Cut Content (Hollow Knight)
This page contains a list of cut content for Hollow Knight. Before the release of the game, some content was announced or shown that ultimately did not make it into the final release. Some cut content was never announced but can instead be found in the game's files.
Cut Areas
Most revealed areas did make it into the game, with only minor rooms being scrapped. However, there were some moderately sized areas that were entirely cut from Hollow Knight.
| Abyss expansion | |
|---|---|
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There was a Kickstarter stretch goal for an expansion of the Abyss. It was going to be a "massive expansion for only the hardiest of adventurers" with 4 bosses.[1] Since this stretch goal was not reached, the Abyss remained at the size it currently is in the game, without any bosses. The expansion would have "taken players down into the lake of void, to explore the twisted space within."[2] |
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| The Forest of Bones | |
| The Forest of Bones was an area that was originally located in the northeast corner of Hallownest. In the early stages of the game's development, it was planned that three separate areas of the game would each have a Dreamer boss, one of them being the Forest of Bones. The Forgotten Crossroads would connect them together, as well as being the location for the final boss fight.[3]
The Forest of Bones would have had hidden secrets and strange creatures that would have been clad in the bones of dead giants.[4] The lava would have killed the Knight instantly there, and there would have been fifty unique enemies.[5] The Monarch Wings would have been acquired there by fighting a huge bony creature.[5] Throughout the area torches could be lit up and gates could be opened. It would have been the biggest area in the game.[6] The Forest of Bones was later moved to the bottom of the world, apparently because Ari did not like the idea of a lava area being at the top of the map. Deepnest was then added to connect to the Forest of Bones in its new location.[3] Later on, this area was scrapped and replaced by the Ancient Basin, while Crystal Peak took its former location. It was ultimately removed due to the constraints its size would have on other areas of Hallownest.[7] An area very similar to the Forest of Bones is shown in the Hollow Knight: Silksong trailer. Whether this is the actual Forest of Bones is unknown. |
  |
| Holy Grounds / Temple | |
| The Forest of Bones had a sub-area that was announced as the Holy Grounds.[4] It was described as a place of worship that was now overtaken.[4] The Holy Grounds had a locked temple gate that could be opened by lighting two huge torches that were guarded by lava worm minibosses. One of the Dreamers, Herrah, could be found in this temple.[5] |  |
| Snail Village | |
| Little is known about the Snail Village other than it made an appearance in the A Weird and Wonderful World trailer.[8] Some of its assets can still be found within the game's files. According to Team Cherry, Shelley, the village's only known resident who the Knight is seen interacting with, was just too big and a bit toonier than the final game's art style.[9] Bardoon was likely Shelley's final version.[10][11] |   |
Cut Charms
In the reveal of the charms system, an image showing various charms was shown in a Kickstarter update.[12] Some of these charms made it into the game, although others did not, and some have so far been left unnamed. Several of the cut charms seem to appear on each of the Charm Achievements.
The ability to "Glorify" charms was scheduled to appear in the 
Godmaster content pack, when it was still named Gods and Glory.[13] It was cut because Team Cherry did not have the time to add it, and they had difficulty balancing a whole new system for new upgrades.[14]
 |
Unending Greed (Glass) "Causes much more Geo to drop from enemies, but will break if you’re defeated while it’s equipped! Be careful and don’t let your greed blind you to the dangers ahead."[12] Possibly an early version of Fragile Greed. Appears to be a blue tinted version of | |||||||
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Vengeful Swarm "When taking damage, spawn angry hatchlings that attack nearby enemies."[12] Possibly a very early version of Thorns of Agony or Glowing Womb. | |||||||
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Possibly an early version of Lifeblood Heart/Core or Joni's Blessing. | |||||||
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Possibly an early version of Fragile Heart.
Appears to be a dull version of | |||||||
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An early, duller version of the Dashmaster Charm. | |||||||
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Unknown Charms
Some of these charms appear in the Hollow Knight Press Kit,[15] and most are simply labelled "Generic_Charm".
Some of the cut Charms above appeared in an early screenshot of the game. Another unique unidentified Charm, which appears similar to the middle Charm in the top row but features a yellow-tinted Geo at its center, can also be seen.  | ||||||||
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Zote Charm The Zote Charm was an idea thought up by William Pellen that did not make it into the final game. It would have made the Knight die in one hit.[16] |
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Cut Dialogue & Developer Notes
The game files of Hollow Knight contain various unused dialogue, notes left by Team Cherry, and other text that cannot be found in the game itself. This text can be extracted from the files with tools such as Asset Studio.
The canonical status of most of this text is debatable as it is not used in the game. However, there is some dialogue that is used in the game which is similar to a few unused lines.
Unused Dialogue
Below are various cut lines of dialogue for several NPCs and enemies.
| Bardoon | |
|---|---|
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"Mmmmmnnnnnn... was it you?" |
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| Cloth | |
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"Wow, I wanna be brave too. I'll save you later on, then die." "You saved me... you're so strong and brave." "I can't wait to die later on!" |
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| Crystallised Husk | |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "...Mind...Bright... Must find, more light..." |
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| Divine | |
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"You like it very much, don't you? Your gift. You're lucky to carry such a smell with you! Eeeuuaaarrrrggh!" "Ahhh! Then the Ritual is complete? And the Master has... moved on? Has he? Perhaps, not? Ahhh, but more for me. Still more I can do. Gifts, so lovely! Aaaahh. Master would understand." |
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| The Dreamers | |
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"Would it break the Seals? They cannot be undone. They must be undone. Let us sleep little shadow. Allow us our peace." "Fade away, little shadow. Fade away, and allow us sleep in peace." "Go no further, little shadow." "How long has passed? How long have we slept?" "What compels you to claw your way out of the darkness? What compels your return to this sacred kingdom?" "What calls it from beyond the Seal? The Vessel, or that captive light?" "It would break the Seals. They cannot be undone. They must be undone. An empty vessel to bring hope. A strong vessel to bring stagnation. An enlightened vessel to bring an end. What then is this? Only a weak thing. It would harm the Vessel, harm the seals. It shall be cast away." "It matters not. Our Seals remain. This shadow seeks to defy us... It must be cast away." "This little shadow… Must return to its darkness." "As you say... we made a promise. Let it be done." "That plague, it calls to something within. But that union it offers is a lie, the cost, a mind regressed." "Do you truly wish to break it...? Do you have the strength, or the will...?" |
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| Elderbug | |
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"If you do meet my fellows down there you might remind them of their poor Elder, up here, back aching, abandoned to his lonesome vigil. Poor poor me!... Oh I'm fine, really, but a bit of guilt might go some way in persuading their return. Assuming they're still alive that is." "There's something strange about you. I've seen all types pass below, but you... You're almost familiar, though I'm sure we've never met before." "There's something about you little traveller. The winds are changing." "It's a sprawling land beneath us. If you're ever feeling lost or would care for some direction, come speak with me. I may be able to suggest a new sight or a new path you'd never before considered. Suprised? Despite my lack of experience, I'm actually quite knowledgeable about the lay of the kingdom below. I've listened to countless stories from travellers and explorers just like yourself. I'm sure you'll have your own grand tale to tell once you're finished down there. Either that or you'll be dead! I'll admit, in Hallownest, the latter is far more common." |
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| Enraged Guardian | |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "...Burn! I'm... burning!" |
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| Godseeker
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"Tuning... An art, difficult. Never perfect. We, the ones below, We bond Our strength to the world. Follow what We give... listen for the Gods. Resonate. Attune!" "That instrument you hold. It is an aid built for seekers, one bound to our mind. It's a grand boon to receive so fine a device, and dangerous even, for us to allow it part. That instrument lays much of our mind bare. Accept it then as our faith in you. Scour this land. Gain mastery over beings of great power and its beacon shall respond." "Crawler. Grand, strange Crawler. Favoured plaything of the Gods! Our mind is filled with the strengths of this kingdom. Rich. Bright. Clear. Thou have attuned thyself to the many Gods of this land. Much power. Perfection? Thine? Perhaps even a match for our glorious shell..." |
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| Gorb | |
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"Greetings pale thing. Do you seek my knowledge? That I cannot give. Only an end." "Would you accept the end I offer?" "Alas. It destroys..." |
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| Grey Mourner | |
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"Le'mer, takes that heavy mantle...Che' wouldn't wish it upon one. Having served that brand at its great height, che' knows well what suffering it brings. Enough to turn nym'King to flee or fair Knights to mourning." |
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| Herrah the Beast | |
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"For my daughter and my kind, I become bond upon the Vessel." "Wyrm, your attempt may prove futile, but your offer I could not refuse." "My child...For you, I would give it all." "For her, I would give it all." |
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| The Hollow Knight | |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "...Kill..." "...Shall blaze free..." "...This Vessel, broken...fails..." "...Dawn...Shall break..." "...No mind, the usurper...Only strength..." "...Kill the usurper...Our light it would suffocate..." "...Father?..." |
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| Hornet | |
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"Do it! Make your choice. My thread will only hold so long. Prolong our world's stasis or face the heart of its infection." |
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| Iselda | |
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"My husband mentioned some strange roots that grow about the kingdom and suggested I make a pin to mark them. Cornifer thinks my pin's depiction look grander than the sad limp thing he comes across, but I figure, that's not a bad thing. Who'd want to buy a pin of a limp root?" "Apparently Hallownest has giant metal carriages called trams? Sounds unecessary to me, given those old stag lines that Corny always talks about. Still, I've made a pin to represent a tram station. Might be useful if you're inclined to make your map more detailed. It wasn't too hard to make, so I'm not charging a premium for it." "Corny was telling me of some distinctive graves and shrines about the kingdom. I've made a new pin to represent them. This one was quite challenging to make, and I laboured over the details. It's a nice result so I think it's worth a little more." |
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| Last Stag | |
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"Ready to go, little one?" |
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| Little Fool | |
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"What is this? I could've sworn you'd already entered the fray? And were killed in spectacular fashion, but now... I can't be sure. Must've imagined it. I do tend to visualise new combatant's meeting their end. It's good training for the mind, especially whilst your movement's somewhat limited." "Will you place your mark and attempt a trial?" |
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| Lurien the Watcher | |
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"For this city and for King beloved, I become bond upon the Vessel." "That black choice made, but not by me. Our King claimed that burden. My lot is easier, only to sleep and to serve." "My city. Do you sustain without me? Do you thrive? I would see your streets again..." "Our King appears as bug, and I shall take him as so. But his are traits that transcend our kind. His is a mind beyond ours. Deity given form. In sleep, I shall not look upon his like again." "Remember our promise, sister! We three vowed to protect the seal with all of our devotion." "Remember our bond... our sacrifice. For the kingdom’s sake... for the one we must protect." |
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| Millibelle the Banker | |
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"Well done dearie! I'll keep your Geo safe." "Thanks for the withdrawal. Don't go spending it all at once!" "Changed your mind? Well, come back any time." |
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| Mister Mushroom | |
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"...Mishi umo sanga. Dogo!.." "Mumushi ola, mumushi u nungoo. Myusha? Dungo myusha? Gungi, gungi..." |
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| Monomon the Teacher | |
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"For diversity. For variance. For evolution. I become bond upon the Vessel." "We sealed that plague, and thought we’d found an answer, but we were wrong. Our sacrifices... what did they win us? A world sealed in stasis." "Only one path I see. The Seals must break. Will it bring destruction? Of course. It will bring change, too. Let it. To live forever in an unchanging world... Death, I would fear less." "Will it bring destruction? Of course. It will bring change, too. Let it. To live forever in an unchanging world... that is the only death I fear." "To sleep eternal, what difference from death?" "Open your minds, brother and sister. Our vow was to protect...but do we? The Vessel weakens." "My mind is seal upon that tragic being. But who shall teach them now? Who shall open their minds, where I cannot?" "So... we found each other after all. Can you see me, here in this forgotten dream? I can see only light." "Our sacred Hallownest... It was so old. An eternal, undying kingdom... unchanging. They called me 'Teacher', but what did I have left to teach? What did I have left to learn?" "When the light came, we feared it. Of course we did! So we fought to keep things as they were. Our sacrifices... what did they win us? Simply another kind of stasis." "We fought against you, too. Struggling against our fate. The light we caged away... it is alive, and we are not. Is that what draws you to it?" |
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| Moss Prophet | |
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"To change ones form is a blasphemy against the light! To steal the soul of weaker creatures is a blasphemy against the light! And most of all... most of all! To DIE is a blasphemy against the light! Live forever, brother and sisters, or be cursed for all eternity!" "(someone else says this)For a God, there is only one crime: To die. (OR) For a God, there is only one crime: To die. Emptiness is a hateful thing! A vile thing! Kill the empty ones! Tear them to pieces! Suffer them not to bask in the light of this world!" |
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| Myla | |
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"Bury the knight with a broken sword, Bury the lady beneath her lord Bury the priest in her tattered gown Then bury the beggar and his golden crown" |
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| Pale King | |
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"False one… you can not… reach me… here" |
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| Pure Vessel
| |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "Do not think…" "Do not speak…" "Do not hope…" "Do not…" "..." |
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| Relic Seeker Lemm | |
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"Not carrying any relics with you? Go find some for me. I'll pay good Geo for nice items." |
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| Royal Retainer | |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "Your light... Magnificent and true..." |
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| Salubra | |
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"Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh, you're building up quite the Charm collection, aren't you? Quite the little connoisseur. I'd bet you'd like to wear more Charms at once, hmm? I've got a special item for sale that I think you'll be very, verrrry interested in! Mmm!" "Oooohhhh! You flamboyant little gadfly! Your Charm collection has expanded quite a bit, hasn't it? I think it's about time you bought another Notch so you can wear more Charms at once. Go on... spoil yourself! Mmmm!" "Oooohhhh! Your charm collection is getting positively enormous! I'm so jealous! I think it's about time you bought another Notch so you can wear more Charms at once. Go on... spoil yourself! Mmmm!" "Mmmmmmmmm! Look at you! Every time I see you, you've collected even more Charms! I think it's about time you bought another Notch so you can wear more Charms at once. Go on... spoil yourself! Mmmm!" |
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| Shrumal Ogre | |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "Melemag....Mu ola..." "...Undaya...Moga moga nala..." "Gagan oola" |
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| Shrumal Warrior | |
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Dream Nail dialogue: "Nyush oola mumu? Shruba dungo ola, ola mu... gungi?" "...Mushi mungi ooalala..." "...Nyanmul....Gassa ola..." |
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| White Lady | |
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"Two halves of a whole. You found your way... back to me? We were so unfair, weren’t we? To cast you out. Please, you must not hate him. He did what he thought was right. The Kingdom had to live..." |
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| Zote the Mighty | |
| "I suppose you're impressed by how tall the towers are here. Hmph. I've seen much taller towers in my travels. Much nicer, too." |  |
| Miscellaneous | |
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"Sometimes, I like to find a spot somewhere you can lie down and look up, and not see the roof of any caverns. The darkness is beautiful, and it goes on forever." Unknown "FLUKE_BIT" enemy Dream Nail dialogue: "...Mother..." | |
Unused miscellaneous text
Any miscellaneous unused text such as pick up prompts, cut lore tablets, or unused Hunter's Journal entries are listed below.
| Ancient Basin lore tablet at entrance to the Abyss |
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Higher beings, these words are for you alone. From below, our pure Vessel has ascended. Only a realm of regret remains. We shall enter that place no longer. |
| Ancient Basin Vessel Fragment fountain |
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Geo is a burden to the ignoble bug. Let Hallownest's Pale King relieve you of it. |
| Ancient spider corpse inspect text |
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Remains of an ancient creature. |
| Broken Vessel / Lost Kin possible inspect text |
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The remains of a wanderer, long deceased. |
| City of Tears Tablet 2 |
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Missing monarch, we need you now. The madness spreads. The Vessel fails. You must return to us. |
| Elegy for Hallownest extended version |
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In wilds beyond they speak your name with reverence and regret, For none could tame our savage souls yet you the challenge met, Under palest watch, you taught, you changed. Base instincts were redeemed, A world you gave to bug and beast as they had never dreamed. - Excerpt from Ode to Hallownest by Monomon the Teacher Our cherished dreams you granted and delivered more, But in dismay you found too late our desires had no end, What cost to tame our savagery? You gave your all and then gave more. Yet still desires lay unquenched, more dreams remained, your energies spent. Amongst it sprang a dreadful scourge, that forced return our aggressive urge, and turned us back to beasts or husks, Our souls consumed by light above. Within your corpse can still be heard the plaintiff cries of one, Who took our pain, and loss, and dreams inside itself to... Through it's pain we found a truth that must now be confessed, For nothing can contain such things but perfect emptiness. |
| Hall of Gods Zote statue text
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Intruder amongst the gods of Hallownest |
| Menderbug Hunter's Journal entry |
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Though not often caught at their task, the results of their work can be seen in the deft, timely repair of damaged |
| Menderbug's house unlock prompt |
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The door is locked.
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| Queen's Gardens Ruined Flower inventory text |
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Taken from the Queen's Gardens. It has been destroyed and is now worthless. |
| Soul Sanctum Tablet 2 |
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Record Bela To manipulate a soul, reformation of the mind must first occur. Few can bear such change. The path to true progress is littered with mistakes. |
Developer notes
The following are developer notes that detail various aspects of Hollow Knight's lore or dialogue of characters.
| Blade |
|---|
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Can be used if directly connected to a weapon ie a nail's blade. |
| Book |
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not sure if these exist? Likely not. Journals exist. Tablets exist. Parchment exists. Journals look like they're made of stone. the relic dealer references parchment made from spider silk, but its not common. |
| Bretta White Saviour |
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To obscure the knight's gender in this instance, White Prince should probably be replaced with White Saviour. |
| British to American English |
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Hollow Knight uses British English. Run a spell check. Channelled, not Channeled. |
| But, though |
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check Ari hasn't used these too much as well and replace where possible/necessary. |
| Clothes |
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Cloak is okay. Otherwise the bugs wear no clothes. |
| Crown |
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can be a crown as in the top of a head, but not a separate object. |
| Day, today |
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remove anything this specific about time. |
| Dressed |
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check for it. can be used in special instances, but not a common word. |
| Elipses |
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... in hollow knight never has a space afterwards. The next words follow directly after the final . eg: I know....but. |
| Eyes |
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can be used, but check carefully, many of the bugs may not have eyes, rather just sockety things. |
| Feet |
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these may not exist at all? |
| Gender notes |
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the hollow knights have no gender. Check for hims and hes. Is the Wyrm King gendered? probably. or is it that when the wyrm took king form it gained a gender?Hornet is the Gendered Child. She can be referred to as female. |
| Geo |
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is Geo capitalised? Should it be? |
| God |
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perhaps in special instance? though usually the god-like creatures are higher beings. |
| Hands |
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Few creatures have hands. Avoid it if possible. |
| Herrah |
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Talks about her history: As part of the agreement for her alliance and her role as a dreamer, King gave her a child (Hornet). Was she allowed to keep this child or was she taken away? |
| Hornet |
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THE LINE 'I've returned late' has currently been removed. Should it be in there? |
| Hot Spa/Hot Spring |
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probably go with spring over spa. Is spa a man made thing? spas are man-made, but the spas in this game do seem as though they've been constructed. wither term is fine though |
| Hour |
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No specific time is ever perceptible. Enforces the idea of a world in stasis. 'An age ago' is okay. |
| Hyphens |
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Can be used for conjoined words, but should be avoided in sentences, given the classic style of the text. use commas and full-stops instead. |
| Journal Pluralisation |
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This should be consistent. Most follow this formula, but not all: standard not is singluar.Hunter's note speaks to the species normally, but can be either, because it's more casual. |
| Knight |
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Are knights a special term in the kingdom? so only the hollow knight and the five king's knights are referred to as 'Knight'. All others eg mage knights, royal guards should not be referred to as 'knights' |
| Knight or knight? |
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is it always captialised. Should it be? Currently inconsistent in the text. |
| Lady, man |
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is lady okay? Check its usage. As a royal thing maybe? Or maybe better to avoid it completely. |
| Lurien |
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More detached than the other dreamers? Maybe ponders how the Hollow Knight (vessel) feels after all this time. Would he make the same choice again? First few dialogues are very taciturn. |
| Magic |
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spell is used, but magic in Hollow Knight is generally a shamanistic thing, so the words around it are more 'will' 'spirit' 'force' and emotions like 'rage' 'vengeance' 'longing' etc. Maybe magic can be used? |
| Money? |
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probably should be just geo. but could say the kingdom's currency. |
| Rather |
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just check this hasn't been used too much by Ari. |
| Salubra |
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Eventually hints that a charm's power comes from the someone's dying wish/final desire? Comments on certain/all charms??Thinks that the village she's in is still bustling/alive. Says you should go visit so-an-so etc"Now, I'm not one to gossip, but..." |
| Seal, seals |
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do a check for the pluralisation here. There is one seal (around the hollow knight, that includes the binding spells, the chains, the dreamers and the egg). Each of the dreamers is part of that seal, not 'A' seal. <-- this is no longer accurate. I ended up pluralising seals. It became too difficult otherwise -Ari. |
| Seal of Binding Hunter's Journal Note |
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(intentionally left blank) |
| Seer |
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The moth tribe were (perhaps) descended from Radiance. However, the King convinced them somehow to seal Radiance away. I guess so he could rule Hallownest with his singular vision, as a monarch/god with no other gods.The moths sealed Radiance away by forgetting about her. Hallownest was born and flourished. However, the memory of Radiance lingered (eg the statue at hallownest's crown) and soon she began to reappear in dreams and starting exerting influence. The King and the bugs of hallownest resisted this memory/power and it started to manifest as the infection. Thus the first attempt to seal Radiance failed, and the King had to try another method - the Vessel. |
| Shop |
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As in the verb, 'to shop' |
| Skin is shell |
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Most things don't have skin. the bugs refer to their exteriors as shell. |
| Snail Shaman |
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At some point hints that he can not leave the mound. "Can not" could mean he stays out of duty, or literally can not leave |
| SOUL and soul |
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in UI text it should be SOUL in full caps, as seen on the first Tut tab. Currently inconsistent. |
| Species not race |
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do a find and manual replace for each of these. |
| Stuff |
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You were in a dream. Those figures, the Guardians... they used what little power they still have and dragged you into their hidden realm. Perhaps you frighten them? Or perhaps, being prisoners themselves, they desired your company? In doing so, they broke a very old and very important law. Yes. I am a caretaker of sorts, I've been charged with... But you've brought something back with you, haven't you? The Dream Nail. (basic explanation of dream nail) Also, bring me Dream Orbs. Bring me X Dream Orbs and I'll reward you. |
| Today |
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no days. its one long night |
| Tree |
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no trees in hallownest, only roots, leaves and plants. |
| Vengeful Spirit |
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A desire for revenge is seared into the SOUL of those who fell in battle or were wronged in life. A Shaman can concentrate this desire and cast it out into the world to burn away whatever stands before them. - old descriptor text. Is pretty good! Should we put it in dialogue somewhere? |
| Whispering Roots |
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This pin shows those whispering |
| Wood to Shellwood |
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Doesn't come up much, but this is probably what Zote's Nail is made from. Also what the beams in the mines are made from. |
Cut Enemies
Several enemies and bosses did not make it into the final game. Some of them can be encountered as NPCs or corpses instead, while others were merged into a single enemy.
| Abyss boss | ||
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One of the funded Kickstarter stretch goals was the addition of four quests to the game.[17] One of these quests was the "The Lantern on the Black Shore". This was a quest to light the lighthouse in the Abyss. It would also include "an additional boss encounter". On Twitter, Team Cherry posted a concept image of what this boss would have looked like.[18] While the quest is in the game, the boss encounter was never added. |
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| Ants | ||
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Ants were enemies that were planned for the cut Forest of Bones area. Since this area did not make it into the game, the ants were not included either.[19] They appear to have made a return in Hollow Knight: Silksong. |
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| Blundering Oberlisk | ||
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A centipede-like charging creature that was never implemented into the game. Its description was:
It never had an area where it would have been located.[6] |
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| Giant Spider | ||
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This enemy was shown in the A Weird and Wonderful World trailer.[8] It is unknown whether this creature was a Boss or NPC. Its design and location do not indicate that it was affiliated with Deepnest. It also predates the reveal of Deepnest. |
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| Spider Mage | ||
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In an early Twitter post, Team Cherry showed a GIF of an enemy called a "Spider Mage".[21] It was described as:
This enemy was cut, instead, an uninfected Weaver is present in Weavers' Den. The Hunter's Journal image for the Spider Mage as well as the icon still exists in the game's files. |
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| White Knight Duel | ||
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A fight with Dryya was announced in a Kickstarter update. She would have been the defender of an area called "the Queen's Glade." She was driven mad by the death of the Queen and the garden being overrun.[22] This duel did not make it into the game, but the corpse of Dryya can be found in front of the hiding place of the White Lady. As seen in an early map sketch, Dryya and the White Lady were to be found near the White Palace and the White Knight would have guarded the entrance to the Queen's Glade.[7] For more in-game information, see Dryya. |
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| White Palace bosses | ||
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White Palace was originally supposed to have two bosses, the King's Golem and Dusk Knight.[1] These two bosses were combined into the Kingsmould enemies.[2][23] |
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| Aspid miniboss | ||
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In a Discord message, William Pellen mentioned an idea he had for an Aspid miniboss that would appear in the Forgotten Crossroads.[24] To access the boss, players would need to return to the first Apsid Hunter arena room near the Hot Spring room. Defeating an Aspid Hunter in this room would cause another one to fly in from the background. This process would repeat until eventually a giant Aspid with a rapid fire attack would fly in from the background. The miniboss was scrapped because Forgotten Crossroads already had too many bosses. | ||
Cut NPCs
Only two NPCs ended up not being used. These NPCs are not named and only make one or two appearances in promotional material.
| Fly NPC | |
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Making no appearance outside of two images that were never made public, this character is a fly-like NPC very loosely resembling a Gruzzer. Both images that showcase this NPC use Dirtmouth as a backdrop; which may point to where the NPC may have been planned to reside in. |
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| Shrumal NPC | |
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This NPC resembles a Shrumal Warrior holding a staff with an impaled Lightseed, only shown in the A Weird and Wonderful World trailer.[8] It has the following dialogue: "OOOOOOOhh! Such glorious wonder, such regal brilliance. I must be near it! Hooooww I want to smell it. Touch it. Taste it." |
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Cut Spells & Abilities
A few spells and abilities that were shown before release were never added to the final game. Some of them were modified and included in Hollow Knight under a different name.
| Backdashing | |
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Backdashing was an additional movement option that did not make it into the game. It resembles the Dash ability, except in the opposite direction and with a decreased distance.[25] It was said to have been removed because it "kills the flow of combat more than it adds to it" as well as making no difference in comparison to just immediately dashing in the opposite direction.[26] A value can be found within the game's files called "canBackDash" which would probably test if the Knight has the ability to dash backwards. This value is turned to 0 by default, however, changing it to 1 or any other number won't affect anything in the game. In the Hollow Knight Beta, it is possible to backdash by pressing the current Super Dash button. If two consecutive backdashes are timed right, the Knight will spin around. A third unique backdash which moves the Knight farther than usual can occur after this if the timing is right. |
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| Dream Diving | |
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Originally, the Dream Nail was able to open up the minds of NPCs and allow entering their dreams. It had the following description:
This ability was cut since "it ended up feeling really disjointed and distracted from exploring the world."[28] |
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| Swimming | |
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Swimming was a movement option that allowed the player to swim underwater.[8] The game files contain an unused room that has a layout designed for swimming through. It resembles Unn's room in the game. |
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| Tyrant's Fist | |
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Tyrant's Fist appears to be an earlier version of Desolate Dive and shares the same functionality. Additionally, Desolate Dive is acquired from defeating Soul Master, whose dream variant is called "Soul Tyrant".
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Cut Miscellaneous Content
Content such as unused Items or rooms which were cut or changed in the final release of the game.
| Higher Beings Statues | |
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In an early gameplay showcase video, a statue of the White Lady, the Pale King, and a broken third statue can be seen in the room where the Gruz Mother is fought.[30] The broken statue is shown to look similar to the Hollow Knight in an early map.[7] |
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| Sly shop items | |
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In an early trailer, a white ring of particles can be seen around the Knight before using Vengeful Spirit. Sly also appeared to sell the item or ability for Sly can also be seen selling "Glow Bug Lamp" for |
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Gallery
Ari's Sketchbook[31]
Miscellaneous Unused Assets
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A Dragonfly, not used in Hollow Knight but shown in the Silksong reveal trailer
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Dragonfly idle animation
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Unused flying version of the Lifeseed
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Unused Lifeseed flying animation
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Unused Waterways key
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"Witches eye"
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Unused "Odd Key" to open Menderbug's house
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"Mysterious Key" seen in an early trailer. Called the "Bath house key" in the files.
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"Ink jar"
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"Treasure map"
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"Radiant" menu style
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Colosseum of Fools trophy
Unused Rooms
