Hollow Knight: Silksong was confirmed a long time ago. There has been information shared by Team Cherry since, but the infrequent trickle of details has failed to suffice for fans who are eagerly anticipating a release date. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase appearance was its most significant in a while, and may have also been its biggest indication as to when fans can expect the Hollow Knight sequel to launch.
The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase was oriented around the marketing of a 2022 and 2023 roadmap for Xbox Game Pass titles. Everything revealed was explicitly stated to release within the next 12 months, and as such it seems Hollow Knight: Silksong will also release within the year. Until this release, however, fans deserve something for their anticipation and excitement, so Hollow Knight: Silksong could consider a playable demo.
Splatoon’s Recent Splatfest Demonstrates the Merit of a Playable Demo
Splatoon 3 releases next week, but an early demo was recently offered that let players in on the action of its Rock, Paper, Scissors Splatfest. This Splatfest World Premiere could be installed early, wherein players would not be able to engage in any of Splatoon 3’s Tricolor Turf War battles, but could customize their avatar and associate themselves with the amenities around Splatsville.
The event launched soon thereafter and allowed players to select their desired team before hopping into live multiplayer matches. Not only was this Splatfest World Premiere a fun way for new players to become acquainted with the game, it also introduced all players to its new Splatfest system.
Its Tricolor Turf Wars integrate a complicated phase with three separate teams vying for victory, and this was a great chance for players to try to learn the ins-and-outs of that new match structure. The demo was smart to present itself as a “world premiere” celebration, proving successful in terms of whetting fans’ appetites before the game’s actual release. Hollow Knight: Silksong is a much different game, but could undeniably find success with this approach.
A Hollow Knight: Silksong Demo Could Tide Fans Over for a While
Because fans have waited so long for Hollow Knight: Silksong, a playable demo in the months before its release would be a balm. Hollow Knight is a challenging metroidvania-platformer with intense combat, rewarding mastery of each mechanic and ability to traverse perilous environments and defeat enemies.
The little that has been shown from Hollow Knight: Silksong looks similar in terms of moment-to-moment gameplay, though this time around it features Hornet, a former antagonist and eventual ally. Hollow Knight released in 2017, and it is likely that fans will either be completely new to the franchise when Hollow Knight: Silksong releases, or perhaps players’ muscle memories will have atrophied.
Having a demo sometime before the sequel’s release could offer the same opportunity that Splatoon 3’s offered, where players could become acquainted with Hornet’s unique abilities and perhaps clear a short sequence in the game. Even if fans were well-acquainted with the original game, it would still be a nice way for Team Cherry to extend an olive branch out to those who are left anticipating a release date to drop. It is unknown if a demo will be provided, but there would be no better way to grow fans’ excitement and reward them for their patience.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
