The wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong continues. Announced in 2019, this combat-focused metroidvania follows up on the heels of the like-minded Hollow Knight. The original game was released in early 2017, and spread to consoles over the course of the next two years. It caught on like wildfire, and the fandom has been thriving ever since then. The modding and challenge run scenes are going especially strong right now, as the community takes matters into its own hands to keep itself entertained in the long wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong.
However, in the meantime, there are some indie games that could scratch similar itches to Hollow Knight. 2D action games like Skul: The Hero Slayer and Underhero can fulfill the role of a combat platforming experience, and metroidvanias like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth can satisfy the need for exploration. While the crowdfunded Crowsworn may not release before Silksong does, it could provide a more direct analogue to Hollow Knight. However, there is another title that could stave off the burning need for Silksong. It's not an action game, a metroidvania, or a platformer, though it does have elements of all three genres. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling isn't linked to Hollow Knight in any way, yet the two indie darlings feel cut from the same cloth.
What is Bug Fables?
Initially titled Paper Bugs, Bug Fables is a turn-based RPG developed by independent Panamanian developer Moonsprout Games. After a few years in development, it received its final name, as well as an IndieGoGo campaign in 2018. Come late 2019, the game was out on PC storefronts, and like Hollow Knight, appeared on other platforms the following year. Bug Fables intended to carry on the legacy of the first two Paper Mario games, as the developers were old fans unsatisfied with the direction the franchise had taken. From fan reports, this effort is a success, and Bug Fables stands alongside those old Mario RPGs as an all-time great.
Bug Fables is a lot like Hollow Knight in some ways, the most prominent being its aesthetic. While their use of color couldn't be more different, Bug Fables and Hollow Knight's cartoonish insect characters and worlds resemble each other. They also both deal with fantasy elements and old kingdoms ruled by said bugs. These visual commonalities are strong enough that there has been some confusion online as to whether these games are in the same series. They are not, but a Hollow Knight player could easily imagine Bug Fables taking place in a distant, much brighter corner of Hollow Knight's world.
How Bug Fables Relates to Hollow Knight
While they both share worlds full of cute bug people, it takes more than aesthetic similarities to measure up to Hollow Knight. That's where some other comparisons between these two indies come in. Bug Fables was made in response to dissatisfaction with the newer Paper Mario games, and intended to bring back 64 and The Thousand Year Door's storytelling and action command-based combat systems with modern knowledge and polish.
Hollow Knight, meanwhile, is a clear callback to old-school Metroid and Castlevania titles, neither of which have been officially made in a long time. Even with Metroid Dread finally on its way, there are still things Hollow Knight does that help it stand out from the growing metroidvania crowd.
Hollow Knight and Bug Fables are standout games in their respective genres, and all of their good work is in service of taking players on grand adventures through their inspired worlds. That's the main reason why, in spite of all of their differences, Bug Fables can still act as a stand-in for Hollow Knight: Silksong. They both take players on huge journeys through their respective bug kingdoms, meeting plenty of friends and foes along the way.
The main Bug Fables trio are more talkative than the little Knight, but they all show their charm just the same. Fans getting a little tired of just replaying Hollow Knight in preparation for Silksong ought to add Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling sessions into their rotation. They may just find a new bug game to love.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC and Switch.