By February 2019, the game had sold 2.8 million copies. Hollow Knight was well received by critics, with particular praise for its music, art style, worldbuilding, atmosphere, combat and level of difficulty. After release, Team Cherry supported the game with four free expansions. It was released for Windows, Linux, and macOS, in early 2017 and for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018. Development was partially funded through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that raised over A$57,000 by the end of 2014. Inspirations for the game include Faxanadu, Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X. Team Cherry wanted to create a game inspired by older platformers that replicated the explorational aspects of its influences. The concept behind Hollow Knight was conceived in 2013 in the Ludum Dare game jam. Players have the opportunity to unlock new abilities as they explore each location, along with pieces of lore and flavour text that are spread throughout the kingdom. The game is set in diverse subterranean locations, featuring friendly and hostile insectoid characters and numerous bosses. The player controls the Knight, an insectoid warrior exploring Hallownest, a fallen kingdom plagued by a supernatural disease. Hollow Knight is a 2017 Metroidvania video game developed and published by independent developer Team Cherry.
