RIB Game News

It’s Hollow Knight, but better!

With an earthshattering release that saw Steam, the Nintendo eShop and the PlayStation Store all crash due to excessive demand, the six year wait for Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: SIlksong has seemingly not deterred anybody, myself included. After countless memes were created by the loyal fanbase who were slowly losing their sanity waiting and waiting the question remains, does it live up to the hype though?

Yes…Absolutely, yes.

As long as you enjoyed the original game, I think it’s safe to say you will love the sequel. It retains the gorgeous artstyle that helps you navigate through the mazelike world, with a variety of locations that can be simultaneously serene and daunting. In fact I’d say many of these locations are more visually striking than its predecessor. Additional movement options make the sometimes tedious backtracking more tolerable, dare I say, even fun sometimes, while also opening up new avenues for some occasionally frustrating platforming.

The core combat and difficulty remains, rewarding patience and studying enemy patterns. But now, there are a variety of new weapons and attack styles to choose from, ensuring the game doesn’t get stale (which is always a worry for sequels) and allowing gamers to adapt their playstyles to particular bosses or preferences.

Now, I could go on and talk about the creativity behind the all enemy designs, that range from the cool to the goofy. Instead I’d like to bring note to the NPCs, one of the new features is the small towns or outposts which you will encounter, each of which possessing a quest board similar to what you may find in traditional RPGs. Although this definitely is not a new concept I found it quite refreshing and helped break up some of the monotonous trekking across the vast map, all the while allowing you to interact with some warm, albeit bizarre, characters providing an additional little charm to break up the often haunting backdrops.

If you were a fan of the character Hornet from the original game, you will not be disappointed in how Silksong allows you to be Hornet. Diving through the sky, sprinting along vast plains there isn’t much more anybody could ask for from a Hollow Knight sequel. A part of me wants to just play all day and night to get to the end of this wonderful experience before then restarting it again. Nevertheless, another part of me wants to cherish these experiences, the first-time awe upon discovering another secret, the thrill of finally defeating that boss after far too many embarrassing attempts.

So in a world where your average ‘triple A’ game can cost up to $100, where microtransactions are trying to claw every single last cent out of you, this affordable game, that is stuffed so full of love and passion is an absolute must. Though play the original first, if you haven’t already.