If you’ve walked past your kid’s screen and seen a tiny, cute white-masked bug wandering through a moody, hand-drawn cavern, you’ve seen Hollow Knight. Developed by a tiny Australian team called Team Cherry, it’s what gamers call a "Metroidvania."

That’s a fancy way of saying the game is one giant, interconnected map. You can’t go to Area B until you find a double-jump ability in Area A. It’s about getting lost, finding secrets, and—most importantly—fighting bosses that will beat you into the dirt fifty times before you finally win.

It is rated E10+, which is accurate for the content, but the "emotional rating" should probably be "Requires the Patience of a Saint."

There is a specific "cool factor" associated with Hollow Knight. In a world of "brain rot" mobile games that just want you to click on bright colors and spend five dollars on a loot box, this game is the opposite. It’s prestigious.

If you want to sound like the coolest parent at the dinner table, ask your kid: "So, any news on the Silksong release date?"

The sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, was announced in 2019. Since then? Almost total radio silence from the developers. The fanbase has gone slightly feral waiting for it, a state of mind the internet calls "Silksanity." There are memes, fake release dates, and kids watching every single gaming showcase (like Nintendo Directs) just hoping for a three-second clip of a bug with a needle.

Learn more about why Silksong is taking so long

Here is the "No-BS" part: Hollow Knight can be incredibly frustrating.

When you die in this game, you leave behind a "shade" (a ghost) that holds all your Geo (the in-game money). If you die again before you get back to that ghost to reclaim your money, that money is gone forever. For an 11-year-old who just spent three hours grinding for a new charm, losing that progress is devastating.

This isn't Minecraft where you can just toggle to Creative Mode. In Hollow Knight, the only way out is through. If your child struggles with emotional regulation or has a low "frustration ceiling," this game will find that ceiling and smash through it.

Ages 7-9: Generally too difficult. Unless your kid is a gaming prodigy, they will likely hit a wall within the first two hours and quit. The atmosphere can also be a bit "spooky"—think shadows, spiders, and crumbling graveyards.

Ages 10-13: The sweet spot. This is when they start having the fine motor skills to handle the platforming and the cognitive ability to map out the world in their heads.

Ages 14+: They’ll likely appreciate the lore and the deep mechanics. At this age, they might also start looking into "speedrunning" or "modding" the game on PC.

If your kid has finished the game and is now vibrating with "Silksanity" waiting for the sequel, here are some top-tier recommendations to fill the void:

If they want something just as beautiful but slightly more forgiving (and with a more direct story), this is the one. It’s a visual masterpiece.

For the kid who loves the "try, die, repeat" loop. It’s based on Greek mythology and has incredible writing. Note: It’s rated Teen for some blood and suggestive themes, but it’s high-quality stuff.

A platformer about climbing a mountain. It is just as hard as Hollow Knight, but it’s actually a story about mental health and anxiety. It also has a "help mode" if things get too tough.

This is the "Metroid" part of Metroidvania. It’s a Nintendo classic—slick, polished, and features a cool sci-fi bounty hunter.

If the draw was the "boss fights" and the "hand-drawn art," Cuphead is the ultimate challenge. It looks like a 1930s cartoon but plays like a nightmare.

Ask our chatbot for more games like Hollow Knight for the Nintendo Switch

While there is no gore, the game deals with themes of death, infection, and a decaying kingdom. There is an area called "Deepnest" full of spiders and skittering sounds that genuinely creeps out some kids (and adults). If your child is sensitive to "creepy-crawlies," maybe watch a YouTube video of Deepnest before they get there.

The Hollow Knight community is actually one of the better ones on the internet. Because it’s a single-player game, you don’t have the toxic voice chat issues you find in Fortnite or Roblox. Most of the community interaction happens on YouTube (watching lore videos) or Reddit (complaining about Silksong).

The story isn't told through cutscenes; it's told through item descriptions and environmental clues. You might find your kid watching a 60-minute video by a YouTuber named Mossbag explaining the history of a fictional bug kingdom. This is actually great! It’s essentially literary analysis for gamers.

Instead of "Are you winning, son?" (because in Hollow Knight, they are usually losing), try these:

Hollow Knight is the opposite of "junk food" media. It requires focus, spatial reasoning, and incredible resilience. If your kid is playing it, they are engaging with one of the best-designed pieces of software of the last decade.

Just be prepared for some heavy sighs and maybe a little bit of "Ohio" behavior when they lose all their Geo to a random flying bush. It’s all part of the process.

Check out our full guide on setting healthy gaming boundaries