After years of delays and radio silence from its developers, it seems like Hollow Knight: Silksong might finally be released this year if the latest Nintendo Direct is anything to go by. While the lack of fanfare for such an anticipated title was more than a shock during its Nintendo Direct reveal, I was thrilled to see an update of any kind regarding its development. But with how long Silksong has been in development, it will need some significant improvements to beat the inevitable comparisons to its predecessor.

Silksong's biggest challenge will likely be finding ways to improve upon Hollow Knight's near-perfect formula, with some concerns that it might be removing some of the original's best aspects already. While it's far too early to make any comparisons just yet, Silksong already looks like it's going to offer a familiar yet fresh take on the classic Hollow Knight experience. While I have full confidence that Team Cherry can deliver another iconic gaming experience, there are still several areas that could be expanded upon in Hollow Knight's sequel, Silksong.

Adding New Ways To Customize Hornet

Adding More Personalization To Each Playthrough With Cosmetics

While it would be somewhat difficult to add given the simplistic art style of the series, some simple cosmetic options can go a long way to adding a sense of progression and variety to a playthrough. Compared to the simplistic design of the Knights' smaller frame, Hornet's more extravagant moveset and larger design offer a betting starting point for additional customization.

Even if it's just in the form of simple nail accessories or different colored dress options, adding little aspects of design can be a great way to add more life to both the game world and exploration. Whether gathered from careful exploration or NPC-related quests, cosmetic items are a great way to reward players for their dedication.

Making Each Area Stand Out With More Distinct Color Pallettes

Taking Advantage Of Silksong's Lively Kingdoms

There's no doubt that the hand-drawn art design of Hollow Knight is by far one of the game's best aspects that make it a timeless classic; its desolate setting can result in some areas seeming too identical. While the soft purples and blues that are so prevalent in places like Dirtmouth or the Raining City are perfectly atmospheric for the setting, they wouldn't make much sense in Silksong's seemingly prosperous kingdoms.

A fantastic way to more easily navigate the occasionally maze-like tunnels during exploration.

Not only does differentiating each area more drastically with varying color palettes and backgrounds help Silksong stand out from its predecessor, but it can also be a fantastic way to more easily navigate the occasionally maze-like tunnels during exploration. Thankfully, Silksong has already shown off its bright new color palette in spades, which will hopefully have plenty of surprises to reveal as its release date approaches.

Offering An Equally Powerful And Varied Set Of Weapons

Making Each Item A Valuable Part Of Hornet's Arsenal

Although Hollow Knight's combat fits the perfect balance between difficulty and display, the combat often boils down to simply hitting enemies with the same few attacks during limited windows of opportunity. While there were several systems in place, like parrying and spells to significantly spice up combat, there was no complete alternative for the Knight's trusty nail.

Just enough differences to make Hornet stand out as a unique protagonist.

Thankfully, the first gameplay trailers for Hollow Knight: Silksong have already revealed plenty of new combat mechanics and unique tools to aid you on your journey, with just enough differences to make Hornet stand out as a unique protagonist. Despite the upgrades, Silksong's biggest challenge is making each of these tools feel powerful enough to warrant using over the standard nail, whether it's through situational encounters or as an alternative upgrade from the trusty weapon.

Exploring Hollow Knight's Worldbuilding In Greater Detail

Helping To Learn More About The Intricate World Of Hollow Knight

Another of the Hollow Knight's standout aspects was its fantastic worldbuilding, creating a sense of scale and in-depth character stories akin to the likes of Dark Souls ​​​​​​itself. While the story going on behind the scenes of Hollow Knight's Metroidvania gameplay was surprisingly complex, the lore was often a bit hard to follow or understand in its entirety without outside help from explanation videos or articles.

The Hunter's Journal in Hollow Knight is already a fantastic start to fleshing out the game world, providing brief descriptions of enemies alongside a more in-depth analysis or perspective of their place in the world after slaying enough of them. Silksgsong could easily expand this function even more by adding a codex that logs story information learned throughout the game, or even collectible books going into greater detail about the history of Hollow Knight's kingdoms and characters.

Making Full Use Of Hornet's Toolkit For More Challenging Parkour & Puzzles

Making The White Palace Look Like A Cakewalk In Comparison

While the more challenging Parkour segments were a barrier of entry for some players, Hollow Knight's parkour segments were a classic staple of the genre. Encouraging detailed exploration, there were countless secrets, rewards, and hidden ageways for anyone making full use of Hollow Knight​​​​​​'s movement systems.

With Silksong adding even more moves and abilities to the mix, it could easily elevate the original's platforming segments.

With Silksong adding even more moves and abilities to the mix, it could easily elevate the original's platforming segments by offering unique ways to explore. Equipped with newfound tools and Hornet's powerful silk, there's even more potential for creating in-depth puzzles or utilizing her abilities in creative ways, with worthwhile rewards in exchange for the effort.

Dynamic Environments To Encourage Planned Decision-Making

Making Players Think Twice Before Embarking On A Journey

Aside from certain moments related to Hollow Knight's story progression, much of the world was primarily static, partly thanks to its desolate nature. While this predictability was a massive boon for speedrunners and easy replayability, adding more variety with dynamic weather events could be a fantastic way to mix up gameplay on the fly.

With the scale of a game like Hollow Knight: Silksong, it's easy to imagine rushing floods during heavy rainfall or spikes of volcanic activity making certain areas more difficult to traverse at times. Encouraging alternative routes or introducing challenging hazards, weather, and time of day systems could offer more engaging gameplay decisions. Even if they were implemented solely for specific quests or as background set dressing, it could help the world of Silksong feel even more alive.

More Complex Boss Encounters And Mechanics

Helping To Make Each Boss A More Memorable Experience

Hollow Knight's combat could be simplistic at times, but that didn't stop the iconic souls from adding countless interesting mechanics to make bosses stand out from each other. From boss fights involving the Knight facing off against multiple enemies at once, or unleashing barrages of attacks entirely unique to them, there are almost too many iconic fights to count in the series.

There are even more opportunities for Team Cherry to experiment by implementing more gimmicks into boss encounters.

With Silksong introducing brand-new abilities and combat mechanics, there are even more opportunities for Team Cherry to experiment by implementing more gimmicks into boss encounters. While it could easily break the flow of the game if overused, it would be great to see some bosses requiring unique use of Hornet's silk-related attacks, like pulling off an enemy's armor to reveal a weak spot or trapping them to make them helpless to your attacks.

An Expanded Map With Upgraded Navigational Abilities

Upping The Stakes With An Even Grander Scale

Given how many years of waiting it's been since the announcement of Hollow Knight: Silksong, there are already high expectations for the amount of content compared to the original. One of the most surefire ways to sur the legacy of its predecessor is by expanding the open world even more than before, offering a plethora of secret treasures and hidden paths to uncover.

While the world of Hallownest was by no means small, even the shorter areas could be a challenge to navigate at times without the help of a handy map. If the sequel really does end up being a massive Hollow Knight, both in gameplay and scale, Silksong will need additional navigation features to avoid becoming a nightmare to traverse over long gameplay sessions.

Introducing A More Robust Companion System

Helping The World Of Hollow Knight Feel A Little Less Lonely

There were already several boss fights in Hollow Knight that you could encounter alongside a companion, most notably being when the ever-mysterious Quirrel comes to the Knight's aid during his battle with Uumuu. While many of these events were scripted ahead of time as an essential part of the fight, adding hireable NPCs could allow for more detailed character quests and help out less confident players.

While it's an unlikely addition, given the massive resources it would take and the nature of the game itself, summon signs could potentially allow for co-op gameplay between players to fight alongside each other in boss battles.

With Hornet's ability to speak compared to the mute Knight, there's even more potential for detailed character dialogue, both in the open world segments and during boss fights. Similar to Dark Souls' summon signs, Silksong could introduce certain quest-related companions to aid you in challenging battles, while offering additional character moments and secret dialogue upon completion.

Incorporating Dialogue Into Decision-Making Gameplay

An Almost Necessary Addition Given Silksong's New Protagonist

In of Silksong's story compared to its predecessor, the largest difference in how it will have to be told comes from Hornet's ability to speak. While the transition from a silent to a voice protagonist is a challenging hurdle to overcome, it offers a silver lining with the potential to offer a branching storyline.

A silver lining with the potential to offer a branching storyline.

Despite only being a mute adventurer, there were still countless opportunities to affect both the world and the dynamic story of Hollow Knight through action alone. Combined with Hornet's ability to speak, there's even more potential for dialogue options and story decisions that could have significant effects during gameplay, aside from simply shouting during combat.

Only time will tell how detailed this change will be from Hollow Knight. However, if the 2025 release window is anything to go by, there won't be much time before the rest of Hollow Knight: Silksong's secrets are revealed.