How Hollow Knight Helped Me Deal With Loss

Video games are pretty cool, right? Either we play a game, forget about it, and never think about it again. Or, a video game burrows its way into our hearts at just the right time to help us deal with a tough moment in life. So, when I played Hollow Knight, I was dealing with some sickness and loss in my family, and without going into too much detail, it was pretty hard, and it’s still hard. But, possibly, hopefully, these people who are less than stellar are on the mend.

Basically, the visuals of Hollow Knight helped me escape into a world filled with fascinating lore and disgusting bugs while I waited in limbo for more news. The uplifting greenery of Greenpath, the kamikaze mushrooms of Fog Canyon, and the spookiness of Deepnest all came together to suit my every mood; it’s cool how a game like this can have such distinct areas, right? Really makes you think.

I’m no stranger to loss; my dog died a few years ago, and I’ve had some other family members pass away, but I guess when you turn twenty-four, the dominoes start falling, ya know? So, I kept going back to Hallownest again and again for a bit of healing, when the news broke, then after the funeral, and then a bunch of times after that. What’s crazy, though, is this is one of the hardest games I’ve ever played! When I wasn’t dying to annoying spike traps, I was appreciating the beauty of Hollow Knight. But I guess my struggle with the Mantis Lords or the Soul Tyrant ended up mirroring the struggle I was having in my own mind whilst dealing with this tragedy. Whenever I would pass by the Zote the Mighty, I would think about how a close family member wouldn’t have those back-and-forths anymore and would instead have to resort to getting a similar feeling from one of her rescuers. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the Infection.

The Infection of Hollowknest contains loads of lore, some of which has created entire careers. But when yet another family member got sick, I immediately thought about how little I knew about their disease and why it needed to happen to them in the first place. It’s wild how a game, or a movie, can tie itself into your life and cement itself as a figure in your brain when you’re dealing with something like this. Hollow Knight is not just a game; it’s a masterpiece and a work of art. To the people I referred to in this article, I hope you’re ok with me doing so. To Team Cherry, thank you for all your hard work and for making my life just a little bit sweeter in a time of challenge. Now, fix the darn pogo jumping in Silksong! Ugh! Just kidding, of course.