After over five years of waiting, the popular indie game Hollow Knight has finally released its newest addition to the franchise: Silk Song. Released on Sep. 4, many fans worldwide rushed to their computers to buy the game that was teased back in 2017.
Praised for its affordable cost compared to others of the same quality, millions of people flocked to websites such as Steam, Nintendo Eshop, and PlayStation Store, and almost at once, they all crashed as purchases for the $20 game came crashing in. Critics blamed these hosting platforms for not being able to anticipate and prepare for the sheer number of users that would be trying to purchase the game. Steam reported to have over a hundred thousand players exploring the game within only 30 minutes of its release, and as a result, the servers were overloaded and crashed alongside all other platforms.
Hollow Knight is a critically acclaimed indie game created by Team Cherry, a developer studio based in Australia with only 3 main developers. It was originally released as a Game Jam prototype back in 2013, but was later made into a full game through Kickstarter, raising over $57,000 AU for its development. It made its debut in 2017, releasing on PC before later expanding and being added to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and even Xbox. It gained much popularity, being able to sell millions of copies, and was approved for a DLC (Downloadable Content). This later evolved and changed into a full sequel of the game, and after much anticipation, it was released. By the end of the first week, it had over five million players and generated over $100 million.
The game is set in an insect kingdom, filled with different levels and places to explore and discover. It is praised for its elaborate and ambient, almost atmospheric art and smooth animations, as well as its immersive nature and the story. The new release of Silksong mirrors much of its prequel yet expands upon the world further, adding new areas of the vast kingdom to uncover, new game mechanics to uncover, and a new main character to follow– a hornet in the Pharloom kingdom.
With beautiful storytelling, immersive and beautiful art, and a truly compelling game, Hollow Knight has created not only a dedicated fanbase but one they can count on to be flexible, supportive, and love whatever Team Cherry decides to make next.