Last year, Team Cherry, the developers of Hollow Knight, announced that a sequel would be coming. This new game stars former antagonist Hornet in her own new story. Fans have been impatiently waiting to see what types of new content and mechanics will be introduced, and which will return from the first game.
Silksong looks like it will introduce players to a ton of new stuff while sticking to the fundamentals of Hollow Knight. Platforming and intense combat will still play a central role, with Hornet wielding her own unique attacks and moves. Here are some of the other mechanics that would be great as returning features, and some that we hope will stay behind.
10 Don’t - Charms
Many of your abilities and tools in Hollow Knight stem from the charms that you can collect around Hallownest. Some of them grant abilities in combat, some make exploration easier, and some have other functions as well. They’re vital to success in Hollow Knight and managing which ones you want to equip is a task all its own.
Hopefully, Silksong introduces a new replacement for the charm system. It made sense in Hollow Knight, but Hornet should be given different abilities that function in a way that’s more relevant to her character. It seems from early glances that a tool system will be in place in Silksong. Perhaps this is the replacement for charms.
9 Do - Grubs
The world of Hollow Knight is one of macabre death and haunting areas. Few things feel cute or positive in this decaying land. One thing that offers an exception to this is the grub nest. The grubs are small little bugs that can be rescued by the Knight and will reward him as thanks.
It’ll be great if some type of similar system makes it into Silksong, even if it’s the grubs themselves rehashed in the same way. The rewards are great and the grubs offer a more optimistic view into the bleak Hallownest.
8 Don’t - Loneliness
Many games have a ton of NPCs that will aid or stall you in your quest. Talking to and interacting with others is often one of the main parts of some games. They’ll give quests, items, hints, and more. The opposite is true in Hollow Knight, where there are very few NPCs and many of them don’t offer much other than a friendly chat.
This is a great aspect of the atmosphere of Hollow Knight. Exploring Hallownest is a lonely task, and it really gets the player involved in the world and the environment. Hopefully, Silksong is different and Hornet has more friends to help her along.
7 Do - Haunting Atmosphere
While the loneliness is sometimes sad and undesirable, the haunting atmosphere it contributes to is amazing. This dark, sullen, shady world in Hollow Knight is a fantastic feature of the game and part of what makes it so great.
In the best-case scenario, this haunting atmosphere will return to Silksong. This series, if you can call it that, is incredible for its ability to seem dark, forlorn, and creepy. Silksong should build on this atmosphere and keep it going, and it most likely will.
6 Don’t - Lack of Compass
One of the main challenges of Hollow Knight is navigating the maze-like structure that is Hallownest. A map is vital in this game and you’ll be checking it repeatedly throughout your adventure. Platforming is difficult enough without having to constantly check that you’re going the right way.
But, you can only see where you’re going in detail if you have access to the Wayward Compass charm. Otherwise, you’re looking at a blank map. This was a fun and new unique challenge in Hollow Knight, but Silksong should leave it in the past and focus on the platforming and exploration.
5 Do - Exploration
Speaking of exploration, it’s one of the best aspects of Hollow Knight. The vast caverns of Hallownest are so fascinating and finding new areas and items is endlessly rewarding. There is a ton to discover in Hollow Knight and it’s arguably the best part of the game.
Silksong should keep true to this and expand upon it. It looks from the trailer like Hornet will be exploring some never-before-seen areas and finding new things not seen in the original game.
4 Don’t - Backtracking
While exploration is great and Hollow Knight is great at it, it unfortunately comes packaged with a ton of backtracking. Discovering new areas is fun but reentering those areas ten or fifteen times is not. It’s necessary for full game completion in Hollow Knight but shouldn’t be repeated.
Backtracking in games is never an intentional feature by developers, but it can and should be avoided. Silksong should learn the lessons of Hollow Knight and make it less necessary to play through the same areas of the world so many times.
3 Do - Death
A brutal challenge of Hollow Knight that contributes to its notorious difficulty is the death mechanic. When killed in battle, the Knight will separate from his Shade, a spirit-like aspect of his being that will hang around wherever he fell. To reaccess a full soul meter and any money he had, the Knight will have to find and kill the Shade.
Silksong should absolutely keep this mechanic going in some way. It’s believed that Hornet is not made of Void, which is what the Shade is made of, so she wouldn’t have the same death mechanic. But, this post-death challenge is amazing and should be recreated somehow.
2 Don’t - Slow Healing
Fans have deduced that healing will function differently in Silksong than it did in Hollow Knight. It seems as though Hornet will be able to heal more of her missing health bar at once and it will happen much quicker. This could be a great improvement from Hollow Knight.
In the first game, players can restore one mask of health at a time by holding the button down. It’s slow and often hard to do when a boss is attacking. Many failures and deaths can be contributed to the inability to heal quickly, which is more frustrating than fun. Hopefully, Silksong will do away with this, like people are guessing it will.
1 Do - Difficulty
If Hollow Knight is known for anything, it’s the insane difficulty level. Games like Dark Souls, Celeste, and others are famous for their incredibly-hard challenges and your complete inability to stay alive for very long. Hollow Knight perfects this, with difficult challenges that are equally rewarding, keeping you coming back over and over.
Silksong should absolutely keep this, as it’s arguably the best part of Hollow Knight. The perfect blend of difficulty and reward is addictive and is what makes it impossible to put a game like Hollow Knight down.
NEXT: Ranked: The 10 Hardest Hollow Knight Bosses
