Highlights
- Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2 maintain strong qualities without needing drastic changes to succeed and deliver on promises.
- Both games set themselves apart with ingenuity, gameplay, storytelling, and atmosphere, retaining their uniqueness in the industry.
- While change isn't necessary, some updates and fresh additions to gameplay, structure, or narrative could enhance them individually.
Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2 will be following up on two of the most critically acclaimed indie games of all time, so developers Team Cherry and Supergiant Games are facing some fairly lofty expectations. But while such high expectations might prompt a more drastic overhaul or evolution of Hollow Knight or Hades' formulas, neither sequel needs to make such significant changes to be successful and deliver on its promises.
Though there are countless reasons why these games resonate with so many players, it's fair to say that a common point of praise is their ingenuity and originality. Indeed, although a clear line can be drawn from games like Metroid and The Binding of Isaac to Hollow Knight and Hades respectively, both games do enough to set themselves apart from their inspirations, carving out solid footholds in the industry through strong gameplay mechanics, vibrant storytelling, and dense, memorable atmosphere and charm. Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong are primed to retain these strong qualities.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's Hornet Deserves Her Own Rival
With Hollow Knight: Silksong expected to launch in the near future, it seems fitting that Hornet, the protagonist of the sequel, gets her own rival.
Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2 Don't Need to Change Much
Both Hollow Knight and Silksong Have Plenty of Potential
Hollow Knight isn't perfect, but it accomplishes what it sets out to be: a challenging, immersive, and atmospheric gameplay experience within the Metroidvania framework. Similarly, Hades aims to provide a fast-paced roguelike gameplay loop with light RPG elements and an intimate narrative featuring an ensemble cast.
Although details about the long-awaited Hollow Knight sequel are sparse, the gameplay that's been made available indicates a visibly different experience, though not on a fundamental level. Silksong will almost certainly make some changes (Hornet's more fluid and lethal combat suggests as much), but it looks like the core gameplay pillars of Metroidvania exploration, deceptively complex combat, and sharp 2D platforming will be very similar to the first game, which would be completely fine; if it isn't broken, don't fix it. Hades 2 looks to be following a similar path, implementing changes that are iterative rather than revolutionary.
Certain sequels, like Mass Effect 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 , benefit greatly from being vastly different from their predecessors, while others, like the recent God of War Ragnarok , have been able to satisfy audiences with more subtle changes.
Change Isn't Necessary for Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades 2, But Wouldn't Be Unwelcome
That said, Hades 2 and Hollow Knight: Silksong could definitely make some changes, even if major updates and evolutions aren't necessarily prerequisites for them to be enjoyable. While there are no doubt countless players who would be happy with more of the same, updates to some of the games' rougher edges and new, surprising additions would make each sequel feel fresh and exciting, rather than just acceptable.
Ultimately, it all comes back to originality and artistic vision. A game like Hades 2 won't be good because it emulates another popular game or franchise, but because it stays true to Supergiant's design philosophy, and the same can be said for Hollow Knight: Silksong. So, while each game could 'get away' with being identical to its progenitors, some more major, noticeable changes to gameplay, structure, or narrative would still be welcome.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Franchise
- Hollow Knight
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , PC , macOS , Linux
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
- Team Cherry
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania
