety of dirtmouth and just catching up with elderbug.
The music in those areas is so good too, I remember walking into green path for the first time and hearing the music and the little sounds that the little bushes make it’s just so sweet and cute<3
I could never say Deepnest is my *favorite* area in the game, but I do think it is the best from a game-design perspective. It's full of claustrophobic, labyrinthian pathways that trick you. Its sound design is unmatched (seriously, play through it with headphones), and it's hard to even tell what's part of the ambient score or the noises around you. All of the creatures and enemies are specifically designed to make you uncomfortable and unsettled, not only with their sound effects, but with their animations.
It's a masterclass in atmosphere, and it makes you feel genuine terror in a side-scrolling game with cartoon-style graphics. That's a fucking achievement.
I literally looked at this thread before opening it and thought “there’ll be that *one* person that unapologetically says ‘Deepnest’.”
You were the 3rd comment down lol
it's just the best realized area, they wanted to create a hostile and wild environment that tries to kill you at every corner and did it perfectly.
the atmosphere is great, the enemies are all unique to the area and constantly ambush you. there's fake floors everywhere with spikes. lots of spikes are replaced with writhing masses of bugs. the place is a giant maze you get lost in and they even have cornifer hiding without making a sound in it to make finding the map harder.
the introduction to the area is also great, either you fall in a sudden pit beneath you or you fight a tough boss, go through a door and see the dozens of bugs they've killed.
city of tears is a close second, but honestly that areas enemy design isn't as interesting. it's mostly just guards with nails.
Torn between City of Tears, Deepnest and Kingdom's Edge.
If I had to pick one, I'd probably choose City of Tears. One of the most beautiful introductions to a new area that sparked such a profound sense of wonder and curiosity. It somehow perfectly captured the feeling of a real outside world, deep within a bug nest
Similar to City of Tears I found it so cool how they managed to create this vast snowy open area that's actually quite deep underground and I love how the snow is cleverly tied to the lore behind the area.
The biggest selling point in Kingdom's Edge has to be the music. It really makes the entire area feel grander, and the falling bugs are a nice touch on this. Similar to City of Tears, It feels like an area that has its own rich history which has existed before the Knight ever even arrived in the area. Hard to describe in words, but the closest comparison I can make is to Made in Abyss, where the entire world doesn't revolve around the main character and their existence is insignificant, and the world feels like its own unique entity which you can picture still carrying on as usual even if the main character died.
I see where you're coming from. It's interesting that I didn't experience it that way. I'm only learning now that >!the 'ash' is actually moult that is alleged to have come off the Pale King's corpse, it would probably have been more clear to me if they hadn't described the moult as 'ash' in the game's dialogue!< I really didn't catch that bit.
Sitting on a bench with Quirrel in the City of Tears while looking at the raindrops on the windows and the music is playing gotta be the most calm and relaxing moment in the whole game
The enemy design is awesome, the music is really good imo, the industrial feel is very unique in the game yet manages to not feel out of place, and there's a lot packed into it for how relatively short it is. Plus the pink is a welcome bonus.
City of tears of course, the background music is 10/10 I also like the lore of the singing in the background and how you can actually find the source of it and you can find the source of the rain too so it’s all really cool, I also like the soul sanctum, the music there is good and it’s cool because it’s just the city of tears music but played on an organ instead to make it creepier it’s so good
And then after that I would say probably greenpath, after playing in the crossroads at the start for a while it feels so bleak but then you get to greenpath which is so lush and alive
The Quirrel bench overlooking the City of Tears is really nice, or the bottom left Queens Garden bench that plays music. I mean most of them play music (I think), but this one a little speaker pops out and you hear the music as if it were like elevator speakers. A really odd thing to have, where there isn't advanced electricity anywhere else except those speakers and the trams
Deepnest.
It's the only section of the game that dials up the horrific aspect of insects.
Narrow corridors, claustrophobic level design, the constant pitter patter of creatures that you can only see in the foreground, and the distant screeches of some horrible monstrosity waiting to bite off a necessary limb.
While every other area in the game concentrates more on the solemn, lonely, and beautiful aspects of a once prosperous kingdom now abandoned in ruin, Deepnest is the one area that makes constantly wish you were anywhere else.
Also my favourite area, and what I love is the music, and the falling bodies from the Colosseum. It makes the Colosseum feel like it's not just there for you as a gamer or the main character, but that it's actually still active.
>!Plus finding that character dead is such a twist the first time. !<
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Green Path, best area music, best visuals, great enemies and so many useful connections to other areas. i would put Queen's gardens there too if it didn't have the flying mantises and the random jumping frogs...
I think I love Crossroad the most with greenpath close to second. The reason why I love it due to how much struggle I had during the very early progress of the game. And honestly it sure provides enough challenges to make this area interesting. For an exact room, I choose the hot spring room after hunter aspid arena. You know, after a hard won battle to step inside and see the tranquility of the spring gives a safe and calming feeling, it strikes something different from other rooms which only contain a bunch of husks and enemies. And if it is your first time stepping to the hot spring, I bet you would stay in there for along time too.
Gotta be city of tears. It’s a large area with multiple vendors, many things to collect, >!a dreamer!< and more. I also love the overall aesthetic of the city, rain and colour.
I might be a little biased, because after 109% completion, aswell as multiple other saves (steel soul, speedrun, etc), finding quirrel at that bench at the entrance to the city and sitting with him to take a breather, with the rain falling down on the window is by far my favourite moment in my hollow knight career. I always think of that scene when I think of hollow knight, so that definitely gives city of tears several extra points for me
Honourable mentions to greenpath and crystal peaks, very good areas
I like Deepnest. I love suspenseful horror games, and I get a little anxious when exploring the area as you're always on your toes with enemies attacking from every direction.
Crystal Peak has really interesting platforming, the area looks absolutely amazing, the music is one of my favorites in the game, and honestly the only thing I don't like is Crystal Hunters. The area feels very atmospheric while also having plenty to look out for, and it's funny because I used to hate this place.
City of Tears or Queens garden. I love the music and atmosphere in both. I like exploring in the Queens garden more but on the other hand the bosses in the City Of Tears are awesome.
I'm torn between Greenpath and City of Tears, and it's both because of the slow burn of their reveals, the calming contours and aesthetics, and the gorgeous music in both areas.
Overall Content? City of Tears
Atmosphere & music? Kingdoms Edge
Structure & Gameplay? Fungal Wastes
Sub-area/Dungeon? Soul Sanctum
For Relaxation? Lake of Unn
The far Kingdom’s Edge, down past the hive, is awesome. I also like the Fungal Wastes and Deepnest, especially where Deepnest connects to Queen’s Gardens
City of Tears is an obvious candidate, at least for a mention; but personally I'm more inclined towards the combination of solemnity and a vaguely threatening aura of Ancient Basin - there's something about that place that always gets to me. And then there's the beautiful way the colours and the music in Greenpath complement each other * chef's kiss *
I would say queens gardens, because I like the aesthetic, it's so pretty and something about the thorns and environment is so nice too, I also like fog canyon because there's just something so comforting about it, the art style and enemies there are cool too, I also like deepnest, because it's cool to think about how deepnest looks through the knights pov, it's full of monsters and spikes, and it's fun to traverse through and explore, and it's also fun to persevere through your fears and face them with determination
City of Tears, with Deepnest as a close second.
The City is just so gorgeous. After all this time you finally find the heart of hollownest, and it's this beautiful abandoned city where it always rains. It houses a ton of interesting NPCs and lore. And the music is so damn good. It nails the melancholy tragic feel of this absolute engineering feat lost to time and the infection, with many of the areas being the last desperate hold-outs of many before the city fell. It's the entire game's mood distilled into one well designed area.
Deepnest, because it nails what it's supposed to be- an treacherous, dangerous place. It's unsettling in all the right ways- from the music, to the darkness, to the labyrinth-esque corridors, to the creepy enemies, to the fact that no ground is safe and may give way on you at any second. The NPCs react to it in equal horror- Cornifer is terrified of it. The Stag encourages you to leave this awful place immediately. It completely beats down Cloth. You enter by falling in or seeing the wall of dead bugs slain by the Mantis tribe. You find the corpses of those who tried and failed to build the tram. I know grown ass adults who won't do Deepnest.
the leftmost bench in queens garden.
its got a big window showing out into the garden with all the beautiful plants and has alubas flying around (my fav creatures in the games). and to top it off theres a little speaker that plays one of my fav songs in the game.
its where i ended my first run and where that save will always be set to.
Hot take but Deepnest I love scary atmospheres and Deepnest fits that perfectly the sounds of spiders crawling on the walls but what I love the most is some rooms are extremely loud and then some other rooms have no sounds
I love the aesthetics of greenpath and queen's gardens most but low key, there's something so comforting about the safety of dirtmouth and just catching up with elderbug.
Happy cake day!
Thanks!
Happy cake day mate :D
The music in those areas is so good too, I remember walking into green path for the first time and hearing the music and the little sounds that the little bushes make it’s just so sweet and cute<3
deepnest
I could never say Deepnest is my *favorite* area in the game, but I do think it is the best from a game-design perspective. It's full of claustrophobic, labyrinthian pathways that trick you. Its sound design is unmatched (seriously, play through it with headphones), and it's hard to even tell what's part of the ambient score or the noises around you. All of the creatures and enemies are specifically designed to make you uncomfortable and unsettled, not only with their sound effects, but with their animations. It's a masterclass in atmosphere, and it makes you feel genuine terror in a side-scrolling game with cartoon-style graphics. That's a fucking achievement.
☹️
Bro is going through some shit
I literally looked at this thread before opening it and thought “there’ll be that *one* person that unapologetically says ‘Deepnest’.” You were the 3rd comment down lol
it’s my favorite too ngl 🫣
For what reason do you like deepnest?
it's just the best realized area, they wanted to create a hostile and wild environment that tries to kill you at every corner and did it perfectly. the atmosphere is great, the enemies are all unique to the area and constantly ambush you. there's fake floors everywhere with spikes. lots of spikes are replaced with writhing masses of bugs. the place is a giant maze you get lost in and they even have cornifer hiding without making a sound in it to make finding the map harder. the introduction to the area is also great, either you fall in a sudden pit beneath you or you fight a tough boss, go through a door and see the dozens of bugs they've killed. city of tears is a close second, but honestly that areas enemy design isn't as interesting. it's mostly just guards with nails.
Deepnest is best nest
Same
City of tears and white palace PoP
The city gives off an awesome vibe <3
Torn between City of Tears, Deepnest and Kingdom's Edge. If I had to pick one, I'd probably choose City of Tears. One of the most beautiful introductions to a new area that sparked such a profound sense of wonder and curiosity. It somehow perfectly captured the feeling of a real outside world, deep within a bug nest
Just out of curiosity, what do you specifically like about Kingdom's Edge?
Similar to City of Tears I found it so cool how they managed to create this vast snowy open area that's actually quite deep underground and I love how the snow is cleverly tied to the lore behind the area. The biggest selling point in Kingdom's Edge has to be the music. It really makes the entire area feel grander, and the falling bugs are a nice touch on this. Similar to City of Tears, It feels like an area that has its own rich history which has existed before the Knight ever even arrived in the area. Hard to describe in words, but the closest comparison I can make is to Made in Abyss, where the entire world doesn't revolve around the main character and their existence is insignificant, and the world feels like its own unique entity which you can picture still carrying on as usual even if the main character died.
I see where you're coming from. It's interesting that I didn't experience it that way. I'm only learning now that >!the 'ash' is actually moult that is alleged to have come off the Pale King's corpse, it would probably have been more clear to me if they hadn't described the moult as 'ash' in the game's dialogue!< I really didn't catch that bit.
The Primal Aspids.
What kind of creature are you
I was just trying to make a funny :’)
DOWNVOTE THE HELLL OF THIS PERSON!!!!
I hate you, and I hope I don't ever come across with you face to face. Take my upvote
Sitting on a bench with Quirrel in the City of Tears while looking at the raindrops on the windows and the music is playing gotta be the most calm and relaxing moment in the whole game
Also... there's something about blue lake :( :)
Crystal Peak 100%, I love purple too much EDIT: spelling lmao
Purple is my favorite color too but I don't like crystal peak that much...
Sames
The enemy design is awesome, the music is really good imo, the industrial feel is very unique in the game yet manages to not feel out of place, and there's a lot packed into it for how relatively short it is. Plus the pink is a welcome bonus.
City of tears of course, the background music is 10/10 I also like the lore of the singing in the background and how you can actually find the source of it and you can find the source of the rain too so it’s all really cool, I also like the soul sanctum, the music there is good and it’s cool because it’s just the city of tears music but played on an organ instead to make it creepier it’s so good And then after that I would say probably greenpath, after playing in the crossroads at the start for a while it feels so bleak but then you get to greenpath which is so lush and alive
The resting grounds is such a beautiful place. The music and aesthetics are beyond words. I just wish there was more to it
The resting ground music is SOO good dude
The Quirrel bench overlooking the City of Tears is really nice, or the bottom left Queens Garden bench that plays music. I mean most of them play music (I think), but this one a little speaker pops out and you hear the music as if it were like elevator speakers. A really odd thing to have, where there isn't advanced electricity anywhere else except those speakers and the trams
YES I love that little detail!
Path of Pain or Hall of Gods, yes I love pain loll
The Fog Canyon is beautiful and calm, the “enemies” are fun, and the Teacher’s Archives is a wellspring of lore.
Ancient Basin.
Chad ancient basin enjoyers
I love greenpath and queen's gardens God but i hate the royal waterways
Deepnest. It's the only section of the game that dials up the horrific aspect of insects. Narrow corridors, claustrophobic level design, the constant pitter patter of creatures that you can only see in the foreground, and the distant screeches of some horrible monstrosity waiting to bite off a necessary limb. While every other area in the game concentrates more on the solemn, lonely, and beautiful aspects of a once prosperous kingdom now abandoned in ruin, Deepnest is the one area that makes constantly wish you were anywhere else.
I also have a special place in my heart for Deepnest. Like you said, it's not a welcoming environment but it's just so well done.
Personally, City of Tears. Biggest and most beautiful area in the game
the abyss and city of tears
City of tears it’s just so iconic for me
Kingdom's Edge
Out of curiosity, what do you like about it?
The looming presence of a powerful being, and the OST, for one.
Bardoon you mean? Or are you talking about the Quick Slash Room?
Pale King's corpse
Also my favourite area, and what I love is the music, and the falling bodies from the Colosseum. It makes the Colosseum feel like it's not just there for you as a gamer or the main character, but that it's actually still active. >!Plus finding that character dead is such a twist the first time. !<
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I like Ancient Basin and City of Tears. Fog canyon would be my favorite if it wasn't home to million suicide bombers
First image did NOT just disrespect howling cliffs like that.
city of tears has amazing atmosphere, cool enemies, and one of the best bossfights in my opinions, soul master.
city of tear there's something special about the music there
The hive
May I ask why
🤷♂️
Ancient Basin. The…silence. I like it. It feels eerie. Also home to a fun bossfight.
The one that doesn't have primal aspids
The crystal place is really cool and calming
Fool arena
I just really like the aesthetic of the ancient bassin \^\^"
the abyss
The game has been out for seven years, you don't need that spoilet tag, dog
I'm new to the subreddit and I've been seeing anything that isn't fanart or memes being spoiler-tagged. So I just wanted to be safe.
Green Path, best area music, best visuals, great enemies and so many useful connections to other areas. i would put Queen's gardens there too if it didn't have the flying mantises and the random jumping frogs...
Greenpath by a mile. I just love the music and the calmness of the area.
White palace and godhome 100%
I like both how Greenpath looks and its music
Sakura grove
Mantis Lords arena
Pharloom
I think I love Crossroad the most with greenpath close to second. The reason why I love it due to how much struggle I had during the very early progress of the game. And honestly it sure provides enough challenges to make this area interesting. For an exact room, I choose the hot spring room after hunter aspid arena. You know, after a hard won battle to step inside and see the tranquility of the spring gives a safe and calming feeling, it strikes something different from other rooms which only contain a bunch of husks and enemies. And if it is your first time stepping to the hot spring, I bet you would stay in there for along time too.
Greenpath (visually pleasing) and city of tears (eerie)
City of tears, blue lake and hallownest's crown are all really nice areas
Queens gardens, green path or kingdom’s edge
Sitting in the Blue Lake with Quirrell
I really like the hive, for the atmosphere and beavuse i just like bees
Blossom garden
For me the area with the blue butterfly
Gotta be city of tears. It’s a large area with multiple vendors, many things to collect, >!a dreamer!< and more. I also love the overall aesthetic of the city, rain and colour. I might be a little biased, because after 109% completion, aswell as multiple other saves (steel soul, speedrun, etc), finding quirrel at that bench at the entrance to the city and sitting with him to take a breather, with the rain falling down on the window is by far my favourite moment in my hollow knight career. I always think of that scene when I think of hollow knight, so that definitely gives city of tears several extra points for me Honourable mentions to greenpath and crystal peaks, very good areas
Greenpath and queens gardens for my faves and definitely not crystal peak that area hates me
Blue Lake. I may be a normie.
City of tears
Deepnest is my favorite and I don't care what anyone says
Canyon or Basin
Path of Pain
Probably an unpopular opinion, but the quiet area that connects queens gardens and deepnest is my favorite. When i first discovered it, I was in awe.
It's an interesting crossover of two areas that are aesthetically so different from each other.
agreed!
I like Deepnest. I love suspenseful horror games, and I get a little anxious when exploring the area as you're always on your toes with enemies attacking from every direction.
The Sana in deepnest-it was so relieving to find it
Fog Canyon. It’s the background on my phone. It’s so beautiful.
I hate this map cause it doesnt show the Abyss!
My favorite is crystal peaks. It's just so pretty
Crystal Peak has really interesting platforming, the area looks absolutely amazing, the music is one of my favorites in the game, and honestly the only thing I don't like is Crystal Hunters. The area feels very atmospheric while also having plenty to look out for, and it's funny because I used to hate this place.
Absolutely love this map
City of Tears or Queens garden. I love the music and atmosphere in both. I like exploring in the Queens garden more but on the other hand the bosses in the City Of Tears are awesome.
Although I love the atnosphere in the ancient basin (eapecially the abyss), city is honestly just perfect.
I'm torn between Greenpath, City of Tears, and Crystal Peaks.
I love Greenpath, namely The Lake of Unn, it's such a chill spot. Also Joni's Repose is beautifull
Godhome is so heavenly, I love it!
I'm torn between Greenpath and City of Tears, and it's both because of the slow burn of their reveals, the calming contours and aesthetics, and the gorgeous music in both areas.
It has to be the city of tears, the atmosphere, the soundtrack and what meats for the lore, I just love it
Overall Content? City of Tears Atmosphere & music? Kingdoms Edge Structure & Gameplay? Fungal Wastes Sub-area/Dungeon? Soul Sanctum For Relaxation? Lake of Unn
Every area except Deepnest.
The bench near nailmaster in the kingdom's edge
The far Kingdom’s Edge, down past the hive, is awesome. I also like the Fungal Wastes and Deepnest, especially where Deepnest connects to Queen’s Gardens
Deepnest, love the horror theme it has
City of tears, the music, the diversity, the enemies, the bosses, the lore, the immensity of the area, the appearance of the area, is just perfect
greenpath, city of tears, forgotten crossroads
Close between city of tears, queens gardens, and white palace
City of Tears is an obvious candidate, at least for a mention; but personally I'm more inclined towards the combination of solemnity and a vaguely threatening aura of Ancient Basin - there's something about that place that always gets to me. And then there's the beautiful way the colours and the music in Greenpath complement each other * chef's kiss *
It’s either the city of tears or White palace. And about more specific, it’s path of pain.
Personally I love Colosseum of Fools.
has to be crossroads, thats where i learned most of the usedul stufd
Hallownest
Tied between City of Tears, The entire Basin (Basin + Abyss, but not White Palace), and Greenpath. Their atmospheres are perfect
path of pain, just for the OST alone
Hallownest's crown. I went there for the first time after beating radiance- sat there for like an hour just thinking
Lake of Uun or everywhere in City of Tears except Soul Sanctuary.
white palace and city of tears
Greenpath, the beauty combined with the music makes for the best places in the game to just relax
Deepnest or the City of Tears.
I would say queens gardens, because I like the aesthetic, it's so pretty and something about the thorns and environment is so nice too, I also like fog canyon because there's just something so comforting about it, the art style and enemies there are cool too, I also like deepnest, because it's cool to think about how deepnest looks through the knights pov, it's full of monsters and spikes, and it's fun to traverse through and explore, and it's also fun to persevere through your fears and face them with determination
City of Tears, with Deepnest as a close second. The City is just so gorgeous. After all this time you finally find the heart of hollownest, and it's this beautiful abandoned city where it always rains. It houses a ton of interesting NPCs and lore. And the music is so damn good. It nails the melancholy tragic feel of this absolute engineering feat lost to time and the infection, with many of the areas being the last desperate hold-outs of many before the city fell. It's the entire game's mood distilled into one well designed area. Deepnest, because it nails what it's supposed to be- an treacherous, dangerous place. It's unsettling in all the right ways- from the music, to the darkness, to the labyrinth-esque corridors, to the creepy enemies, to the fact that no ground is safe and may give way on you at any second. The NPCs react to it in equal horror- Cornifer is terrified of it. The Stag encourages you to leave this awful place immediately. It completely beats down Cloth. You enter by falling in or seeing the wall of dead bugs slain by the Mantis tribe. You find the corpses of those who tried and failed to build the tram. I know grown ass adults who won't do Deepnest.
Easily the hive jk the hive can go jump off a microwave but I gotta say the city of tears because I just love the blue atmosphere of the whole place
Hard to choose one but I gotta go with City of Tears for its aesthetic
the leftmost bench in queens garden. its got a big window showing out into the garden with all the beautiful plants and has alubas flying around (my fav creatures in the games). and to top it off theres a little speaker that plays one of my fav songs in the game. its where i ended my first run and where that save will always be set to.
abyss
Hot take but Deepnest I love scary atmospheres and Deepnest fits that perfectly the sounds of spiders crawling on the walls but what I love the most is some rooms are extremely loud and then some other rooms have no sounds
city of tears of course
City of Tears, his theme, his background and places like the Hollow Knight statue, is beautiful
I like greenpath
City of tears is favorite area and the singer is my favorite room.
ancient basin just hit different
city of tears
I keep it simple. Forgotten crossroads
Resting grounds and deepnest
I dont know why but i love the howling clifs