2020 is Hollow Knight

You ever get a feeling of Déjà vu so strong it feels like your brain is itching? Because all this year, through a pandemic, through a rise in people being needlessly cruel and dismissive of one another, through endlessly doom-scrolling ominous messages on my screen, through all my shouting at empty rooms, I couldn’t help feeling like all of this was familiar. And then, just today, I remembered I’ve already lived 2020. In fact I beat it back in 2018.

And I was a bug.

Hollow Knight is a video game by Team Cherry, where you play a wee little bug called “the Ghost” or “the Knight” as you explore the once thriving but now largely empty underground civilization of Hallownest. And I swear, despite the literal bugs, this thing is a startling match for 2020. Let’s take a quick look at the similarities:

-A mysterious plague is affecting the populace. People used to be able to travel, but now they’re sick, shut up inside, or worse.

-Even those who AREN’T sick are often hostile or refuse to keep a safe distance from you.

-By and large, the characters that are not harmful stay in one spot, away from other people, and make/sell you things (kind of like the Etsy of Hollow Knight).

-The more time you spend in Hallownest, the worse things get. Just when you think you have all the tools you need to survive, surprise! You found Deepnest. Just when you think you’ve stopped the infection, surprise! A new wave hits.

-There is a place called the City of Tears, and it feels like I live there now.

-There are no straight answers to your questions. You can search for hours to find bits and pieces of information that give you an idea what’s going on, but even then, you’re often left guessing.

-The main character’s ability to survive is in large part due to his ability to not think or feel about what’s going on around it, and continue working no matter how horrible things get.

… I know. It turns out my taste in video games is about as cheerful as the rest of me. But as dark as my time in Hallownest was, I did beat it. And I enjoyed it. And the way I got through Hollow Knight is the same way we’re getting through 2020:

-Adapt. Hollow Knight isn’t like other games and 2020 isn’t like other years. You need to learn the dangers, learn how to avoid them.

-Gear Up. You can’t explore an endless abyss of misery and woe without the right tools. In Hollow Knight, that means charms and sharper weapons. In 2020, it means cozy blankets and takeout. Both of these things are essential.

-Keep Going. You can “lose” Hollow Knight countless times. But if you keep trying, it is beatable. So is this @#$%ing year.