Disabling the depth of field (background blur) effect makes the game look 10 times better

[MRK0017]

I don't have the game on Steam, I have the GOG version but this is the only forum I'm subscribed to, and maybe the devs read this forum every now and then since I assume this would be the platform where the game sold the most. Anyway, turns out you can disable the depth of field effect using a mod, I found it here https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Hollow_Knight (It took me a while to find it but maybe I'm just stupid and everyone else found it in 5 minutes).

Anyway if you install this thing in the game's main folder and then press F2 in game, you can disable the depth of field. I made a gif showing the amount of detail that is smeared behind that horrible and overused effect.

https://gifyu.com/image/M0lc

It seems really a waste to draw all of those intricate details and then blur them out like that. Hopefully this mod helps someone who like me hates this ugly effect.

[Herr Sten]

Ooh. Intriguing.

[Rogue Vagabond]

Huh I wonder why they would do that, I imagine it's to make the backround and foreground more distinguishable, but... I kind of would prefer that detail. Maybe lessening the effect would be a good compromise?

[HexaDecimatoR]

A checkbox for the effect in the game settings menu would be nice.

[UNLUCKY STAR]

Originally posted by McCramer:

A checkbox for the effect in the game settings menu would be nice.

+1

[MRK0017]

I played some more and explored some areas I had already cleared and I still think the improvement is real. In some areas though, disabling the effect will reveal many low-res assets that may be noticeable if you play very close to your screen. Some areas thouogh look pretty bad, for example Fog Canyon looks really bad with the effect disabled, on the other hand some areas look FAR better, for example Soul Sanctum and most indoors areas.

I assume it was probably done to cut a bit of production costs, they probably started doing high res assets for the backgrounds but ran out of time/money so you have certain areas that are high res like the one I posted and some areas that are low res. This is the reason why I don't think they'll let you disable it in-game. A DoF intensity toggle would help hide the low res assets while not completely crushing the high res ones.

[HexaDecimatoR]

Originally posted by MRK1788:

so you have certain areas that are high res like the one I posted and some areas that are low res. This is the reason why I don't think they'll let you disable it in-game. A DoF intensity toggle would help hide the low res assets while not completely crushing the high res ones.

Or maybe instead of a toggle they could update the game with different intensities depending on the area a player is in. So the DoF would be lower in The City of Tears than say, Fog Canyon.

[Aeternalis the Abyssal Alchemist]

I can never get helix mod to work.
I really wish they would add the Depth of Field option to the game natively, because I hate not being able to see the backgrounds(especially in Greenpath, where the background looks like it would be really detailed).
I was messing the game's .DLL's, but the only visual effect I could notably change through editing was the fisheye lense.
Is there a way to disable the visual effects just using steam's launch options?

EDIT: Still can't make Helixmod 3D Fix work.

[x]

I can't get it to work on PC either. Dead thread but I need some help.

[🉑 rezno[R].technology]

When I last checked, disabling the Depth of Field effect was only possible for some older Hollow Knight version.
Maybe there exists some mod that I am not aware of, that has this option for the newest version.