The silent vigil untilHollow Knight: Silksongnews drops continues, although mounting evidence suggests it won’t last much longer. Fans have been waiting since February 2019 for the game to come out, and the last major news drop came in June 2022, so any signs of life the community can find are cause for alarm. A recent Steam update, followed byHollow Knight: Silksong’s Xbox store page finally going up, points to more news in the near future, so unaffiliated internet users should expectSilksong’s persistent social media trends to return in full force throughout the summer news season.
Hollow Knight’s original 2017 release is what’s inspired a lot of this enduring loyalty, as few indie Metroidvanias can compete with everything it got right. The idea thatHollow Knight: Silksongwill introduce fresh ideasto its predecessor’s strong foundation that are held to the same standards has kept that loyalty strong, even if fans have been waiting years for another sample ofSilksong’s parts in motion. Five years and multiple genre competitors later, it will be fascinating to see howHollow Knight: Silksonghandles its own blend of action, platforming, exploration, and challenge, especially since the original game did leave some room to improve.
Hollow Knight Struggled To Convey Allies Through Gameplay
On top of being a Metroidvania,Hollow Knightincorporated several Soulslike elements into its mechanics and world. Apart from obvious staples like dropping currency on death and navigating a somber post-apocalyptic kingdom,Hollow Knightalso works its NPCs’ fatesdirectly into its quest design. Who lives, dies, or accomplishes their goals can depend on the player’s actions, and a lot of small interactions across the game build up into a surprisingly immersive experience.Silksongis expected to expand NPC interactions further into this by giving its protagonist, Hornet, dialogue during conversations, but it should also hone another aspect of Souls NPCs.
Battle Partners In Hollow Knight Were Underwhelming
Very rarely,Hollow Knight’s friendly NPCs accompany the player in battle. One instance sees Cloth helping against the Traitor Lord, while another involves Quirrel interrupting the Uumuu fight. Cloth offers a compelling take on Siegmeyer’s classicDark Soulsquest that involves helping her before she returns the favor, but Quirrel’s role is less impactful. Despite meeting the player frequently,Hollow Knight’s enigmatic Quirrelis limited to cracking Uumuu’s defenses instead of acting as an AI helper like Cloth.
It’s a shame thatHollow Knight’s lone helper NPC is missable content, and her fellow helper candidate was relegated to a frustrating mechanic, but HollowKnight: Silksongcould learn from their failings.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Is A Better Fit For NPC Partners
The key toHollow Knight: Silksongimproving its NPC summons is Hornet’s ability to share dialogue with NPCs. If Hornet is able to befriend a battle-ready character, she can then summon them before boss fights. Something like a combination ofLies of P’s SpectersandDark Souls’ summoning could be at play here, with the summon only appearing inside the boss arena while imposing a limitation like reduced resources or locked Tools. Developer Team Cherry could even delay summoning prompts until after bosses are discovered to ensure players will always have at least one normal fight with them.
Summoned NPCs Could Bring Silksong’s World Together
Summons will help struggling players seeHollow Knight: Silksong’s story through to the end and should do so better than theinferior follower Charms of the firstHollow Knight. However, more than just adding an accessibility feature, recruiting NPCs will encourage players to become more invested inHollow Knight: Silksong’s setting and cast via attached side quests.
Also, designing a battle moveset for summons is a good justification for making optional bosses out of them as well. By reinforcing Hornet’s connections with the people of Pharloom,Hollow Knight: Silksongcould turn this standard Souls mechanic into another piece of its intricate tapestry.
