#time played

We opted to separate respondents who play on the Nintendo Switch from those who play on a generalized console platform like the PlayStation and the Xbox due to the popularity of the Switch in casual play, and to specifically test hypotheses about input lag on the Switch. Similarly, we split respondents who play on the computer into those who play on a keyboard and those who play with a controller to test other hypotheses. This netted us four major categories: Computer players who play on a Keyboard, Computer players who play with a Controller, Nintendo Switch players, and generalized Console players.

The majority of respondents play Hollow Knight on the computer, and they make up 54.1% of the respondents, totalling 119 respondents out of the sample of 221 players. Of those, comprising 35.9% of the total respondents, 79 are keyboard users, while the remaining 40, making up 18.2% of the total, play with a controller. Another 35.9% of respondents (79 people) play on the Nintendo Switch, and the last 22, making up 10% of the respondents, play on a separate console platform.

We measured player experience in two ways: total playtime, and achievements earned in the game, both official (something that shows up in the Achievements menu) and combat related (such as beating the Pantheon of Hallownest). On average, a first playthrough takes 25 hours to complete (Source: Hollow Knight's kickstarter page). Most respondents had between 100 and 300 hours in the game at the time of responding to the poll. The next largest group of respondents had less than 100 hours total, but almost all of them still had more than 25 hours logged into the game. By the inherently nonlinear nature of metroidvanias which further encourage exploration, and by Hollow Knight’s own difficulty curve being built by the various bosses and challenges in the game, the total playtime serves as a rough estimate of how much the respondents know about the game’s mechanics, particularly about charm builds. However, this does not necessarily reflect their total achievements. 

In considering achievements, we find a diverse distribution amongst our respondents. Most respondents have completed almost all official achievements, comprising 30.3% of respondents with 67 players. The next biggest group were those who have at least 50% of the achievements, and have attained at least one ending, making up 27.6% of the sample with 61 players. A separate 20.8% of respondents, totalling 46 players, have over 75% of the achievements and have completed at least one challenge achievement, some examples of which being Ascension and Speed Completion. This is ideal for the purposes of the poll, as this means most of our respondents have some familiarity with the different charms and have likely settled on what charm builds work best for them. Unofficial, combat related achievements will be discussed in the combat section of the summary.

Stay tuned for other results!