I just want players to save money, but I was made the richest man

It's as if a difficult picture was deliberately placed for players to experience.

After this level, the difficulty becomes smoother.

The mobs are no longer so dense, and they mostly gather in one or two groups alone.

Wang Laoju, who had initially mastered the technique, was not afraid of these bugs and flies again.

If you see something strange, you can quickly deal with it with a knife. At the same time, you can wander around and explore in this underground world that extends in all directions.

In the process, in front of the damaged inscription, he learned the method of recovering blood independently. He accumulated soul energy by defeating monsters, and by consuming the soul energy, he could recover blood on the spot.

In the corridor full of spikes, I learned how to jump.

The sword light produced by waving the bone nails hits the spikes and rebounds with force, allowing the knight to dance on the sword.

As long as the rhythm is right, players can even float all the way over the spikes without touching their feet.

Wang Laoju also met Mr. Bug who asked for her help, hoping that the little knight could help retrieve the baby bug that was taken away by the evil bug, and it would give the little knight a certain reward.

There is also a middle-aged fat mosquito who keeps humming a song. After talking to him, we learned that he is a cartographer. His favorite thing to do is to travel to every area of ​​Hallownest and then record the film with a pen. Characteristics of the region.

By spending a certain amount of Geo, you can buy a map of the current area from it.

In addition, I also encountered a fly with big eyes but a small body, which wrapped its body in a cloak.

It is different from the fat fly called 'Gruz' that I just killed.

This fly, who calls himself Sly, seems to have autonomous consciousness and is able to talk.

It scolded its three weakling apprentices while silently thanking the little knight. He said that its arrival woke him up, otherwise he might have been trapped in a dream.

He also stated that he had had enough of the turbid air in Hallownest and would return to the small town of Ditmouth on the ground to set up a small stall and sell some things that were helpful for adventure.

As long as the little knight brings enough Geo, it will be generous.

When Wang Laoju returned to the ground, she found that two stores had actually opened in the originally lifeless town, adding a bit of fireworks to the dilapidation and desolation.

There is a shop opened by the cartographer's wife, where you can buy amulets, compasses and quills related to the map content.

Another store opened by Sly sold more combat-related talismans. Among them was a talisman called [Swarm Gathering] whose effect made Wang Laoju's eyes slightly brighter.

When exploring the underground world of Hallownest, Geo will be dropped after killing monsters, but these Geo will explode on the spot, and players need to go to the corpse of the monster to collect the full amount.

Sometimes if you get close to some dangerous terrain, Geo will fall into a position that the player cannot reach.

[Swarm Gathering] makes up for this shortcoming very well. As long as it is worn, it acts like a gold attractor, sucking all the Geo that falls in any corner into the bag.

This is undoubtedly another layer of optimization experience improvement.

In addition, there are small bosses such as Brother Longya and Mother of Gruz that are similar to elite monsters.

And the fake knight, the end BOSS of the first level.

Their completely different methods of attack allow players to gradually grow up, master the essentials, and understand the rhythm while escaping in embarrassment and dying repeatedly.

The moment you finally kill it, a large number of rare rewards such as Geo or talismans will be collected by the player along with a sense of accomplishment.

The pain and joy are vividly explained.

It also makes players sink into this.

Even time flew by, two or three hours passed in an instant, and Wang Laoju didn't even realize it.

At this time, he had cleared the second area [Green Path] and killed nearly thirty times in a row before repelling the Wasp, the boss at the end of the level.

Likewise, I also learned the ability to sprint from her.

After going through all the levels, Wang Laoju found that the playing experience of this game was not as good as she thought when she first tried it, and it became more and more boring as it went on.

Instead, it can only be described in three words.

Open the treasure chest!

The process of the journey is like players constantly opening treasure chests and getting surprises.

The complex map is huge and extremely easy to get lost.

But after getting lost, you can always collect some good props from various corners.

It is even said that if they don't get lost, some special props will be missed by the players.

Moreover, it is different from explaining a lot of settings at the beginning, or NPC dialogues that are so long that it makes people feel sick.

This makes many players feel bored. They don't even bother to watch it and just skip it. They just want to fast forward to the killing spree.

"Hollow" seems to have been striving for subtraction.

The world view of the entire game, the NPCs encountered, including the use of props and the acquisition of skills.

They are all acquired slowly along the journey.

When meeting an NPC, the dialogue often only consists of two simple and concise sentences.

Sometimes when you get tired of killing monsters, players can't help but want to rest here and listen to NPCs say a few more words.

Listening to Sly complaining about his stupid swordsmanship apprentices, it can be understood that Sly seems to have been a famous great swordsman in the past.

It always tells the little knight, 'Bone nails are an extension of our body and a tool for us to shape the world around us. Keeping its edges sharp is a sacred task. ...hey, sorry. I shouldn't be chattering like this. Let’s talk about Geo. ’

And this is actually the case.

When the player enters Sly's shop, the first thing it will say every time must be 'Fuck Geo! ’

Of course, this is not its original intention.

In the world view of "Hollow", the language used by NPCs is a completely self-created Zerg language, but it sounds hollow and fits its meaning very well.

After rescuing a caterpillar that is only sealed in a glass jar and bringing it to the original Mr. Worm, it will be very happy and drop lots of Geo to the player.

He is also nicknamed by water friends as the old man who throws coins.

As well as the cartographer who provides the player with a map, because before obtaining a map of an area, the player can only wander around like a headless fly, shuttling back and forth in various horizontal screen cuts, unable to find the exit of this area. Wherever I go, it's very annoying.

So every time when the cartographer’s leisurely humming tune sounds in the ears, it means that the map of the area is close at hand, and the screen will be full of bullets saying ‘Holy shit! father! ’ words.

There is also the sword master, Quirrel, sitting on the edge of the clear blue Lake of Unn.

It was originally an insect that traveled outside Hallownest. It was attracted by the mystery of Hallownest, but lost a lot of memory when it entered Hallownest.

But it is not depressed, but maintains an optimistic and curious spirit of exploration.

It said to the little knight, 'After living so long and remembering so little, maybe I should be grateful. ’

There are also stag bugs who are responsible for carrying the little knight to and from various areas of the huge Hallownest Kingdom.

To put it bluntly, the stag beetle is just a teleportation point, and similar mechanisms appear in many games.

But in "The Hollow", the stag beetle would chat with the little knight when it was carrying him.

It said it couldn't remember how long it had been since it heard the passenger's calling bell ringing.

It describes the former prosperity of this ruined Hallownest, the glorious past in its memory, countless stag beetle families carrying passengers galloping in the tunnels extending in all directions, calling bells from all over the world ringing, Hallownest always in Busy and prosperous. The stag beetles chatted with each other about their experiences and excitedly told what new and charming things had been added to this great country.

After Hallownest was abandoned, its people didn't know where they went, and it never saw them again. Now that it's old, it's hard for an old man to run as happily as before, but As long as there is one passenger, it will abide by its duty and take passengers to any corner of Hallownest.

It loves the land beneath its feet deeply.

…

All the way down the journey.

These NPCs are obviously just bugs, and they basically have very little dialogue.

But each one of them has a rich personality, and even the old stag bug as a teleportation point makes players sigh.

In the process of Wang Laoju's continuous exploration, the background world view slowly unfolds like a thread peeling off a cocoon.

It also makes players more and more curious about what happened to Hallownest in the past and why it gradually transformed from prosperity to ruin and desolation.

Friends who find it difficult to remember the names of NPCs in other games were deeply impressed by every NPC that appeared during Wang Laoju's two- or three-hour live broadcast.

Sometimes there will be a message in the live broadcast room: "Go find the old man who spreads coins to claim the reward!" ’, ‘If you have enough money, go find Sly and buy a talisman’ and other barrages.

There are also barrage comments.

"Who remembers this being an action game?"

"Unlike other action games, which put action absolutely in the first place, and the plot and other insignificant details are all sparse, "Hollow" feels more like to me that the player is personally holding a handful of bone nails and tearing up the world. ! We are taking risks, not the characters!”

“Watching the chairman’s solid approach, little by little, I can feel what makes this game unique. Gravograph allows the characters in the game to grow slowly, but it also allows the players who control the characters to continue to grow! "

"I'm addicted to hacking! Hollow Knight, activate!"

While the barrages were discussing, Wang Laoju also explored bit by bit and went deep into a territory called [Praying Mantis Village].

From the clues and details along the road, Wang Laoju learned that this area was not affiliated with Hallownest.

On the contrary, this area has a hostile relationship with Hallownest.

The bugs living here all take the praying mantis as their prototype and believe in glory and strength.

There are extremely sharp blades on the bones of both hands, which are accompanied by rapid attacks.

At first, Wang Laoju had not adapted to the attack methods of this kind of monster, and she was suddenly killed several times.

But as he adjusted his hand, he became more and more courageous.

Moreover, killing monsters can restore mana, and mana can be used to restore blood.

Infinity is equivalent to a perpetual motion machine.

Soon, after bypassing this maze-like map, Wang Laoju gained something new in a corner.

Mantis Claw.

This prop allows the little knight to briefly cling to the walls on both sides, and can also climb and jump on the walls.

As soon as you get the props, you can practice on the walls on both sides that are full of spikes and have only a small range of footholds.

When she didn't get used to the feel in the early stages, Wang Laoju died suddenly several times.

As he gradually became more proficient, the little knight controlled by him continued to climb, jump, and turn back on the wall, giving the visual impression an elegant and handsome appearance.

“Now that I’ve played, I feel like I’ve gradually understood everything.”

"I still say the same thing, this game is very simple! Everyone can download it and give it a try."

As soon as he finished speaking, it seemed as if something had been triggered.

The ground where the young knight was standing suddenly shattered, and the entire insect fell with the force of gravity.

Appeared in an empty room.

In front of the little knight, there are three chairs built on high platforms, standing like thrones.

Three thin but majestic-looking mantises each occupy a seat, and they all hold their chins with one hand and look at the uninvited guests who have intruded.

The exits on both sides were also blocked by falling iron walls.

It was like a cage trapping the little knight.

The ground mechanisms at the left and right ends were triggered and replaced with sharp ground thorns.

The area left for the little knight to move around was less than half of the screen.

Obviously, he accidentally entered the BOSS battle in this area.

"Dang!" The exciting BGM was accompanied by a thunderous drum beat.

In the picture, the little knight showed no fear and turned to face the three leaders.

"Chime!"

It resolutely pulled out the bone nails from its back and faced the enemy head-on!

"It just so happens that I haven't fought a boss battle for a long time, and my hands are still a little itchy."

"We are now full of health and mana. When fighting the boss, we can rub the blood back with our own hands. We have gone through so much experience in the past, and our techniques are already very skilled."

"The probability of passing it once should be quite high."

While Wang Laoju was speaking.

The single mantis lord in the middle took the lead in attacking, holding a sharpened spear weapon in his hand, and jumped off the high platform.

A spear shot through the cold light and stabbed horizontally towards the little knight.

"What a fool! Such a fast gun!" Wang Laoju's eyes widened instantly!

This was the first time in his experience of the process in the past few hours that he felt so stressed.

Speed, too fast!

It's almost impossible to react.

He hurriedly pressed the jump button to take off, barely grazing the Mantis Lord's charge attack and passing by.

But what he didn't expect was.

Unlike the elite monsters or BOSS encountered before, any attack has traces to follow.

As long as you keep track of their rhythm, you can always get over it after dying a few times.

But right now, this mantis lord is actually really good at flashing!

After a missed move, it turned into a white light and disappeared on the spot.

After a short gap of not even 0.5s, it appears again.

It appears in mid-air and has no fixed landing point.

Instead, it will track the Knight's location.

Wherever the little knight stands, it will flash to that area, then straighten its spear and plunge towards it.

Extremely fast!

Wang Laoju once again manipulated the little knight to dodge left and right to seize the gun attack in a thrilling way.

The expression on his face was no longer as relaxed as before, and even his palms began to sweat.

It’s hard to imagine that a designer can give players such a strong sense of oppression in a 2D action game with a Q-version style of painting.

So much so that Wang Laoju's confidence in her own technique disappeared little by little at this moment.

Just dodging the BOSS's attacks was already very embarrassing.

Not to mention taking the time to fight the BOSS.

But what no one expected was.

Even at this level of difficulty.

It seems like it’s just the beginning!

Soon, Lord Mantis climbed onto the wall and swung the spear in his hand with all his strength.

A circle of golden wheels plated with light was launched, like a high-speed rotating donut, constantly approaching Wang Laoju.

"Nah, it doesn't matter if you move so fast or if you can flash, do you still have skills?" Wang Laoju was shocked.

But at this moment, all the water friends felt full of malice.

The difficulty of this BOSS battle is still increasing!

The donut itself is not released very quickly, and players can avoid the donut's coverage by sprinting or jumping.

But the most disgusting thing about this thing is that it can last for a certain period of time and continue to track the position of the little knight.

Since it will lose blood when touched, its existence will further reduce the range of activities of the little knight!

But at this time, Lord Mantis launched another attack!

There is a donut on the head, there are spikes on the left, and the attack direction of the Mantis Lord is on the right!

This time, it’s a blind spot!

There is no way to avoid it.

Wang Laoju, who was already in a hurry, was stabbed by Lord Mantis and took a few steps back. She fell on the spikes next to her and lost blood again.

Wait until you finally jump out of the pit.

The Mantis Lord's next attack carried withering pressure, like a silver spear poking straight down from mid-air!

"Boom!!"

Accompanied by a shake of the screen.

The four blood lines were instantly destroyed!

The last health bar kept trembling and shaking, as if to remind the player that they were in danger.

Wang Laoju glanced at the deposit of nearly 2,000 Geos in her pocket.

This was something he searched everywhere and worked hard to collect.

Once you die here, send it.

So he panicked and moved to avoid.

Trying hard to find an opportunity to restore blood.

The blood recovery skill takes about two seconds from release to completion, and can provide players with one bar of blood recovery.

Normally, it would almost pass in the blink of an eye.

But in this BOSS battle, even one second seems too long.

He couldn't even find an opportunity to restore blood.

"Crack!"

As the saying goes, the more you panic, the more chaos you get.

Finally, due to a positioning error by Wang Laoju.

The little knight's life was also pierced by a gun, and that was the end!

It is teleported back to the bench save point.

But its soul and Geo were left in the area where the Mantis boss battle took place.

Wang Laoju looked at the screen and fell silent.

He just...

Not even a hair on the BOSS was touched...

After two or three hours of exploration and practice, my skills also grew for two or three hours.

If you switch to other action games, after two or three hours of proficiency, you will not only be invincible, but at least you will be able to press the boss's head and beat him randomly.

After all, players who still like to play action games now only want to experience the fun of playing sandbags.

It turned out to be better here at "The Hollow"...

Three hours of experience means nothing.

He just didn't hit the BOSS with a single blow, and the main one was suffering.

The barrage also exploded at this moment!

"What the hell? This level of difficulty is the same as the game just now??"

"Are you serious about Gravograph? Isn't the difficulty too ridiculous? Is this for people to play with?"

"Gravograph always gives me some tricks in unexpected places. It started with Lightning Strike, and then it took a while to transition, but after the players got used to it, the difficulty was directly adjusted from 1 to 10, right?"

"Gravograph: I heard that the players are too leisurely, please make arrangements!"

"Thank you to the engraving designer. Fortunately, I don't play/funny."

"Am I the only one who still remembers what the chairman just said? Ju: "This game is very simple" / Laughter / Laughter"

Wang Laoju glanced across the barrage and saw people laughing and joking all over the screen.

Take a deep breath.

"It was the first kill just now. I was careless and didn't dodge the last wave."

"But theoretically speaking, this BOSS is not very difficult. We only need to sprint to dodge when it stabs, and run back to get out of position when it attacks the donut, so as to gain more activities for ourselves. Space. Then when the mantis clings to the wall, it’s our time to attack!”

I rehearsed the outcome in my mind.

Wang Laoju gritted her teeth again and stepped directly into the room where the three lords of Mantis were.

The first thing you do when entering the room.

First absorb the soul that died just now and pocket all the gold coins that exploded.

Then.

Then he died again.

"There was a slight problem with the tactical analysis just now, but it's not a big problem. I still think this BOSS is not as difficult as everyone thinks."

"This time, let's try to be more greedy when he stabs. When he hangs on the wall, we will directly send waves. Don't leave the blue bar to restore health. There is no chance for us to restore health."

The third charge!

Dead again.

The fourth charge!

Die again!

the fifth time.

the sixth time.

Seventh time.

Until more than ten times.

Wang Laoju finally showed some touch.

After a tense game with the Mantis Lord, he finally defeated the opponent at the cost of three bars of blood.

Looking at the defeated Mantis Lord, he jumped back to the throne.

Wang Laoju breathed a sigh of relief and took the time to regain her health, not forgetting to speak harshly to the barrage.

"Look, it's that simple."

The barrage said happily: "Don't worry, look up, there are two more sitting on the throne."

Wang Laoju disagreed and was quite confident: "I think no matter how crazy the carving designer is, the next two Mantis Lords will probably not redesign a new set of actions for them."

"If it's fixed moves, I've already figured them out, I just need to defeat them one by one."

The good news is that the remaining two Mantis Lords indeed have no new moves.

bad news.

This time, two came down at once...

As a result, Wang Laoju's painful screams could only be heard in the entire live broadcast room.

"Fuck!! Fuck, fuck!!"

"Don't! Don't do this!!"

"You can't use pricks there!"

"How can you hide when you have two powerful guns?"

"With two donuts locked in my range, is there any way for me to survive? Is there any way to survive?"

Just half a minute later.

Wang Laoju looked at the little knight who died suddenly and was teleported back to the nearest teleportation bench.

When I think about it, I just managed to kill the first one more than a dozen times.

As a result, now that the two are played together, the difficulty has more than doubled.

I have to run the map endlessly and continue to fight from the first one.

full!

Blood pressure is full!

I have never been exposed to such an outrageous torture game.

It even feels like it's specifically designed to torture players.

Wang Laoju, who always had a relatively high defense line, couldn't help but break through the defense and slapped the table in anger.

"I won't play anymore! I won't play anymore!! What kind of suffering is this among the people!!!"

"Who can pass this game!!"

In order to maintain the overall rhythm of the article, some descriptions will be omitted/deleted as appropriate. Those who are familiar with "Hollow" are asked not to pay too much attention to this.

Because there are still many readers who have never played Hollow Knight, they seem to have no sense of involvement. They need to constantly mobilize the drama in the article and the emotions of the anchor friends to create excitement.

Therefore, it is impossible to directly import the game intact.

In fact, the previous games include Journey and City Skylines. I have made changes to these games...

The author must find a balance between old players and new players so that everyone can read without reading difficulties.

I hope you can forgive me.