The version of the track City of Tears in the game sounds even better. For some reason, in the album version, the best moment of the track was cut out at the end.
Same, I agree ^^' With all of you That part sounded a bit kinda "darker", if you know what I mean, and it really fits the City of Tears, in my opinion, so I really wish we had an official release of the version of the theme with that in it! ^^
False Knight is indeed the first boss fight. You'll notice that there's much more percussion in this piece than the others. The False Knight's weapon is a huge mace.
"A hunter, something stalking prey, lurking in the shadows" as expected, almost perfect predictions based on _JUST_ music, crazy how the soundtrack is composed that way
Just wanted to pop in to tell you that Hollow Knight's length varies greatly depending on how much of it you decide to play, and how good you are at it. The main story is about 15 hours, but doing all the side content could quite possibly bump that up into triple digits.
For a reasonable "mostly complete" first playthrough I'd say it's around 60 hours, if you wanna complete the godhome stuff it can bump it a bit depending on how good you are at the game.
I think there is a connection between the Radiance and the City of Tears leitmotif as well as the Soul Sanctum organ. If you listen closely to Radiance's main melody, you'll notice a shared note pattern with the City of Tears main melody and the Dream theme. It's in a different key and it's subtle but it's definitely there.
I never realized that at the very end of Sealed Vessel the Main Theme and the Pale King’s theme’s intertwine with piano and flute. That is a REALLY cool detail!
I was waiting for Greenpath. It's such a thematic contrast after the starting area (Forgotten Crossroads), with its lush environment and light and floaty instrumentation
something i always love to point out about the city of tears theme is that the vocals are diagetic! in the city you can find the songtress marissa, she's singing the vocal part for the theme and her voice is carrying through the rain
You should totally play Hollow Night, if you haven't already. The music elevates the game, which elevates the music. Also, check out the Hyper Light Drifter OST! Gorgeous, ethereal, and very unique.
@@trevorx7872 Yeah, HLD is one of the few games where I can say, "the aesthetics are the best part," and not be criticizing the gameplay in the least. It's all-around fantastic.
That was great! You described HK soundtrack, there's no song that is completly happy or quiet. There's always tension in the melody. And it fits perfectly with the game, story and scenarios. Soul Master (Soul Sanctum) is my favourite theme and I loved how you described, and yes, this theme is absolutly bound to Radiance. 🖤
The Hollow Knight motif is hidden within nearly all the tracks. In the second half of Soul Sanctum's combat theme, the haunting theme is replaced by the Hollow Knight's theme underneath to kind of symbolize your triumph. That part of the song is specifically played in Soul Master boss fight, making it seem like a very personal fight. After venturing through the Sanctum and seeing the atrocities he's committed, there is a justice in you killing him. However, being hollow, the vessel is just exploring and defending himself for cool new powers.
I've never seen anyone notice this but in Soul Sanctum you can also hear the Mantis Lords and I'm still wondering if there is any meaning behind this. Listen at 42:10 and on, also the ending.
@@Dv_Rain Now that you mention it, yeah. I mean False Knight and Pale Court have motifs to Sealed Vessel's first phase. Larkin liked to reuse motifs so it doesn't have any connections really.
This was great! Thank you so much for doing this! Also if you enjoyed the original Hollow Knight I would highly recommend the dlc soundtrack. It's amazing!
"why would you defend dung" well it's more like he is a defender, and also lives in and fights with dung 'cause he's a dung beetle. he's not defending the dung specifically
I nipped out of this stream to check and... yes! -- the pale court opening is a match to The White Lady. Larkin used different instrumentation but the same theme, so there's probably something in the lore that links the two.
7:08 When some asks you how your fridge is, you answer: "it's cool". It's the law. Super hyped for Hollow Knight 2: Silksong, the first ost was great, but in some songs you can hear that they used mostly digital instruments, and if you listen to the new Silksong music, you can hear the production value.
You are a pro that who can derive the inherent meaning of the music you hear, the intent of the creators that compose it. Hence why your reactions are so interesting to watch, because they have so much depth. And, while the individual track reaction and analysis is pretty cool to watch thanks to all the depth you provide when you break down those cords, melodies and all the juice of the song has to offer, these live reactions have a... spontaneity that, even if you already know the tracks (like 'Hornet', 'Mantis Lords', 'Sealed Vessel' or 'Radiance'), you still find such satisfaction in them. Like enjoying a find wine you know comes from a good crop. Thus, now that you've told us of who are the composers that inspired you, I know we all would love to see you doing listening videos to those classic tracks from those composers, and tell us WHY. Why they are so good. Why they are so inspiring. Because ever since I found your rendition of 'Corridors of Time', that beautiful, beautiful piece that still plays in my dreams from time to time, I so want to hear your thoughts on why... Why it is so beautiful?
Hornet and the mantis lord fights are both more of a test than an enemy. The mantis lords you can walk by and you have to intentionally challenge them. Both fights are simple but elegant.
Knowing the context of some of these themes adds another layer of emotion and weight to them Its easily a top 5 game and recommend playing to everyone who can
You've gotta stream the rest of the soundtrack too, Pure Vessel is an amazing counterpart to Sealed Vessel. Do the 1 hour 50 minute video so you get all of the weird songs at the end :)
Honestly, during most of my journey into Hallownest, I though that we were the bad guys especially in Greenpath as we just attack seemingly friendly cute creatures (they may attack first but since Hornet and the Watchers wanted to stop us from getting further, I just felt bad about killing little beings) Also the Hunter giving us the journal in which there is the "me" pronouns used to talk about enjoying killing and eating, I wasn't sure of what we were at first. Add to that we kill unagressive spirits to get their essence, the oracle dies because of us, we just crush people's dreams. And then Radiance happened, it all clicked. We do kill dreams, we kill light, and we kill hope, but we kill the Madness that comes with it, we are the vessel of the Void, of Darkness, of Death. We deliver beings from their grief and false hopes, cut their ties to the past and let them live for the future once again. I feel that the only characters who managed to avoid Radiance's plague were the ones who acheived their dreams, or didn't dwell on acheiving them. Hornet only wishes to protect her mother, but she isn't blinded from the fact she will not come back from the dreamers, Zote has already acheived his glorious quest of self acceptance, he doesn't wish for anything else, Elderbug has stopped dreaming, he only lives each day as another, Cornifer and his wife live their married life happily with each other chasing what they like, the Mantis are defined by their loyality to their tribe, Cloth isn't afraid of death, Sly remembered his passion for geo thanks to you and was at the verge of madness after the Nail Masters spilt up, you saved a girl from her solitude, but you won't save Mila from the greed her specie suffered of... But God ending shows us that the Void is its own kind of horror. Let it roam free and watch it plunge everything into an even worse nightmare. Radiance wasn't evil in itself, but it was probably greedy and mostly resentful of the wyrm who stole its followers (the Moth tribe). Maybe it was consumed by it's own desire to shine again as their sun, but was stuck confined to the memories and the dreams of people, as the Wyrm and it's electric lumafly lanterns took over the Light, attracting every bug of the kingdom ? The Shadow lord must not enter Hallownest, God ending with no flower is by far the worst ending possible , absolutely banger to make it the hardest and most challenging one. Dammit Team Cherry, I hope you'll release Silksong sometime next year, I'm craving for the same Heartache.
With a playtester confirming TC deems Godseeker mode to take place after Pantheon 5, it implies the Shade Lord doesn't do anything substantial in Hallownest before returning to Godhome. Although it's unclear if the flower ending is included, considering the default version plays after the mode's P5. Y'know, seems kinda pointless overall, but ah well.
I am expecting you to make a full reaction live stream to the Grimm Troupe DLC; which is not quite a DLC that you have to buy to play, but it is built into the game in upcoming updates. There are actually 4 DLC's, or to be more accurate, 4 updates named Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood and Godmaster. All of the music that was added to the game for these updates are included in the Grimm Troupe album, so don't get confused if you can't find albums named after these other updates. I am also looking forward for the Hollow Knight gameplay on the game channel! Keep it up Davi!
watching this made me re-experience some of the things i felt upon hearing these tracks for the first time in game, especially with the things you pointed out that i've never noticed before. i can't wait for your playthrough of hollow knight - it's my favourite game of all time (i have nearly 300 hours on it) and i never get tired of watching other people play it. thank you for all the content you provide :]!
I heard about hollow knight a few times before, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to try a 2d game that some people compared to the souls series. The only other 2d games I've played were arcade or mobile games so I was a little hesitant to get it. But after watching some of your videos and seeing that it was only $15 I decided to get it. Easily the best $15 I've ever spent.
@@olivewooled1297 If you didn't grow up playing older console and PC games, most people's experiences with 2d graphics are in the form of shitty mobile games and dubious ports of classic arcade games. Modern AAA games work so hard to distance themselves from the image of video games as children's entertainment by being gritty and photo-realistic. A byproduct of that process is that people who weren't paying attention to the consumer and professional culture as that trend developed end up actually believing that every game that doesn't share the gritty AAA aesthetic is a silly childish distraction.
30:18 Crystal Peaks sounds empty because the music itself is only half of it, the ambiance of the mining equipment and drills are what really makes it complete
Thank you for posting this! As much as I would love to catch you live, my schedule typically never allows it. This was a treat to watch. Thank you again!
You got me starting the game again, I'm 20h through and love every bit ! Thank you, and I love your content and analysis, best youtube discovery for months ! :)
Oh man was I pumped to click into this one. One of my favorite games ever, favorite OST's ever, super excited to listen to you dissect it. You're awesome!
14:50 I love your reaction to hearing Greenpath for the first time, it was everything I expected 😄. I remember my own experience vividly. That was when I knew for sure that I was in love with this game. edit: please record and upload your gameplay and reaction when you face the Mantis Lords, I remember thinking that the fight almost felt like a dance, the mantis' attack patterns seem somewhat synched to the music.
Hollow Knight has such a strong OST - it's the kind of music that really stick with you. Larkin's work really did a lot of work towards making the game the absolute perfection I is. Over the videos and also during this stream we mentioned a great technique to add narrative context to music, but the absolute master class in leitmotif is *Kingdom Hearts* , and I'm so hoping *@Davi* gets to it at some point. The OST for the complete Kingdom Hearts series is really vast, but the music is absolutely perfect. We have very exciting, heart-pumping Boss themes, but also super well-fitted background music for Disney worlds... _And then the absolute gold standard for Character themes, weaving a complex web of relations by using and referencing each others' _*_leitmotifs_*
My favorite part of hollow knights main theme leitmotif, is that it’s almost ALWAYS fragmented, there’s always a lack of finality, of closure. *Spoilers ahead* And in the lore that makes sense. Even the final boss itself has the beginning of the main theme playing over and over in perpetuity, you only get to hear the theme finally conclude in the cutscene after you kill The Radiance. The true evil and bane of Hallownest, after you finally bring the kingdom closure (The theme tidbit I’m referring to actually plays at the very end of the Sealed Vessel soundtrack)
Ooo, I really enjoy these analyses of yours so I would love to see you analyse the Homestuck and Pesterquest soundtracks! Homestuck is a webcomic with flash animations set to music, but it's also technically a game as it's interactive and modelled after early sandbox games, and Pesterquest is a friend-simulation game inspired by the characters of Homestuck. The music in Pesterquest is mostly character themes.
It brings me a lot of joy to see a full-on embrace of the game that I started falling in love with about a year ago and has definitely had an impact on who I am today. As for what I’d like to see in the future, a game that is currently impacting me the same way Hollow Knight did is Blasphemous, it has a great premise, great worldbuilding, great characters, and of course a great soundtrack, and for me personally it was a very very different experience than what I’d had with games previously. In conclusion, you should check Blasphemous out.
With what you said about the minimalistic area themes, Hollow Knight takes place in a fallen civilization, so the area themes are meant to make it sound empty.
handy trick for interpreting a lot of these themes: string quartet or ensemble for the Pale King, organ for the Radiance, and other instruments for other powers (harpsichord for the Mantises, guitar for the Grimm Troupe)
I love how much the music represents where they are played, because I never knew if it was because I was playing and understanding the context or because the music itself also carries the context without the game itself to feel it Also, about the time, I think it would depen on how much you depend on people telling you where to go. I encourage you to go where you like the most just by yourself, but that would be for sure increasing the play time some hours. And don't judge the game progress with this playlist progress, except the beggining of the game that it is true almost every one take a very similar path, once you get to the mantis the game opens a lot and you can go almost anywhere, although it is true that some are easier than others.
I think he should swap games regularly. Like one week is Monster Hunter, the next week is Hollow Knight, then the next week is one of the alternate Undertale paths, then back to Monster Hunter. Or something like that.
Not sure if you pick up on it, but the melody of hornets theme also starts the same way white lady, pale court, and white palace but diverges almost immediately after the 3rd or 4th note.
48:08 - Very impressive guessing. I believe you’re thinking of Hornet. I picked up on it, but mostly because I played Hornet in an orchestra. And the relationship between Hornet and the Pale Queen is something only referenced at in background stuff like the soundtrack.
City of Tears is one of my favorite songs in the soundtrack. It feels and sound like absolute magic. I can imagine dancing in the rain and despite the still sad undertones in the soundtrack, this fills me with hope- and as one person pointed out: It gives us a sense of duty. Major props to the composer. :3
You should totally listen to the gods and nightmares hollow knight album if you feel like it, there’s a lot of songs from the original album that get a “holy” type remake
Love seeing people react to my favorite game ^^ hopefully i can catch the next one. Also, the King theme, the one in the Queen's Gardens and such, is actually in Hornet's battle music, a bit altered. That's also why the flute plays it at the end of Sealed Vessel, because Hornet is there. Make your own conclusions from that :p
Oh, also something interesting about the King leitmotif you've pin pointed, when listening to White Lady. You can hear it first in Resting ground melody (at least the first few notes) and I think that was the track you were trying to remember at that the moment 🤔
Very cool to watch. Your theories do show your knowledge as a composer, but i think they mostly show just how good Larkin is at what he does. He's giving you all of this information without words, without images, just feelings. They're ideas that even people with only the most basic music knowledge can pick up. Your theories only really stumble when you relate the tracks to the previous, because the game doesn't really work like that. As a metroidvania, the order you hear the tracks is much more loose than other, more linear, games. Otherwise, your ideas are perfect. Great vid, really interesting watching. Thanks!
Eu amo tanto tanto tanto assistir seus vídeos, e fico feliz sempre que vejo que você fez vídeos sobre a ost de algum jogo que eu amo, como Undertale e Hollow Knight Eu sempre tive muito amor por música, principalmente por soundtracks tanto de filmes (como a ost de Como Treinar o Seu Dragão, minha favorita) e de jogos (como esse que eu mencionei e outros), mas ver os seus vídeos e a forma como você explica teoria musical de formas simples e interessantes me despertou uma vontade gigantesca de estudar teoria musical (até tentei me inscrever pra um curso gratuito sobre isso!) Quando descobri que você era br eu fiquei ainda mais admirada, porque acho que você é o único compositor/música que faz vídeos de analise desse tipo que eu encontrei que é daqui também Bônus: Minha ost favorita de Hollow Knight é Greenpath!! Eu sou absolutamente apaixonada por ela e principalmente por sua variação mais "tensa" (usada em batalhas ou partes de plataforma difíceis)
Davi now you should do a HK play through video series! It would be fun to see your reaction to the actual context of the tracks versus your initial guesses.
My guess for losk music would be just “spidery” bc of Indiana jones soundtrack has something like that. But he went the extra mile by saying it’s a hunter lurking in the shadows. Really impressive
Crystal Peak is minimalistic because it contains some of the harder platforming segments of the game, especially if you reach it before acquiring enough mobility upgrades
I've never seen a single person mentioning it, but at 42:10 (middle of Soul Sanctum) I absolutely hear the Mantis Lords and I'm still wondering if there is a meaning behind it.
There's so much spoilers... But on the other hand, am excited to eventually watch you play the game! You're my second person to watch Hollow Knight. I have already played the game before coming across both channels. Excited to see what you may find in game. :)
My first playthrough of this was so weird. I defeated the dream version of the first boss without any nail upgrades, then we beat the white palace because we were bored, and nightmare king grimm. Then we forgot to actually finish the game. Wild first playthrough. We have like 40 hours and 120% was nuts
i beat my first playthrough with about 36 hours but it varies a lot from person to person. Also depends on how much of the game you want to see. getting to the max of 112% complete can take a hundred hours
if you ever do another of these streams, i'd like to suggest ender lilies or octopath traveler! nobody else reviews vgm quite like you do, and i'd love to see what you think of them :) keep up the great work
I can't wait to when he'll listen to Gods & Nightmares soundtrack and will hear songs like Nightmare King, Gods & Glory and Haunted Foes. Or when he will liten to Silkong tracks. So many good news, I'm so excited!!!!
Hey, watch the second part of this series where I listen to all the DLC music as well: th-cam.com/video/NKUc29GnwVs/w-d-xo.html
5:28 Enter Hallownest
7:10 Dirtmouth
9:17 Crossroads
11:46 False Knight
14:50 Greenpath
18:25 Hornet
21:13 Reflection
22:51 Mantis Lords
24:37 City of Tears
27:36 Dung Defender
29:44 Crystal Peak
33:52 Fungal Wastes
36:56 Decisive Battle
39:02 Soul Sanctum
43:32 Resting Grounds
45:45 Queen’s Gardens
47:31 The White Lady
49:56 Broken Vessel
51:56 Kingdom’s Edge
54:16 Nosk
56:06 Dream
58:08 Dream Battle
1:00:35 White Palace
1:04:52 Sealed Vessel
1:13:32 Radiance
1:15:52 Hollow Knight
absolute legend
Thank you so much I saw it the minute after it came out but I did not have the determination to make it
Here, king.. 👉🏻👑
😤🔥
lifesaver my dude thanks
Broken Vessel: sense of duty
Dung Defender and Fungal Wastes: sense of doodie
The version of the track City of Tears in the game sounds even better. For some reason, in the album version, the best moment of the track was cut out at the end.
This has always made me sad :( The bridge to loop back to the top is definitely my favorite part.
It also just doesn't hit the same without the rain in the background
Same, I agree ^^' With all of you
That part sounded a bit kinda "darker", if you know what I mean, and it really fits the City of Tears, in my opinion, so I really wish we had an official release of the version of the theme with that in it! ^^
The rail also adds so so much to it
False Knight is indeed the first boss fight. You'll notice that there's much more percussion in this piece than the others. The False Knight's weapon is a huge mace.
It’s a drumstick
The mace is a bug on a stick.
It’s a spoon.
Debatably the first boss
@@TrueOracle the first boss that has more than 2 attacks lol unless you somehow get to mawlek first
"A hunter, something stalking prey, lurking in the shadows"
as expected, almost perfect predictions based on _JUST_ music, crazy how the soundtrack is composed that way
Christopher's work is really amazing, it's hard to explain but he somehow incorporated the fight itself into the music.
@@Catwithaknife69 not only larkin. this is the case with so many osts. movies and games overall have lots of composers who are great at that
And also for Broken Vessel. I imagine any vessel theme would have that sense of duty, too, since they were all made for a purpose.
Just wanted to pop in to tell you that Hollow Knight's length varies greatly depending on how much of it you decide to play, and how good you are at it. The main story is about 15 hours, but doing all the side content could quite possibly bump that up into triple digits.
Yes! my first playthrough was around 36 hours, but im trying to beat the POH right now and i have over 200 hours in my first playthrough now
For a reasonable "mostly complete" first playthrough I'd say it's around 60 hours, if you wanna complete the godhome stuff it can bump it a bit depending on how good you are at the game.
You’re only beating the game in 15 hours is you already know where you’re going and how to play
By the time i beat the game for the first time/got my first ending i was at 93% already. Abt 80 hrs
Took me 30 hours for my first te completion, took me 150 hours for all achievements, and I'm still playing to try to Speedrun p5
Thank you so much for listening to Hollow Knight OST! This is the best game that i've ever played, and i appreciate you alot. Thank you for that
I think there is a connection between the Radiance and the City of Tears leitmotif as well as the Soul Sanctum organ. If you listen closely to Radiance's main melody, you'll notice a shared note pattern with the City of Tears main melody and the Dream theme. It's in a different key and it's subtle but it's definitely there.
I mean technically the radiance did muck up the place and those places are the biggest example of that
Revisiting this stream, and yeah, the battle part of soul sanctum almost shares moments with radiance
I never realized that at the very end of Sealed Vessel the Main Theme and the Pale King’s theme’s intertwine with piano and flute. That is a REALLY cool detail!
This game takes quite a long time to play if you’re going for the whole completion, but the story, music and gameplay makes up for it so much.
It took me a long time not because I went for the completion but because I kept getting lost lmao
@@sanxxxx for me it was both ahah
You can expect:
25 hours for main story
35 hours for true ending
55+ hours for all possible endings
5 hours to speed run
@@thomascook3336 300 hours for pantheons
@@Julian_14 this man knows true pain...
@@aggelosk.1652 He’s walked the path
@@PhantomVirus nah path wasn't that hard compared to P5
The thing you recognized in the white lady's theme is one of the 2 major motifs in the soundtrack. You can also hear it in hornets theme
I was waiting for Greenpath. It's such a thematic contrast after the starting area (Forgotten Crossroads), with its lush environment and light and floaty instrumentation
something i always love to point out about the city of tears theme is that the vocals are diagetic! in the city you can find the songtress marissa, she's singing the vocal part for the theme and her voice is carrying through the rain
You should totally play Hollow Night, if you haven't already. The music elevates the game, which elevates the music.
Also, check out the Hyper Light Drifter OST! Gorgeous, ethereal, and very unique.
Hyper Light Drifter is one of my favourite games of all time, just for the incredible art and music.
@@trevorx7872 Yeah, HLD is one of the few games where I can say, "the aesthetics are the best part," and not be criticizing the gameplay in the least. It's all-around fantastic.
That was great! You described HK soundtrack, there's no song that is completly happy or quiet. There's always tension in the melody.
And it fits perfectly with the game, story and scenarios.
Soul Master (Soul Sanctum) is my favourite theme and I loved how you described, and yes, this theme is absolutly bound to Radiance. 🖤
The Hollow Knight motif is hidden within nearly all the tracks.
In the second half of Soul Sanctum's combat theme, the haunting theme is replaced by the Hollow Knight's theme underneath to kind of symbolize your triumph.
That part of the song is specifically played in Soul Master boss fight, making it seem like a very personal fight. After venturing through the Sanctum and seeing the atrocities he's committed, there is a justice in you killing him. However, being hollow, the vessel is just exploring and defending himself for cool new powers.
*Themselves but ok
@@voidperson itself, actually, but who cares.
@@atomicbaconbits6695 Yea, too bad some people can't realize that
I've never seen anyone notice this but in Soul Sanctum you can also hear the Mantis Lords and I'm still wondering if there is any meaning behind this.
Listen at 42:10 and on, also the ending.
@@Dv_Rain Now that you mention it, yeah. I mean False Knight and Pale Court have motifs to Sealed Vessel's first phase. Larkin liked to reuse motifs so it doesn't have any connections really.
This was great! Thank you so much for doing this! Also if you enjoyed the original Hollow Knight I would highly recommend the dlc soundtrack. It's amazing!
Oh my goodness gracious he was so spot-on with Nosk. 💀
man white palace just isn't the same without the buzzsaws in my ear.
"why would you defend dung"
well it's more like he is a defender, and also lives in and fights with dung 'cause he's a dung beetle. he's not defending the dung specifically
Oh
I am soooo happy you are going to listen to the sample tracks, I reccomend you listen to lace first.
I nipped out of this stream to check and... yes! -- the pale court opening is a match to The White Lady.
Larkin used different instrumentation but the same theme, so there's probably something in the lore that links the two.
7:08 When some asks you how your fridge is, you answer: "it's cool". It's the law.
Super hyped for Hollow Knight 2: Silksong, the first ost was great, but in some songs you can hear that they used mostly digital instruments, and if you listen to the new Silksong music, you can hear the production value.
You are a pro that who can derive the inherent meaning of the music you hear, the intent of the creators that compose it.
Hence why your reactions are so interesting to watch, because they have so much depth.
And, while the individual track reaction and analysis is pretty cool to watch thanks to all the depth you provide when you break down those cords, melodies and all the juice of the song has to offer, these live reactions have a... spontaneity that, even if you already know the tracks (like 'Hornet', 'Mantis Lords', 'Sealed Vessel' or 'Radiance'), you still find such satisfaction in them. Like enjoying a find wine you know comes from a good crop.
Thus, now that you've told us of who are the composers that inspired you, I know we all would love to see you doing listening videos to those classic tracks from those composers, and tell us WHY. Why they are so good. Why they are so inspiring.
Because ever since I found your rendition of 'Corridors of Time', that beautiful, beautiful piece that still plays in my dreams from time to time, I so want to hear your thoughts on why... Why it is so beautiful?
Hornet and the mantis lord fights are both more of a test than an enemy. The mantis lords you can walk by and you have to intentionally challenge them. Both fights are simple but elegant.
Dung Defender - sulks in the corner, quietly muttering "farfundaa" to himself
Mantic lorda are simple?!???
@@antondobrovolskiy There's only a few attacks, once you know how to deal with each, you're set.
Dude you guess the context of these spot on! Especially Nosk and The Mantis Lords. What a great ear!
30:22 Its a cave full of miners with empty souls
Knowing the context of some of these themes adds another layer of emotion and weight to them Its easily a top 5 game and recommend playing to everyone who can
You may also recognise the King theme from Hornet's theme, it's not as obvious as in the other tracks but her theme also contains it
Another awesome chill stream. It's nearly midnight here in Ukraine and this stream will become a perfect hour before going to bed.
You've gotta stream the rest of the soundtrack too, Pure Vessel is an amazing counterpart to Sealed Vessel. Do the 1 hour 50 minute video so you get all of the weird songs at the end :)
Honestly, during most of my journey into Hallownest, I though that we were the bad guys especially in Greenpath as we just attack seemingly friendly cute creatures (they may attack first but since Hornet and the Watchers wanted to stop us from getting further, I just felt bad about killing little beings)
Also the Hunter giving us the journal in which there is the "me" pronouns used to talk about enjoying killing and eating, I wasn't sure of what we were at first. Add to that we kill unagressive spirits to get their essence, the oracle dies because of us, we just crush people's dreams. And then Radiance happened, it all clicked. We do kill dreams, we kill light, and we kill hope, but we kill the Madness that comes with it, we are the vessel of the Void, of Darkness, of Death. We deliver beings from their grief and false hopes, cut their ties to the past and let them live for the future once again. I feel that the only characters who managed to avoid Radiance's plague were the ones who acheived their dreams, or didn't dwell on acheiving them. Hornet only wishes to protect her mother, but she isn't blinded from the fact she will not come back from the dreamers, Zote has already acheived his glorious quest of self acceptance, he doesn't wish for anything else, Elderbug has stopped dreaming, he only lives each day as another, Cornifer and his wife live their married life happily with each other chasing what they like, the Mantis are defined by their loyality to their tribe, Cloth isn't afraid of death, Sly remembered his passion for geo thanks to you and was at the verge of madness after the Nail Masters spilt up, you saved a girl from her solitude, but you won't save Mila from the greed her specie suffered of...
But God ending shows us that the Void is its own kind of horror. Let it roam free and watch it plunge everything into an even worse nightmare. Radiance wasn't evil in itself, but it was probably greedy and mostly resentful of the wyrm who stole its followers (the Moth tribe). Maybe it was consumed by it's own desire to shine again as their sun, but was stuck confined to the memories and the dreams of people, as the Wyrm and it's electric lumafly lanterns took over the Light, attracting every bug of the kingdom ?
The Shadow lord must not enter Hallownest, God ending with no flower is by far the worst ending possible , absolutely banger to make it the hardest and most challenging one.
Dammit Team Cherry, I hope you'll release Silksong sometime next year, I'm craving for the same Heartache.
With a playtester confirming TC deems Godseeker mode to take place after Pantheon 5, it implies the Shade Lord doesn't do anything substantial in Hallownest before returning to Godhome. Although it's unclear if the flower ending is included, considering the default version plays after the mode's P5. Y'know, seems kinda pointless overall, but ah well.
Someone needs to send him a version of Dirtmouth with all the NPC babbling and accordion overlaying
it's so crazy how accurate you are with every song
I am expecting you to make a full reaction live stream to the Grimm Troupe DLC; which is not quite a DLC that you have to buy to play, but it is built into the game in upcoming updates. There are actually 4 DLC's, or to be more accurate, 4 updates named Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood and Godmaster. All of the music that was added to the game for these updates are included in the Grimm Troupe album, so don't get confused if you can't find albums named after these other updates.
I am also looking forward for the Hollow Knight gameplay on the game channel! Keep it up Davi!
watching this made me re-experience some of the things i felt upon hearing these tracks for the first time in game, especially with the things you pointed out that i've never noticed before. i can't wait for your playthrough of hollow knight - it's my favourite game of all time (i have nearly 300 hours on it) and i never get tired of watching other people play it. thank you for all the content you provide :]!
I heard about hollow knight a few times before, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to try a 2d game that some people compared to the souls series. The only other 2d games I've played were arcade or mobile games so I was a little hesitant to get it. But after watching some of your videos and seeing that it was only $15 I decided to get it. Easily the best $15 I've ever spent.
Wait the 2D is what dissuaded you? Man there's so many good 2D games!
@@olivewooled1297
If you didn't grow up playing older console and PC games, most people's experiences with 2d graphics are in the form of shitty mobile games and dubious ports of classic arcade games.
Modern AAA games work so hard to distance themselves from the image of video games as children's entertainment by being gritty and photo-realistic. A byproduct of that process is that people who weren't paying attention to the consumer and professional culture as that trend developed end up actually believing that every game that doesn't share the gritty AAA aesthetic is a silly childish distraction.
@@fieldrequired283 I've only played 2d games so I find 3d disencourging
Finnaly someone who loves the song "Hornet" almost as much as I do
30:18 Crystal Peaks sounds empty because the music itself is only half of it, the ambiance of the mining equipment and drills are what really makes it complete
What a beautiful singer for City of Tears.
Thank you for posting this! As much as I would love to catch you live, my schedule typically never allows it. This was a treat to watch. Thank you again!
You got me starting the game again, I'm 20h through and love every bit ! Thank you, and I love your content and analysis, best youtube discovery for months ! :)
The melody in pale court and white palace is also in the Hornet Fight
Oh man was I pumped to click into this one. One of my favorite games ever, favorite OST's ever, super excited to listen to you dissect it. You're awesome!
Discussing the white palace: “it doesn’t feel pleasant.”
*me having flashbacks to all those buzz saw deaths*
Yeah, it’s not.
14:50 I love your reaction to hearing Greenpath for the first time, it was everything I expected 😄. I remember my own experience vividly. That was when I knew for sure that I was in love with this game.
edit: please record and upload your gameplay and reaction when you face the Mantis Lords, I remember thinking that the fight almost felt like a dance, the mantis' attack patterns seem somewhat synched to the music.
As someone who has listened to the Hollow Knight soundtrack, I can confirm that there is no reason not to.
If you take mounths to finish hollow knight you will be able to start silksong without waiting
Hollow Knight has such a strong OST - it's the kind of music that really stick with you. Larkin's work really did a lot of work towards making the game the absolute perfection I is.
Over the videos and also during this stream we mentioned a great technique to add narrative context to music, but the absolute master class in leitmotif is *Kingdom Hearts* , and I'm so hoping *@Davi* gets to it at some point. The OST for the complete Kingdom Hearts series is really vast, but the music is absolutely perfect. We have very exciting, heart-pumping Boss themes, but also super well-fitted background music for Disney worlds... _And then the absolute gold standard for Character themes, weaving a complex web of relations by using and referencing each others' _*_leitmotifs_*
TLDR: HK music good, but how about KH tho
I'm excited to see you analyze the full ost eventually. it's very relaxing to listen to in the background while drawing
My favorite part of hollow knights main theme leitmotif, is that it’s almost ALWAYS fragmented, there’s always a lack of finality, of closure.
*Spoilers ahead*
And in the lore that makes sense. Even the final boss itself has the beginning of the main theme playing over and over in perpetuity, you only get to hear the theme finally conclude in the cutscene after you kill The Radiance. The true evil and bane of Hallownest, after you finally bring the kingdom closure
(The theme tidbit I’m referring to actually plays at the very end of the Sealed Vessel soundtrack)
Ooo, I really enjoy these analyses of yours so I would love to see you analyse the Homestuck and Pesterquest soundtracks! Homestuck is a webcomic with flash animations set to music, but it's also technically a game as it's interactive and modelled after early sandbox games, and Pesterquest is a friend-simulation game inspired by the characters of Homestuck. The music in Pesterquest is mostly character themes.
It brings me a lot of joy to see a full-on embrace of the game that I started falling in love with about a year ago and has definitely had an impact on who I am today. As for what I’d like to see in the future, a game that is currently impacting me the same way Hollow Knight did is Blasphemous, it has a great premise, great worldbuilding, great characters, and of course a great soundtrack, and for me personally it was a very very different experience than what I’d had with games previously. In conclusion, you should check Blasphemous out.
So glad to hear your going to play hollowknight at some point! So excited!
I've been waiting for your reaction to the Soul Sanctum since I first found your channel. So excited!
Tbh months of hollow knight content from you sounds great, took me around 45 hours to beat the true ending so good luck on that. Have fun!
Can’t believe I missed it! Tysm for really appreciating the ost of this amazing video game!
With what you said about the minimalistic area themes, Hollow Knight takes place in a fallen civilization, so the area themes are meant to make it sound empty.
Thank you for doing this! Great to hear your opinion on everything
Mitsuda is my favorite too! I have the CC OST burned into my brain forever. Knowing that he's your inspiration, I'm gonna look up your work now.
I haven't listened to Hollow Knight ost for a long time. So this was a quick refresher on how good It is.
handy trick for interpreting a lot of these themes: string quartet or ensemble for the Pale King, organ for the Radiance, and other instruments for other powers (harpsichord for the Mantises, guitar for the Grimm Troupe)
I love how much the music represents where they are played, because I never knew if it was because I was playing and understanding the context or because the music itself also carries the context without the game itself to feel it
Also, about the time, I think it would depen on how much you depend on people telling you where to go. I encourage you to go where you like the most just by yourself, but that would be for sure increasing the play time some hours.
And don't judge the game progress with this playlist progress, except the beggining of the game that it is true almost every one take a very similar path, once you get to the mantis the game opens a lot and you can go almost anywhere, although it is true that some are easier than others.
Just a tip, don’t play HK unless you have nothing else big planned for your game channel for a while because it will take lots of time to beat
I think he should swap games regularly. Like one week is Monster Hunter, the next week is Hollow Knight, then the next week is one of the alternate Undertale paths, then back to Monster Hunter.
Or something like that.
Not sure if you pick up on it, but the melody of hornets theme also starts the same way white lady, pale court, and white palace but diverges almost immediately after the 3rd or 4th note.
48:08 - Very impressive guessing. I believe you’re thinking of Hornet. I picked up on it, but mostly because I played Hornet in an orchestra. And the relationship between Hornet and the Pale Queen is something only referenced at in background stuff like the soundtrack.
Awesome! There are also good bonus tracks in DLC and some remixes. Can't wait you to listen and enjoy!
LETS GOOO I AM SO HAPPY YOU DID THIS
City of Tears is one of my favorite songs in the soundtrack. It feels and sound like absolute magic. I can imagine dancing in the rain and despite the still sad undertones in the soundtrack, this fills me with hope- and as one person pointed out: It gives us a sense of duty. Major props to the composer. :3
Now you need to listen to the God's and Nightmares soundtrack as well
You should totally listen to the gods and nightmares hollow knight album if you feel like it, there’s a lot of songs from the original album that get a “holy” type remake
Love seeing people react to my favorite game ^^ hopefully i can catch the next one.
Also, the King theme, the one in the Queen's Gardens and such, is actually in Hornet's battle music, a bit altered. That's also why the flute plays it at the end of Sealed Vessel, because Hornet is there. Make your own conclusions from that :p
Oh, also something interesting about the King leitmotif you've pin pointed, when listening to White Lady. You can hear it first in Resting ground melody (at least the first few notes) and I think that was the track you were trying to remember at that the moment 🤔
Very cool to watch. Your theories do show your knowledge as a composer, but i think they mostly show just how good Larkin is at what he does. He's giving you all of this information without words, without images, just feelings. They're ideas that even people with only the most basic music knowledge can pick up.
Your theories only really stumble when you relate the tracks to the previous, because the game doesn't really work like that. As a metroidvania, the order you hear the tracks is much more loose than other, more linear, games. Otherwise, your ideas are perfect.
Great vid, really interesting watching. Thanks!
The White Lady melody is the on from The Resting Grounds. So you were right, you have just heard it before that.
Edit: Also in White Palace 🙂
And If I remember right. It also plays in Hornets theme
Eu amo tanto tanto tanto assistir seus vídeos, e fico feliz sempre que vejo que você fez vídeos sobre a ost de algum jogo que eu amo, como Undertale e Hollow Knight
Eu sempre tive muito amor por música, principalmente por soundtracks tanto de filmes (como a ost de Como Treinar o Seu Dragão, minha favorita) e de jogos (como esse que eu mencionei e outros), mas ver os seus vídeos e a forma como você explica teoria musical de formas simples e interessantes me despertou uma vontade gigantesca de estudar teoria musical (até tentei me inscrever pra um curso gratuito sobre isso!)
Quando descobri que você era br eu fiquei ainda mais admirada, porque acho que você é o único compositor/música que faz vídeos de analise desse tipo que eu encontrei que é daqui também
Bônus: Minha ost favorita de Hollow Knight é Greenpath!! Eu sou absolutamente apaixonada por ela e principalmente por sua variação mais "tensa" (usada em batalhas ou partes de plataforma difíceis)
HOW DID I MISS THIS?!
Davi now you should do a HK play through video series! It would be fun to see your reaction to the actual context of the tracks versus your initial guesses.
i did my first 104% playthrough of this game in about 34 hours, mostly blind but i had some tips for where to even go when i got lost in exploration
48:20 is a perfect zote impression from the eternal ordeal title screen lmao
My guess for losk music would be just “spidery” bc of Indiana jones soundtrack has something like that. But he went the extra mile by saying it’s a hunter lurking in the shadows. Really impressive
I was really hoping you would also do the gods & nightmares dlc soundtrack as well. But I'm glad I saw you react to soul sanctum
Crystal Peak is minimalistic because it contains some of the harder platforming segments of the game, especially if you reach it before acquiring enough mobility upgrades
Soul sanctum is literally the most evil place in the entire game.
The white palace doesn't sound the same without buzsaws
I've never seen a single person mentioning it, but at 42:10 (middle of Soul Sanctum) I absolutely hear the Mantis Lords and I'm still wondering if there is a meaning behind it.
You heard the melody of White Lady before in Hornet. It's the melody of everything related to the king.
There's so much spoilers... But on the other hand, am excited to eventually watch you play the game! You're my second person to watch Hollow Knight. I have already played the game before coming across both channels. Excited to see what you may find in game. :)
"A surprise to be sure, but a pleasant one"
I loved hearing your reactions
Alright dude, the birds bit is was hilarious, beside the good analysis of course! Obrigado
My first playthrough of this was so weird. I defeated the dream version of the first boss without any nail upgrades, then we beat the white palace because we were bored, and nightmare king grimm. Then we forgot to actually finish the game. Wild first playthrough. We have like 40 hours and 120% was nuts
There's a song in the dlc you should really listen is Nightmare King Grimm call it sort of a phase 2 to Grimm in a way
27:58 « Why would you defend dung ? » i mean that’s a fair question
i beat my first playthrough with about 36 hours but it varies a lot from person to person. Also depends on how much of the game you want to see. getting to the max of 112% complete can take a hundred hours
HEEELLL YEAH
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
THIS IS THE BEST
if you ever do another of these streams, i'd like to suggest ender lilies or octopath traveler! nobody else reviews vgm quite like you do, and i'd love to see what you think of them :) keep up the great work
I can't wait to when he'll listen to Gods & Nightmares soundtrack and will hear songs like Nightmare King, Gods & Glory and Haunted Foes. Or when he will liten to Silkong tracks. So many good news, I'm so excited!!!!
You should look up and find the secret white palace throne song. It combines the two major motifs into one.