How To Get Double Jump In Hollow Knight

Unlocking a double jump in a game where you don't start with one, is one of the best things in gaming

Thread starter oni-link
Start date Jan 24, 2021

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I recently played Ori and the Blind Forest for the first time, and I'm currently playing Gato Roboto, and both games have you start with a single jump and then eventually let you unlock a double jump, and the moment you first unlock the double jump is one of the best feelings in gaming

This seems to be something that happens almost exclusively in Metroidvania games, but whether it's Symphony of the Night, Hollow Knight or something else, the sense of empowerment from suddenly being able to jump twice is awesome

so three questions:

1) Are there any non Metroidvania games where you start with one jump and then eventually unlock a double jump?
2) What are you favourite games that do this?
3) Can you think of any other rarely discussed little things in games that just feel so great? The only other one that comes to mind for me is when you pull off a perfect drift in a racing game

Celeste does it really well. I love the double-jumping mechanic in it.

Maybe at one point, but now it feels too on the nose and unimaginative as far as skill unlocks are concerned.

1) Are there any non Metroidvania games where you start with one jump and then eventually unlock a double jump?

Depends. What's the consensus on whether Fallen Order is a Metroidvania or not?

Devil May Cry, the thread.

In DMC5 you get triple and quadruple jumps as well.

Crash 3, KH2 come to mind.

Changed the gameplay of Destiny immensely.

Maybe at one point, but now it feels too on the nose and unimaginative as far as skill unlocks are concerned.

Yeah I suppose it's predictable, but from a design perspective it's a good way to keep the player away from some areas at the start of a game.

Even when it's pretty predictable it still feels great to play a few hours of a game and have gotten used to a single jump and then suddenly be given a second jump. Blowing through the early areas with more mobility gives a really good sense of progression and makes backtracking that area play better as you're traversing it differently

Spiritfarer. Every new ability is very satisfying to get.

In general the game controls like a dream.

Getting Air Hike (DMC's double jump) in a Devil May Cry game always feels great.

On a similar note, I love when you get items in games (particularly Metroidvanias) that pretty much give you carte blanche over the map once you get it. The Gravity Boots in SoTN and the Space Jump in Metroid II and Super Metroid in particular come to mind. The sky's quite literally the limit once you get those items.

Kingdom Hearts is a non-metroidvania which does this too iirc

While im mostly with you, on replaying hollow knight (for dont know how many times), the time till you at least get the dash the movement is rather tedious.
The base movement should not bee tedious just to have the upgrades be empowering. Igavanias are right on the line, since the level design is rarely that longwinded and is not really based on platforming.
Hollow knight is way more platforming focused and so open and longwinded, that it really playes like 2 different games in the first and second half. Metroid games are way more linear and the pacing is so that you rarely go long distances without an upgrade in mobility, so that it rarely gets tedious.

Thats probaably one of the only criticisms i can give to Hollow Knight... and i still think its one of the best games ever and i replayed it more ofthen than Most Castelvania and Metroid games (Maybe as much as Aria of Sorrow and Metroid: Zero Mission, but hollow knight is way longer than those, so...)

Getting Air Hike (DMC's double jump) in a Devil May Cry game always feels great.
On a similar note, I love when you get items in games (particularly Metroidvanias) that pretty much give you carte blanche over the map once you get it. The Gravity Boots in SoTN and the Space Jump in Metroid II and Super Metroid in particular come to mind. The sky's quite literally the limit once you get those items.

Oh yeah. In a run this is one of the first things, without it dantes movement just feels wrong to me. And since its so easy to get its no hinderance on replays.

Glider in BotW?

When I made this thread I couldn't think of any non Metroidvania examples of this, and then in the first 10 posts they are about 5 really obvious non Metroidvania examples, so I guess this is more common than I thought!

Played Ys VIII recently and it has this too. What's more is that there's flashback sequences with a certain character that has access to double jump much earlier than you get access to it, so it's almost like the game teases you a bit first.

Unlocking the double jump completely changes Cyberpunk. It gives you way more attacking points because you can get on most buildings rather than strolling through the alley.

This is very true OP! Also wonderful is a good air dash.

Ok, the better dash in Hyper Light Drifter!
Looking back...yeah, that games unlockable skills and new weapons felt really like the DMC progression, nothing needed, but opens up the gameplay in many ways without changing it fundamentaly

I asume were not talking literally just double jump but movement options/mechaics that fundamentaly increase your freedom in a way

Conversely, lacking double-jump and wall-jump in a game where you constantly feel like you should have them is awful

Looking at you, beginning of Hollow Knight

Learning to use the Thunder Shield in S3K and Mania well is immensely satisfying.

Of course, it's hard to use well, like the other two shields.

KH2 movement abilities were bonkers. It's kinda lame they were locked away in such an unintuitive manner.

Im almost shure there are 2 or 3 skills in Banjo Kazooie / Tooie / Donkey Kong 64 that really open up the gameplay, maybe even something like a double jump?

I thought Axiom Verge had some really cool power-ups with the glitching through walls and such.

I think is because so many games in this style are built around having a double jump from a traversal standpoint. That said, the double jump also allows you to more easily avoid enemy (and especially boss) attacks, and it affords you some additional leeway during platforming segments. I'd prefer less of a reliance on the double jump, though, as it does seem like a bit of a cop-out.

Hold on to that feeling. Now imagine that the whole time. Thats Hollow Knight.

In Doom 2016 you find rocket boots that allow you to double jump some levels into the game, and they're wonderful. Doom Eternal has double jumping unlocked from the start. Also, in-flight mobility should have been default aerial movement in both instead of a rune ability.

I will say that waiting too long for the double jump can really hurt a game.

I really do like Chasm, but that was one of the biggest crimes in that game.

I thought Axiom Verge had some really cool power-ups with the glitching through walls and such.

Im so mixed on that game, on the one hand it has the most unique upgrades to a Metroidvania, but bosses where eh, story was... unfinished? to obtuse? And progression had moments where you really had to check the level chunks way more than any metroid game ever just to progress.
But im hyped for the sequell.

Cyberpunk gets double jump and a charge jump which massively changes game and even helps bypass certain parts of quests due to how much fun it is

Play The Messenger, i honestly believe Is one of the best games of all time.

I think it ruined Crash 3, but I generally enjoy getting/having a double jump.
It annoys me on stuff like DMC when you usually have to replay older levels after playing it. I know it's the point, but it just feels added solely to replay mission 1 after you've finished to collect some item.

Hated how long it takes to get in JFO and of recent games I've played, CP2077 is absolutely transformed with it.

I feel like I need to spoiler this... I don't know how to label the spoiler

Does levitation in control count? Cus getting that power when I had no idea it was in the game was an amazing realization

A truly great double jump needs an animation that sells it, alas I can't get gifs of Order of Ecclesia or Spiritfarer's glorious double jumps.
Compare them with the limp ritual of the night "double puff" and it's like night and day.

I think the first Ratchet and Clank had this.

KH2 movement abilities were bonkers. It's kinda lame they were locked away in such an unintuitive manner.

The way they feed into each other is something I wish more games of that ilk did.Transferring your forward momentum from an aerial dodge into an even faster full speed glide never stops feeling amazing.

I feel like I need to spoiler this... I don't know how to label the spoiler
Does levitation in control count? Cus getting that power when I had no idea it was in the game was an amazing realization

i...still dont know what game this is?

Several Kingdom Hearts games have High Jump, which fulfills the function of reaching higher areas.
Kingdom Hearts 2 and 3 have Aerial Dodge, which acts more like a traditional double jump
Some other KH games have the more explicit Doubleflight.

Im so mixed on that game, on the one hand it has the most unique upgrades to a Metroidvania, but bosses where eh, story was... unfinished? to obtuse? And progression had moments where you really had to check the level chunks way more than any metroid game ever just to progress.
But im hyped for the sequell.

I put off playing it for years cause I'm generally kind of so-so on the old school style of Metroidvania, but finally played it last year after the sequel was announced and loved it. It's straight up one of my favorites in the genre. Just great atmosphere and cool weapons and upgrades. I thought the bosses were pretty cool except for the final boss was bad.

In Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) you start exploring on foot with a big jump, then you get a mech that does a bigger jump, and then the mech can fly, which radically changes the exploring aspect of the game.

Kingdom Hearts 2's combination of high jump, double jump, and glide that eventually makes all traversal trivial is one of the most satisfying character progression sequences ever.

I put off playing it for years cause I'm generally kind of so-so on the old school style of Metroidvania, but finally played it last year after the sequel was announced and loved it. It's straight up one of my favorites in the genre. Just great atmosphere and cool weapons and upgrades. I thought the bosses were pretty cool except for the final boss was bad.

Its great, i just think the stuff mentioned holds it back in fulfilling its potential (and im not a fan of the oldschool visual style)
The bosses: they looked great... but i did not have the feeling that they where made to test your skills with your new abilities, but just to be bullet sponges. Still fun, but not as good as they could have been.Like i said, its not far from"perfect" and the sequel yould be huuuuuge if those things are adressed.

That was THE gem missing from Street Fighter X Tekken. The double jump gem. Imagine that.

It can definitely be a great moment, as long as the game makes it clear that such an ability will become available at some point. It drives me crazy when I spend a half hour trying to figure out how to access a ledge/area, thinking the game just wants me to be creative with my traversal solution, only to find out later that getting there was impossible without an ability that was not available yet.

it really is

Yeah Cyberpunk was the most recent example of this for me, double jump completely changed the game in a good way for me

As mentioned already, people should aim to unlock double or charge jump in Cyberpunk as fast as they can, it's super fun and useful.

Hollow Knight went from "yeah, this is good, I guess" to "holy shit I love this game" right about when I unlocked the double jump

Metroid Prime felt like a whole knew game to me when I unlocked the double jump.

Phantasy Star Online 2 is a good example of this. It has it in a couple places.

Typically, after attacking, you have a short period where you move more slowly before you pick up speed and go into a full sprint again.

Fairly early on, you gain the ability to jump out of a dodge (like a dodge roll or sidestep maneuver that all characters can do, depending on their equipped weapon) to immediately go into a full sprint. This dramatically changes your mobility, both in combat and out of it, as it allows you to skip the windup on your full run speed - and ends up becoming an integral point of higher-level gameplay and mobility, especially for classes that lack other means of mobility.

There is then, a decent bit later, an actual double jump unlock. It's on every class at a certain level.

Some classes even have things like the double jump having a hitbox that, if it damages an enemy (e.g. you footstool jump off of them) then it refreshes your double jump immediately - or landing a melee attack mid-air refreshing your double jump.

After spending so much time with these unlocked, it's hard to think about or go back to when they were locked, like on a new character or in Challenge Mode, but it really makes you understand how much has fundamentally changed about gameplay since the low levels, outside of just higher numbers.