Hollow Knight is one of the greatest indie games of all time and is probably the best 2D action-platformer (Metroidvania) of all time. It’s Team Cherry’s first and only game, and it’s left its mark. So much so that eight years later, as gamers continue to wait and wait for the sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, which still doesn’t have a release date, other indie developers are coming in and doing their best to fill the vacuum.

Deviator, made by Gami Studio, might be the most egregious example, using a very, very similar art style and HUD as Hollow Knight. In fact, ‘Hollow-like’ is slowly becoming its own genre just as ‘Souls-like’ has become one. Other games such as Nine Sols are doing it as well: copying Hollow Knight’s hand-drawn art style and exacting combat, while possibly sprinkling a few original ideas and mechanics into the mix. However, for anyone who’s spent time with Hollow Knight, they know exactly what this is, and what audience they’re reaching for. Deviator is the most brazen example I’ve seen so far of a developer trying to duplicate Hollow Knight’s style and success.

Deviator may be a fine game in its own right, but after eight years, Team Cherry needs to release Silksong soon. I understand they’re a small team making a game that is large, complex, intricate, and difficult, but eight years is a long time to be working on one project, even for an indie team. There have been very few updates from Team Cherry, other than reassurances that development is going well. I’m not worried about the game itself, as Team Cherry has earned the benefit of the doubt. They seem to be adopting the old developer adage ‘we’ll release it when it’s finished’ that developers like Blizzard used to use, rather than rushing out an unfinished game and leaving gamers disappointed and angry. That’s completely understandable. However, it’s concerning seeing other lesser developers trying to take advantage of Silksong’s long gestation period in the meantime, and it’s a reminder that Silksong still isn’t out, nor does it even have a release date, or a release window at the time of this writing.

So to Team Cherry: we’re still waiting patiently for Silksong. We’re not trying to rush you, but any kind of update would be helpful. Thanks.