Hollow Knight: Silksong Could Top The Original By Borrowing One Elden Ring Strategy

Summary

As far as follow-up releases go,Hollow Knight: Silksongis one that has been cooking on the slow burner for a long time. The hype train for the highly anticipated sequel rises and wanes with each major passing showcase where nothing happens, with Team Cherry’s conspicuous silence at Nintendo Direct dashing fan hopes after a fresh wave of expectation. However, its protracted absence doesn’t mean its popularity is waning, not by any stretch. And if the developer takes a leaf out ofElden Ring’s playbook, it may buy much-needed time and relevance for whenSilksongis eventually ready to be rolled out.

Games that prove especially difficult to complete are seeing an elevation in status and clout in the industry, and more developers are cashing in on the trend that the Soulslike genre kickstarted withDemon’s Soulsback in 2009. FromSoftware has dominated this sphere in the past and is continuing to do so withElden Ring, butHollow Knightmanaged to carve out a staunch following for itself in a crowded range of AAA competitors with its Metroidvania gameplay. It’s whySilksongis so highly anticipated, and despite several disappointments since its announcement in 2019, Team Cherry could recapture the magic that made the originalHollow Knightso special by going down theElden Ringroute of a mega DLC.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Tag Page Cover Art

Silksong Could Benefit from A Pivot in DLC Approach

It’s not often that content packs further the base game’s offerings with more than extra story credits, but the originalHollow Knightexcelled in this regard, especially in the Grimm Troupe and Godmaster DLCs. Some ofHollow Knight’s best endingswere added through the Godmaster DLC, while the Grimm pack brought new enemies that stretched the limits of players' skills. It’s hard to say which was more challenging between the base game and DLCs – some even say the added content was tougher to get by.Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree is perceived in a similar light, and it gives Team Cherry something to think about.

Hollow Knight’s four DLCs came out within eighteen months of the base game; a remarkably short turnaround for additional content. All four contributed in their unique ways to makingHollow Knightthe complete package it eventually became, butElden Ringproposes a new and direct method of attack.Elden Ringwas confirmed to only be getting one DLC– a decision that raised eyebrows concerning leaving a ripe post-launch campaign on the table. Naturally, after a steaming launch in February 2022, interest waned as months turned into years while Shadow of the Erdtree was still being developed.

Less Quantity, More Quality is the New Watchword for Soulslike Games

However, the singular DLC has proven to yield dividends for FromSoftware, with the gameplay trailer reveal in March renewing interest in The Lands Between anddoublingElden Ring’s player count on Steam. Since its release, it has proven to be one of the hardest singular pieces of gaming to beat, with popular Twitch streamers like Kai Cenat even resorting to hiring therapists to rant about the sheer difficulty. The extra media attention from streamers has been invaluable forElden Ring’s hype bump, and it’s a strategy that Team Cherry could adopt withSilksong.

LikeElden Ring,Hollow Knighthad notorious bosses that weren’t for the faint of heart, and the DLCs added an extra layer of difficulty, albeit on a smaller scale than Shadow of the Erdtree. ConsolidatingHollow Knight’s content packsinto a singular campaign like FromSoftware did inSilksongis an obvious play for Team Cherry, especially given the tractionElden Ringhas regained. A solitary large-scale DLC could expand Hornet’s story without breaks and perhaps even surpass the originalHollow Knight, and it’s an option worth exploring for the developer. It’s still unclear when to expectSilksong, but Shadow of the Erdtree has already presented a viable blueprint for its post-launch.