Music of Hollow Knight

Christopher Larkin composed and scored two soundtrack albums for *Hollow Knight*. The first album features music from the base game and debuted on Bandcamp on 10 February 2017, before the game's release; it then launched on GOG and Steam alongside the game on 24 February 2017. A vinyl edition followed in early 2018. The second, shorter album, *Gods and Nightmares*, includes music from the game's four free content packs. It came out digitally on 9 August 2018, with a vinyl release later that year. After Team Cherry’s Kickstarter for *Hollow Knight* succeeded, Larkin sent in ideas for a potential theme. He was soon hired as the lead composer and sound designer. The developers asked for a soundtrack that felt “dark elegant” and used “minimal instrumentation,” while staying “classical and melancholic.” Larkin drew inspiration from games like *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* and *Final Fantasy VII*. He relied heavily on soft piano, but also used flute, oboe, and organ. He tailored instruments to each setting: for “Greenpath,” he chose harp and marimba to evoke nature, and for “Soul Sanctum,” he used organ to match what he called the “sacredness” and “old scholarly” feel of the area. Releases *Hollow Knight – Official Soundtrack* (also called *Hollow Knight (Original Soundtrack)*) contains the base game’s music. Timothy Cheel played viola on “Dirtmouth” and “Hollow Knight,” while Amelia Jones provided soprano for “City of Tears.” *Hollow Knight – Gods and Nightmares* includes music from the four free content packs. The track “Pale Court” was performed by Accord Quartet and Péter Kiss, with arrangement by Steven Tanoto. Critics widely praised the score. Alessandro Barbosa of GameSpot called it a “wonderful musical score” that gives each area personality. Tom Marks of IGN noted how melodies and instruments shift as players move between screens, calling the soundtrack “one of my favorites.” Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku described Larkin’s “elegiac musical score” as defining the game’s mournful tone. Jon Mundy of NintendoLife said the music is “somber” and “perfectly encapsulate[s] the feeling of exploring a fallen kingdom.” Álvaro Alonso of HobbyConsolas highlighted the boss themes and melancholic piano pieces. Sam Goldner of Bandcamp Daily credited the score with welcoming players into Hallownest.