It’s easy to see comparisons betweenHollow KnightandOri and the Will of the Wisps, especially looking at the original game in theOriseries. However, where the two contrast shows howupcomingHollow Knight: Silksongcould grow by looking at the way its comparative series updated itself in its own sequel.
In some cases, the features thatHollow Knight: Silksongshould borrow are either updates to existing mechanics from the original, such as fast travel, or some of the new ideas that bothOrititles pioneered. It could help raise the stakes of certain moments, and more permanently alter the new world that Hornet will travel through like what happened with the Infected Crossroads inHollow Knight.
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Improved Access to Fast Travel
The most important aspect of ametroidvania likeHollow Knightis the map itself, complete with interconnected areas that slowly unlock as players earn abilities to assist in traversal. As a result, a major part of the originalHollow Knightincludes walking through the various locales repeatedly. There are some fast travel mechanics in the original, such as the Stagway, but the locations and costs for these can still make hunting down specific charms and secrets a hassle.
A simple solution to this issue theOriseries used is allowing the player to instantly warp between the Spirit Wells directly from the map. There is a way to make this work similarly inHollow Knightby only resting at benches near the Stagway, but that can make the path to bosses and other challenges brutally long for the sake of active fast travel. Giving players a more immediate way back to the fast travel locations throughHollow Knight: Silksong’s biomescould go a long way to easing struggles in the endgame.
Ori’s Chases Through Hazardous Environments
In many cases, neitherOrititle excels when it comes to the boss fights, instead letting the platforming stand as the star of the show, including during the final encounter. Considering platforming is one of the high points forHollow Knightas well, with one of its most notorious DLC additions being the Path of Pain, this might be somewhere for Team Cherry to take inspiration. One of the most impressive showings even withlimited abilities in theOriseriesis the escape from the Ginso Tree.
This type of high-stakes situation with a ticking clock threatening to kill the player if they wait too long to make decisions could enhance some of the Team Cherry’s platforming. Specifically, ifHollow Knight: Silksong’s new areasinclude a high-level platforming section like the White Palace and Path of Pain, this chase and escape mechanic could enhance these difficult moments. While these sections often acted as boss encounters inOri and the Blind Forest, they could also be strong additions to theHollow Knightseries.
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An Evolution of the Bash Ability
When it comes to comparing and contrastingHollow Knightwith eitherOrititle, it’s impossible not to mention the Bash ability that sets Moon Studios' development apart. It’s a unique ability inOrithat allows for extended traversal, as well as redirecting enemy attacks back toward them or in other directions to open secrets. Some fans ofother metroidvaniatitles like the retro-styledShovel Knightmight recognize the same idea in the Specter of Torment campaign as a key to traversal.
The key wouldn’t be to simply drag and drop Bash intoHollow Knight: Silksong, but to give Hornet an evolution of the ability involving her needle and string. Since Hornet’s weapon sets her apart from the Knight in the original and all other fighters seen to use a nail, giving it special abilities would work with what has beenshown ofHollow Knight: Silksongso far. What might work best could be to rework the Bash into a type of grab that could only work with the string Hornet uses.
This could be accomplished by Hornet temporarily containing her target in a cocoon of string. The utility wouldn’t be quite the same as redirecting attacks, but could give an extra boost to height while also giving players a needed moment’s reprieve from the onslaught of enemies. Overall, the key to taking thislesson from another title intoHollow Knight: Silksongis more about evolution than it is about directly pulling features and mechanics from a quality competitor likeOri.
Hollow Knight: Silksongis currently in development.
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