Although Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most anticipated games going into 2021, players might be surprised to learn that it was originally intended to be DLC for the original Hollow Knight. Featuring the nimble princess knight Hornet, Hollow Knight: Silksong was always supposed to take place in a brand new world, but it quickly became too large and unique to remain a DLC.
Since the original announcement in 2019, not much information has been revealed about Hollow Knight: Silksong. Apart from some trailers and a small demo at E3, Team Cherry has been quiet regarding development, and there has been no definitive release date announced. Nonetheless, players are excited as Hollow Knight: Silksong's transformation from DLC to a standalone game will likely make it worth the wait.
The Benefits of a Full Game Over DLC
Since the original release of Hollow Knight back in 2017, Team Cherry has worked hard to continuously bring fresh content to the game through three content packs: Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, and Godmaster. Unlike most DLC upgrades that players are familiar with, these content packs were free and fully integrated into the base game. Similarly, Hollow Knight: Silksong was originally planned to be a DLC for the Hollow Knight, but it quickly became too big due to Team Cherry's ambition and was turned into a standalone game as a result. While this decision is likely why information about Hollow Knight: Silksong has been sparse, the transformation also has a number of benefits as well.
As revealed by Team Cherry, Hollow Knight: Silksong will feature a brand new setting called the Kingdom of Pharloom. Whereas players descended to the depths of Hallownest in Hollow Knight, Hornet must ascend to the peak of the Kingdom of Pharloom. Although it might've been feasible to add the Silksong chapter as a DLC or different chapter to the original Hollow Knight, it's easy to see how the new setting in Hollow Knight: Silksong has enough content to function as a brand new game. Moreover, it allows Team Cherry to have more creative freedom with their ideas as they aren't limited by the constraints of a DLC. New game modes, enemies, mechanics, and levels are continuously being added and this allows Team Cherry to flesh out ideas and not be forced to scrap certain features.
Gameplay and Mechanic Changes in Hollow Knight: Silksong
Although the playstyle of Hollow Knight: Silksong will likely be similar to the Metroidvania-styled exploration and combat of Hollow Knight, there are distinct differences that help the game feel like a new adventure. Hornet seems to be a much different protagonist from Knight as she offers a much more acrobatic approach to combat, leaping over enemies and wielding a needle and thread.
Unlike Knight, Hornet also has the ability to speak which gives her more personality and allows players to understand her motivations. Even if players aren't familiar with the original Hollow Knight, it's much easier for them to understand the mysterious world and lore surrounding them. Though it's unmistakably Hollow Knight in how it feels and plays, Hollow Knight: Silksong is already shaping up to be a different experience from its predecessor.
Apart from a playstyle change, Hollow Knight: Silksong also brings new mechanics such as a crafting system for weapons, tools, and traps, over 150 new enemies, and a brand new game mode. Similar to the original Steel Soul mode in Hollow Knight that made death permanent, this new game mode called the Silk Soul mode should offer players a unique challenge.
Hollow Knight: Silksong will also feature new NPCs, towns, and quests for players to explore and undertake. The sheer amount of new content in Hollow Knight: Silksong means that it'll function much better as a standalone game as the constraints of a DLC would likely cause development problems along the way. Though this means that fans likely won't get new information about Hollow Knight: Silksong in the foreseeable future, it also means that Team Cherry is able to bring a whole new experience to the Hollow Knight series and explore its full potential.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is currently in development for PC and Switch.