Hollow Knight Meets Zelda In This Near-Perfect Free Steam Game

4 hours ago 9

Published Oct 11, 2026, 12:30 AM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

Hollow Knight really did revolutionize the Metroidvania genre, really rewarding the players' approach and skill levels in a game that was uniquely memorable at the time of its release. Understandably, it did very well commercially as a result, and the sequel picked up the reins and maintained that legacy, even if it didn't thrust it forward further.

As such, there have been plenty of games in the intervening period that aim to capture a similar magic, and in fairness, there are quite a few that managed to do so in some capacity. In fact, there's one game in particular that was created over the course of just a few days that, as well as being brilliant in its own right, could evoke some of the same feelings that Hollow Knight does.

Over on Steam, you should be able to find the store page for Deepest Sword, a challenging physics platformer where the goal is essentially to get to the end and plunge your sword into a dragon. As you might expect from that description, it's not a game that takes itself very seriously, and it's chock-full of innuendo and smutty humor.

Underneath that, though, is a genuinely brilliant game by all accounts, and almost all of the reviews to date (almost 7000 of them) have been very positive. The description for the game reads as follows:

"Venture deep into the Cavern of Longing with your trusty yet unwieldy sword. Will your sword be long enough to pierce the dragon's heart? Or will your puny sword be nothing but a laughable object of ridicule in the dragon's eyes?

FEATURES:

You can't jump but you do have a sword, and you're not afraid to use it!
Marvel at your sword's length. Though if it's too long, it might get in the way...
Fulfill your deepest desires (like stabbing a dragon with your sword?)

Originally created in 72 hours for the Ludum Dare 48 Jam with the theme, "deeper and deeper". This version includes additional speedrun controls, key rebinding, and Steam achievement integration."

In even better news, the game is totally free-to-play, so there really is no risk to giving it a go for yourself. It's also rather short, so dont expect to have to sink a bunch of your valuable time into its intricacies.

As for the Metroidvania genre more generally, the golden period it went through from the early 2010s to the early 2020s seems to have slowed slightly. There's no word yet from Hollow Knight developer Team Cherry on what they plan to do next, but their next release could easily be just what is needed to rejuvenate the energy for those who have otherwise fallen away from playing Metroidvania games.