By chapter Chapter 1 starts out in a very grim manner stylistically, with horses being dragged through a snowy field. We are transporting a middle aged man to a house, and when we come to the house, we find he has died. This sets the stage for our group to fight to the top, and allows us to set exposition and background for the story. Arthur and Dutch go out to look for Micah or John, the first of which we run into. Micah is shown to be a very stubborn, kind of mean spirited character. He feels unacknowledged, with him bugging us about housing and him earning his keep. Through this horse ride, we learn of a main enemy, the O'Driscolls. Ironically, our very first shootout later on is with a group of these enemies. Through this, we're introduced to the concept of looting and eating to replenish your health cores. The first major thing that we do in this game, that somewhat sets the tone for the rest of it, is our ability to either harm or spare the O'Driscoll who attacks us. Freeing him contextualizes Arthur as a forgiving person . But if we decide to kill him, this starts us off as unforgiving bandits. It's sort of an implicit decision we make for the character of Arthur, and how his end plays out. We get an introduction to the previous game's (of which I haven't played) protagonist, John Marston, after meeting him on a snowy cliffside, and we learn that he has tried to leave the gang before this, which is why Arthur is so untrustworthy of him. This is somewhat ironic considering Marston's death in the first game. The man left the gang and was so close to death on that cliff side, that if Arthur had denied to go on that adventure with Javier to find him, John may have died, and we may have never had the first game happen.

I'm not writing about the tutorial section, my notes reset, and I can't be asked. Your character is a dark shade, wearing a mask which seems to contain it, along with using a cape and a nail. You look very similar to the residents of Hallownest, which presents the question. What lies outside of this land, and why does the only civilization left, as the tablet says, have people that look like you when you are entering it? This subtle storytelling is something expanded on throughout Hollow Knight, and its something you arent forced to remember as you play, but nevertheless, something integral you wont forget. Dirtmouth is the hub of the game. Think of it as your Firelink Shrine, or even as your Majula, since the environment matches that game pretty well. The first character we are introduced to goes by the name of Elderbug, who says he is the only one left in the town outside. Its a fading town, which provides a bittersweet tone to its existence, and makes you think it will not be there forever. Reinforcing this is Elderbugs dialogue, saying that Hallownest faded away, just as everything else will. This is due to many falling into the kingdom under Dirtmouth. This kingdom has since fell, but it still draws others in. People seek riches, wealth, and fulfillment, but they lose themselves. It seems dreams arent what theyre made up to be.