(This is Lazare Chuzeville Banel from 2nd11 by the way, couldn't log in with my account)
Hello one and all
for my first article I want to talk about potentially my favorite game ever
and no, folks, it's not a Sonic game
(didn't see that coming, did you?)
I want to bring attention to Hollow Knight : Silksong
for those who don't know it, Hollow Knight (the original) is a 2017 indie game (indie=independant, means a game that was developped by a small team with no financial help from a company like Nintendo or Sega) made by Team Cherry, a team of two talented developpers. It's a Rogue Like (video game sub-genra where the player traverses a dungeon filled with hostile creatures) with a beautiful art direction, unlike any other before. The plot is simple: you play as a little Knight seeking to destroy the source of the Infection plaguing the land of Hallownest and making its inhabitants hostile. No, the character is not The Hollow Knight.
The Knight resting on a bench, this game's checkpoints ^
Hollow Knight was an extremely well-recieved game, for its art direction, its interesting characters, story, side-quests, free DLCs added months after the game's original release, the retail price already at a low 14.99 USD, and an outstanding soundtrack by Christopher Larkin you should totally listen to;(more detailed description of the game in an earlier article by a former student you can find on this blog), so the Internet went wild when Team Cherry announced an additional member would join them in creating a sequel even more ambitious than its predecessor: Silksong.
Silksong's synopsis is simple: Hornet, silk threader and fierce warrior, is captured and brought to the distant land of Pharloom, where she will have to fend off hords of enemies on her treck to the citadel, all the way up.
Hornet was already a fan-favorite from her appearance in Hollow Knight, so knowing we'd be able to play as her was enough to convince everyone to buy the game.
As an independant studio, Team Cherry was able to take as much time as they need to make the game as polished as possible. After months which turned into years of radio silence, the Internet started freaking out.
I, like many others, was looking forward to this game. I thought the teaser looked incredible, and honestly more fun than the prequel. Were we disapointed? Did it meet expectations?
It sure did.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is not only as good as the first, it trumps it. It takes everything that works, throws in new mechanics we just can't get enough of, and tops it up with a hefty load of tanky ennemies, hard platforming and nightmareish boss-fights.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think this is A game.
Let's break down what makes this a good game, shall we?
First and foremost, Hornet: she has the same abilities as the Knight, but cranked up to eleven. Her downwards swip allows her to move diagonally left or right into an enemy and backflipping off, which is ensentially the same thing as the knight, only with a new animation, except now I can add "being a cool guy" on my resume. Now, this also allows for some interesting platforming opportunities, but I'll come back to that later.
As part of her base roster, our crimson silk-weaver has her trustworthy needle, perfect for protecting oneself from the ever-present dangers of this foreign land. Hit enough enemies to fill your silk count, and you can activate certain abilities, most important of all, healing.
< Silkmeter and healthbar
As you progress, Hornet will unlock different abilities and tools, some mandatory, some hidden all across the map, giving an incentive to scour every nook and cranny.
You will need these to fend off the enemies, which the game contains a vast array of. You will be met with over two hundred unique foes, with variable healthbars and different ways to make you suffer. Saying there are a lot would be a vast understatement. In your playthrough, you will also encounter various bosses, trying to prevent you from moving upwards. These are carefully crafted, with easy to remember but complex attack patterns you need to recognize if you want to avoid a quick death followed by a surprise session of deep breathing. Silksong manages to make Hard rhyme with Good. While many a player complain the game is too difficult, it's difficult in its own way; when you die, you know it wasn't the game's fault, input lag, or whatever reason you might scream at your screen after dying to a Savage Beastfly for the one-millionth time. If you lose, it's because you didn't play properly. And when you do, when you finally manage to deal the final blow, it's all the more rewarding, you feel on top of the world.
Silksong, compared to Hollow Knight, knows what its audience is, and allows itself to be difficult from the start. You are immediately thrown into the action, calmly at first, but you're never babied, the game doesn't help you. Good luck finding your way in this giant maze without the help of the cartographer Shakra.
In addition, Christopher Larkin is back to give this game an epic soundtrack, which makes the boss-fights even more threatening and the careful platforming over looming abyss more ominous. As mentioned above, the downwards attack allows you to bounce off enemies into walls, which you can either jump off of or run up, given what tools you've obtained, making everyone's approach to platforming all the more unique.
Of course, the graphics are still stunning. Every zone is different, with varying hazards, and the background always sets you in the mood, with this level of detail you only get with indie games, not pressured by a release date or a budget... this is the work of dedicated nerds, made for dedicated nerds.
Even the pirating community are telling people to buy the game!
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