Everyone wants the next Hollow Knight. Honestly, it’s a bit of a curse. Team Cherry created this perfectly bleak, mechanically tight masterpiece that ruined other Metroidvanias for a lot of us. You finish it, you sit through the credits feeling hollow (pun intended), and then you spend three years scouring Steam for something that tastes the same.
But here’s the thing. Most lists of games similar to Hollow Knight just point you toward any old 2D platformer with a map. That's a mistake. If you loved Hallownest, you aren’t just looking for "jumping and hitting things." You’re looking for that specific, oppressive atmosphere, the "show, don't tell" lore, and the feeling that the world existed long before you showed up and will crumble long after you leave.
Why Finding Games Similar to Hollow Knight is So Hard
Most clones fail because they copy the art but forget the friction. Hollow Knight works because it's mean. Not unfair, just mean. It respects you enough to let you get lost.
If a game holds your hand or puts a giant yellow objective marker on your face, it isn't a Hollow Knight alternative. It’s just a platformer. True alternatives need to capture that sense of genuine discovery where you stumble into a boss fight you aren't ready for and lose 2,000 Geo. That sting is part of the magic.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
If the melancholy of the City of Tears was your favorite part of Hallownest, Ender Lilies is the closest you’ll get to that vibe. It’s a dark fantasy Metroidvania where you play as Lily, the last surviving priestess in a world ravaged by "Rain of Death."
The combat is the standout here. Unlike the Knight, Lily doesn't actually fight. She summons the spirits of purified knights to swing swords or fire arrows for her. It feels different. Weightier. There’s a specific delay to the animations that forces you to commit to your attacks, much like the commitment required when timing a Great Slash.
The Music and the Miserable World
The soundtrack is by Mili—the same group that did music for Ghost in the Shell and Goblin Slayer. It is haunting. While Hollow Knight feels like a dusty, forgotten basement, Ender Lilies feels like a drowned cathedral. It’s beautiful but fundamentally broken.
One thing people get wrong about this one: the difficulty. It starts easy. It doesn't stay that way. By the time you reach the Twin Spires, you'll be swearing at your screen just as much as you did during the Watcher Knights fight.
✨ Don't miss: Finding Every Bubbul Gem: Why the Map of Caves TOTK Actually Matters
Nine Sols: The "Taopunk" Masterpiece
Released in 2024 by Red Candle Games, Nine Sols is arguably the most mechanically sophisticated game on this list. If you loved the parry-heavy combat of the Mantis Lords or the final boss of Hollow Knight, this is your next obsession.
It’s often described as "2D Sekiro," and that’s accurate. You play as Yi, a hero on a quest for revenge against the 9 Sols who rule a high-tech, ancient-mythology-infused world.
- Parrying is everything. If you can’t time your deflects, you will die. Quickly.
- The Lore is dense. It blends Taoism with sci-fi. It’s weird, gross, and fascinating.
- Bosses are puzzles. Much like Nightmare King Grimm, these fights are rhythmic. You learn the dance or you get stepped on.
It’s a long game. Expect 20 to 30 hours. The story is much more "in your face" than Hollow Knight, with actual dialogue and cutscenes, but the world-building is just as deep.
Animal Well: The Secret-Hunter's Dream
Now, look. Animal Well doesn't look like Hollow Knight. It’s neon, it’s pixelated, and there isn't really "combat" in the traditional sense. You aren't swinging a nail.
But in terms of games similar to Hollow Knight regarding exploration and "Aha!" moments? This is the king. Billy Basso spent seven years solo-developing this game, and it shows. It’s a literal well filled with animals, and your job is... well, you aren't told. You just go.
Layers Upon Layers
There are layers to this game.
- The first layer is just reaching the "end."
- The second layer is finding the secret eggs.
- The third layer involves ARG-style puzzles that required a literal community of players to solve.
It captures that specific feeling of "I shouldn't be here yet" better than almost any game since Symphony of the Night. You’ll find an item—like a yo-yo or a frisbee—and realize it lets you interact with the environment in ways you never imagined. It’s pure, unfiltered curiosity.
🔗 Read more: Playing A Link to the Past Switch: Why It Still Hits Different Today
Blasphemous 1 & 2: The Religious Horror Route
If you liked the "everything is dying and gross" aspect of the Royal Waterways, play Blasphemous. It’s based on Spanish Catholicism and the art style is, frankly, disturbing. It’s pixel art, but it’s the kind of pixel art that makes you wince when a boss rips its own chest open to attack you.
The first game is a bit clunky with its platforming (instant death spikes are the worst). However, Blasphemous 2 fixed almost every mechanical gripe. The movement is fluid, the weapon variety is great, and the map design is world-class. It’s less about the "floaty" movement of Hollow Knight and more about heavy, deliberate strikes and gruesome executions.
"Sorrowful be the heart, Penitent One."
That line will be burned into your brain. The NPCs are just as cryptic as Quirrel or Bardoon, often speaking in riddles about "The Miracle"—the strange, cosmic force that mutates people based on their guilt.
Haiku the Robot: Hollow Knight Lite?
Sometimes you don't want a 40-hour epic. Sometimes you want something that feels exactly like Hollow Knight but you can beat it in a weekend. That’s Haiku the Robot.
It’s unabashedly inspired by Team Cherry. You have a little sword, you explore a ruined mechanical world, and you collect "chips" that function exactly like Charms.
- The Good: It’s charming, the map is well-designed, and the controls are responsive.
- The "Bad": It’s very similar. Like, very. Some might call it derivative.
But if you’re waiting for Silksong and your hands are itching for that specific movement feel, Haiku is a perfect palate cleanser. It’s cute, but it still has some teeth in the late-game boss fights.
💡 You might also like: Plants vs Zombies Xbox One: Why Garden Warfare Still Slaps Years Later
The Misconception About "Soulslikes"
People often say Hollow Knight is just a 2D Dark Souls. That’s a bit of a lazy comparison, honestly. Yes, you lose your currency when you die. Yes, there are benches/bonfires.
But Hollow Knight is a game about momentum.
If you want that momentum in another game, look at Lone Fungus. It’s a Metroidvania about a mushroom. It sounds silly, but it has some of the most intense platforming challenges outside of Celeste. It uses a "parry-jump" mechanic that allows for insane mobility. If you enjoyed the Path of Pain, Lone Fungus is basically an entire game of that, if you choose to seek out the optional stuff.
What to Play Based on Your Favorite Part of Hallownest
Finding the right match depends on why you liked the game. It’s a complex piece of art, so different people latch onto different things.
- If you loved the boss difficulty: Go with Nine Sols or Cuphead (though Cuphead isn't a Metroidvania, the boss design philosophy is similar).
- If you loved the atmosphere and sadness: Ender Lilies or GRIS (though GRIS is a puzzle-platformer with no combat).
- If you loved the cryptic lore and exploration: Animal Well or Environmental Station Alpha.
- If you loved the tight combat and upgrades: Blasphemous 2 or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Actually, let’s talk about Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for a second. A lot of hardcore indie fans skipped it because it's a Ubisoft game. Big mistake. It is genuinely one of the best-feeling Metroidvanias ever made. The combat is snappy, the "memory shard" feature (which lets you take a screenshot of a location and pin it to your map) is revolutionary, and the platforming is top-tier.
Actionable Next Steps for the Weary Traveler
Don't just buy five games and let them sit in your Steam library. That's how backlogs die.
- Identify your "HK Hook": Was it the combat, the exploration, or the vibes?
- Start with Nine Sols if you want a challenge that makes you feel like a god once you master it.
- Try Animal Well if you want to feel like a kid again, poking at things with a stick to see what happens.
- Avoid the "Symmetry Trap": Don't expect these games to be Hollow Knight. If you go in looking for a carbon copy, you'll be disappointed. Appreciate them for the weird things they do differently.
The wait for Silksong is long. We all know it. But the "hollow-like" subgenre is actually thriving right now. There are more than enough crumbling kingdoms and cryptic bugs to keep you busy until Hornet finally decides to show up.