Hollow Knight: Silksong Has a Challenging Tight Rope To Walk With Its Characters

Highlights

Hollow Knight: Silksong is shaping up to be just as charming and innovative as its predecessor, with a new protagonist and setting.
Silksong will need to produce compelling and unique characters to match the diverse and memorable NPCs of the original game.
If Silksong can recapture the spirit of its quirky characters while offering a fresh experience, it has the potential to be a hit.

It feels like an eternity since Hollow Knight: Silksong was first revealed, but that hasn’t stopped the hype train from speeding around Team Cherry’s impending sophomore release. While Silksong‘s release date remains murky, all other signs suggest that the game is shaping up to be just as charming, captivating, and innovative as its predecessor.

But it certainly has some large shoes to fill. The original Hollow Knight broke through the usual din of the games industry as a $15 Metroidvania by a team of just three developers, making it one of the biggest breakout indie success stories. Its quality can be attributed to a number of key factors, not the least of which is its tight gameplay and exploration, which demonstrate a strong grasp of Metroidvania fundamentals. That said, the game’s stellar design hinges on its enthralling world: the lore and denizens of Hallownest are part of what make Hallow Knight so unforgettable, and with Hollow Knight: Silksong taking place in the far away land of Pharloom, Team Cherry will essentially need to start from scratch in this area.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Needs to Produce Compelling and Unique Characters

The Characters of Hollow Knight Are Special

From the intimidating Mantis Lords to the bumbling Zote, Hollow Knight is bursting at the seams with likable and intriguing NPCs. Something that helps Hallow Knight‘s cast stand out is its diversity: the game is about as bleak as one would expect a Souls-inspired title to be, but it has just as many comedic and cute characters as dark and creepy ones. Ethereal and mysterious NPCs like the Dreamers and the Godseeker buttress the sense of fantasy adventure offered by the game, while goofy characters like Cornifer, Mister Mushroom, and Salubra offer levity and humor—something that’s crucial in a game that can often feel oppressively dark and lonely.

At the same time, endearing characters like Bretta and Grubfather add heart to Hallownest, reminding players that it is a world worth fighting for.

All of this is supported by Hollow Knight‘s distinct art style, as each character is depicted in a simple, yet deeply expressive way. Indeed, it’s hard to forget NPCs like White Lady and Midwife (for better or worse) due to their striking appearance. With no human-like beings in the game, and no traditional voice acting, the art design and animation go a long way toward characterization.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Will Probably Replicate Hollow Knight’s Approach to Characters

While it’s safe to assume that Silksong will have a different tone than its predecessor, what with it having a new setting, story, and fundamentally distinct protagonist, certain aspects will surely be retained. Based on the little information currently available, it looks like Silksong will have a good variety of NPCs, and if it has a similar gameplay loop as the original, it will most likely need to have a wealth of friendly characters to interact with.

Assuming it has a good amount of friendly side characters, alongside a similar approach to quest design, Team Cherry will surely aim to capture the same diversity of personalities as the first game. Otherwise, the game runs the risk of feeling overly bleak or, worse, dull.

Whether Silksong‘s characters are as weird as Hollow Knight‘s is to be determined, as the first game set the bar pretty high in this category. Team Cherry’s singular writing style shines through its memorable characters, and these NPCs can often be the heart and soul of the experience thanks to their strange, unsettling, or heartwarming traits. If Hollow Knight: Silksong can recapture the spirit of this cast of characters, while still being a fresh experience, it will be well on its way toward being as good or better than the hit that preceded it.