What to play while waiting for

Hollow Knight: Silksong

We are only a few months away from when Microsoft said Silksong would be released. However, maybe you're looking for something to scratch that itch until Silksong comes out or maybe even by the time you are viewing this Silksong will have already come out. Whatever the case here are six options to play if you like Team Cherry and what they have done with the world of Hallownest.

The most important thing to do is to figure out the reasons why Hollow Knight is so revered and Silksong is as hyped as it is. This will make it easy to try to find games with a lot of similar elements.

KEY ELEMENTS OF HOLLOW KNIGHT

• Traditional Metroidvania

• Strong Platfroming Elements

• Responsive and Demanding Controls

• Plenty of optional endgame content

• Strong Art Style

• Imaginative World

• Strong Enemy/Boss Design

• Tough Combat

These are just 8 major points and the reasoning for listing them out is so that we can make an original list that can venture outside of the Metroidvania genre. If the game has a lot of the same key features it shouldnt matter what the genre is.

It would be easy to just list 5 or 10 Metroidvanias that have been made since 2017 and have been greatly inspired by Hollow Knight. The hope is that we can provide an original list that might make you try something outside of the Metroidvania genre or a game you might have missed when it came out as each of these six games all released in different years. Here are six games to play while waiting for Silksong or after finishing:

Games like Silksong

Have a Nice Death (2023)

Have a Nice Death was made by Magic Design with many who previously worked at Ubisoft Montpellier and helped developed the Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. The only reason that Have a Nice Death isn’t a slam dunk is because it’s a roguelite and this might push some people away but it does check a lot of the boxes. Responsive controls, plenty of secrets to discover, multiple endings, strong art style, imaginative world. If you open to a roguelite that scratches a lot of the same itches, Have a Nice Death will help pass the time.

Celeste (2018)

Celeste is an amazing game that is full of similarities with Hollow Knight. It has hard platforming elements but with the extremely responsive controls, everything lies in your hands. The visuals are beautiful but in a less melancholy way than Hallownest. The audio and score are top notch to the point that you could just leave the title screen on and enjoy your time with the game. Then there is the imaginative world and story that goes places that most games don’t with mental health if you want it . It might not have combat but if you are looking for something to provide a very difficult challenge, Celeste is it. Thats also not even talking about the secret rooms and collectibles hidden all over the world.

Hyper Light Drifter (2016)

Heart Machines Debut title, Hyper Light Drifter, is one of my top indie games of all time. There are so many overlapping elements if you liked Hollow Knight, you should love Hyper Light Drifter. The world is immersive with strong themes of hopelessness and danger. The art style is amazing, the soundtrack is something you would want to listen to after playing, the bosses are challenging, and the controls are responsive. HLD is a masterclass in execution across all aspects. As an added bonus, it will also help get you up to speed for Hyper Light Breaker, which is due to hit early access at the end of 2023.

Tunic (2022)

There is no point in beating around the bush, Tunic doesn’t have responsive controls. So if that was the main reason you liked Hollow Knight, this fox won’t be for you. It does check a lot of the other boxes though. The visuals are stunning, the score is magical, and the world is begging to be explored. There is plenty of backtracking and secrets abound as well as multiple endings, tough combat and bosses. Some people found the combat to be off putting, but it is much more methodical. If the world was what you loved about Hollow Knight, Tunic might be for you.

Hades (2020)

Most people that love Hollow Knight, like exploring, upgrading and uncovering every inch of Hallownest. This isn’t the same experience in most roguelites where everything is erased when you die with minimal progress carrying over. Hades is built different. The story is the focal point of the game with dying over and over again is the main mechanic to progress the story line. The visuals are gorgeous, the controls are extremely responsive, the upgrades are fun and the boss battles will challenge you. It might be missing a few of the elements, but it’s got the rest of them in spades.

Death’s Door (2021)

The theory could be that if you like a world about bugs, you might like a world about crows. Seriously, if you haveb’t checked out Death’s Door and you are waiting for Silksong, you will likely enjoy your time. The world is fantastical in a Tim Burton-esque style and although not a Metroidvania, there are character upgrades constantly, plenty of backtracking, very tough combat and strangely odd boss fights that challenge the player. It is a rather short experience at around 10-12 hours, but you could do a lot worse while waiting for Silksong.