The release of Team Cherry’s next game, Hollow Knight: Silksong, may still be off in the distance, but it is definitely getting closer. Last fans heard, this highly anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight is still in production, which is welcome news after several years of radio silence from the development team. Hollow Knight: Silksong commands a lot of hype regardless of its release status, though, which speaks to just how beloved its predecessor is. In the packed field of indie Metroidvanias, Hollow Knight still stands tall, and Hollow Knight: Silksong could reach even greater heights.
One way that the sequel could surpass its predecessor is through an expansion of its core features. Hollow Knight: Silksong will be even larger than the first game, featuring a whole new map in the Kingdom of Pharloom. Its protagonist, Hornet, is set to be even more capable than the original Hollow Knight’s Knight, with abilities ranging from increased mobility to a new tool crafting system, and she can even speak back to NPCs. However, despite the many new features that will appear in Silksong, it may still be prudent for the game to fall back on some of the enemies that worked best for Hollow Knight.
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There is Nothing Preventing Hollow Knight’s Weirdest Boss From Returning in Silksong
Hollow Knight is filled with incredible boss fights, and one of the game’s most memorable bosses could make a comeback in Silksong.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Could Use Well-Rounded Foes
The original Hollow Knight was populated by several groups of enemy warriors, including:
- Sentry Husks
- Mantises and Traitor Mantises
- The Fools
Comparable groups that are filled with grounded warriors, projectile users, heavy units, and flying foes are expected to be introduced in Hollow Knight: Silksong, but, given how open Pharloom is, some members of the original factions could return as well. Mantises and aspiring Fools are the obvious choices, but wandering Moss Knights, who are normally servants of Unn exclusively found in Greenpath, could provide especially exciting callback fights. Bringing a shield to bear against Hornet’s fierce assault could make them just as fearsome and distinct as they were in the original game.
Baldurs Could Serve As New Kinds Of Barriers In Hollow Knight: Silksong
Another way that Silksong could call back to the early hours of Hollow Knight would be to include Baldurs. These heavily-armored bugs are divided into small rolling Baldurs, their Colosseum of Fools variant (Sharp Baldurs), and the imposing Elder Baldurs that typically serve as choke points to ensure that players find certain upgrades in Hollow Knight. Elder Baldurs would block all physical attacks, while remaining open to long-range magic and spawning Baldurs that the Knight could slay for Soul. Baldurs could serve a similar role if they were to return in Silksong, provided that they were adjusted to respond to Hornet’s expanded arsenal.
More Soul-Using Enemies Could Spice Up Hollow Knight: Silksong
Speaking of Soul, the Soul Twisters and Soul Warriors of the Soul Sanctum, as well as the Colosseum’s Volt Twisters, could bring their magical studies to bear once more in Silksong. Although the Kingdom of Pharloom seems to prefer mystical silk and song over Soul, a splinter group could still be holed up in one corner of the region. These magical foes made for some of Hollow Knight’s more mobile battles, and they could work wonderfully alongside Hornet’s enhanced mobility.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Needs To Keep The Element of Surprise
Hornet’s mobility will be very useful when something sneaks up on the player, and Hollow Knight had several enemies designed to surprise and unnerve, including:
- Belflies
- Corpse Creepers
- Flukemons
- Grub Mimics
All of these creatures subverted the normal flow of combat in some way, either by initiating the fight before a player could properly prepare or by spawning new enemies from their corpses. Flukemons splitting into two halves that revived at different times were especially devious. And even after a player has seen every threat Hollow Knight has to offer, from Deepnest to the Infected Crossroads, they’ll still be sent scrambling by the cry of a Belfly.
Spiders Should Feature Prominently In Hollow Knight: Silksong
More explosive surprises can be found in the infamous tunnels of Hollow Knight‘s Deepnest, courtesy of the Stalking Devours guarding its farthest reaches. These spiders tormented players by occupying choke points, just like the Elder Baldurs, but they could move and unleash surprisingly ferocious assaults while blocking with their masks. A few tweaks to these encounters could allow them to fit perfectly into Silksong, though the more pressing matter is whether Little Weavers will return in the sequel. These enemies are nothing special on their own, but if Pharloom is the true homeland of Hollow Knight’s absent Weaver Tribe, it would be good to see them in their proper context.
Wacky Mushrooms Could Round Out Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Cast
There is one other tribe that doesn’t need to be confined to Hallownest, and it’s the Mushroom Tribe. Found in Hollow Knight’s Fungal Wastes, these odd living mushrooms could theoretically have colonies in any locale. Shrumal Warriors, Shrumal Ogres, and the nonthreatening Shrumelings add some nice flavor to their surroundings, even if they aren’t the most deadly of foes. Their reappearance in Silksong could also let them speak as quest NPCs, something that a staff-wielding Shrumal Warrior was seen doing in a 2014 Hollow Knight trailer. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s best reason for bringing the Mushroom Tribe back, however, is that their faces and voice clips are charming, and Hollow Knight’s dark fantasy setting wouldn’t be complete without the contrast provided by its cute characters.
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Team Cherry
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Team Cherry