What Indie Games Can Learn From Silksong, And What They Shouldn’t

Indie games are an irreplaceable part of the video games identity. It’s these small passion projects where the creativity is most abundant. I love the fact that I stumble across literal gems more often than not in the indie sector. It’s a testament to how much this medium has grown. Big companies don’t have exclusive rights to game development anymore.

When you’re free to create whatever your heart desires, no corporate restrictions, that’s when a person performs at their peak. Indies have limitless potential. There’s a reason general interest has shifted towards indies. Just look at Hollow Knight: Silksong, an indie game breaking the internet. Want to give it a try yourself? Just pick up a prepaid card from Refilled.com, buy the game securely, and join in on the fun.

Silksong Is Real, And Amazing

How long has it been? 8 years, but it felt like an eternity. All those “grasping at straws” moments and the hopelessness can finally be put to rest, as Team Cherry’s long-anticipated, “Award-winning in breaking hearts” sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is finally here, and my god, it’s beautiful, all the jokes aside.

Team Cherry sure took their sweet time, but the final product is so breathtaking that it makes you forget all about that. Ever since its release, I haven’t been able to put it down. All the magic and discovery of Hollow Knight is intact, coupled with an even superior level design, exploration element, gameplay mechanics, and difficulty.

Silksong hits 555k concurrent players on Steam
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Silksong expects you to take everything you have learned from Hollow Knight and step it up a notch. The level design assumes you’re familiar with the series; double damage and tough encounters force you to use your Hollow Knight knowledge, and the huge map with unexpected routes and locations keeps you on edge. It’s a majestic game through and through.

A Glow Up For Indie Gaming

Even more than being a fantastic game, Hollow Knight: Silksong accomplishes a more grand objective. It lifts indie gaming in general and lets the world know how much quality and dedication are present in this domain. Let’s be honest, people are tired of the same-old AAAs with blockbuster visuals and stale concepts. In a time of stagnation and greed, indies are the way to go for gamers.

It’s about time indie gaming realizes that all eyes are on it now. Silksong’s unbelievable popularity is the perfect chance to seize the opportunity. I’ll be honest, many of the players jumping in on Silksong are not longtime fans, but curious gamers who want to see what the buzz is all about. But, they’re sure to become indie fans, sooner or later.

Thus, indie gaming needs to step up its game. What makes Silksong so successful is that it knows its audience very well. The sequel delivered everything the fanbase asked for. Other indie games need to re-evaluate their standing in the community. Double down on features people like, eliminate needless mechanics, and go extra hard on their strong points. The next Silksong is just waiting to be born.

Choose Your Lessons Wisely

Oh, and before I forget, if you’re an indie dev, you don’t need to learn everything from Silksong. In fact, I’d appreciate if some of its flaws weren’t replicated. For starters, the 7-year development period. Yeah, stay as far away from that as possible. Don’t think “Silksong did it, why can’t we?” This was a special circumstance, and even then, we’re not too thrilled about it.

Next up, the difficulty spike. I’ll be honest, Silksong is not for new players. It’s designed with Hollow Knight veterans in mind, and not too accessible for fresh, eager faces. You want indies to be widely appealing. And lastly, don’t feel at all pressured to replicate the $20 price tag. Indies deserve the appreciation and reward just as much.

Over the past year Indie games have won me over.
byu/Mecha_Kaneki inIndianGaming

All I want to say is that Silksong has created a golden opportunity for Indie games. People are bound to pay more attention to them after this, and if they can provide genuine creativity and quality in their respective genres, they’re sure to get much more attention than AAAs. Keep at it, indie devs, you deserve the spotlight.