Nowadays, 2D Soulslike platformers are a dime a dozen, but every now and then, a little gem slips through the cracks and breaks the mold. A few years ago, this was Hollow Knight, a game which immediately took the world by storm with its brutal but fair difficulty and adorably dark art style. While great Soulslikes have come and gone in the years since, fans have longed for a new Hollow Knight experience, and in 2019, fans would receive word that a sequel was on the way: Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Despite being announced three years ago, fans have heard almost nothing from Hollow Knight: Silksong's developer, Team Cherry. There have been no real gameplay details, no story details, and barely even any concept art shown from the sequel. While the vast majority of fans understand that the radio silence is due to the developers wanting to ensure that the game lives up to its lofty expectations, that doesn't make time go any faster. In fact, Hollow Knight: Silksong's lengthy development has become such a talking point in the gaming community that even Indie developers are starting to take shots.
Haiku the Robot's Hollow Knight: Silksong Easter Egg
Released at the end of April, Haiku the Robot is another Soulslike Metroidvania, clearly inspired somewhat by Hollow Knight and the rest of the pantheon of modern classic Indie titles. Players take control of the titular spherical robot as they make their way through a series of factories, each filled with malfunctioning mechanical beings.
As player dodge, dash, and smash their way through the game's cute pixelated world, they'll start to unlock new gear that lets them traverse to previously locked areas, making for the typical Metroidvania affair. From the moment Haiku the Robot is booted up, it's clear that the game wears its inspirations on its sleeve, yet it still manages to feel like a fresh take on the often overdone formula, which is an impressive feat.
This clear inspiration even stretches to some of the game's Easter eggs, with one in particular being a pretty humorous, pretty scathing shot at Hollow Knight: Silksong. When stumbling upon one of the game's graveyards, players can read a few inscriptions on the tombstones. One of these inscriptions reads, "To those in the distant future, should you find my grave, I ask this: is Silksong out yet?"
The message is loud and clear, being an obvious reference to the long-awaited sequel's lengthy development. What makes this Easter egg even more scathing is that it actually comes from one of Haiku the Robot's Kickstarter backers, who supported the project two years ago. This means that this Silksong Easter egg is actually almost two years old, being written no later than September 2020, and now two years later, Silksong is still without a release date.
This Hollow Knight: Silksong Easter egg certainly sums up how many fans of the series feel, while keeping everything nice and lighthearted. Coincidentally, this fits in perfectly with Haiku the Robot's breezy tone and bright visuals, which go a long way in making the recent Soulslike really stand out from the crowd. Fans of 2D Metroidvanias and Soulslikes should definitely check out Haiku the Robot while they wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong, as this message is proof that the wait for the game could continue to be a long one.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is currently in development.
