1 Year Ago, One of the Most Anticipated Video Games in History Came Out

Hollow Knight reimagined the Metroidvania genre when it came out in 2017. It holds up today as one of the defining games of the indie scene and an example of the ways that developers can innovate while paying homage to games of the past.

The game developed such a cult following that just continued to build in the years after it came out. Developer Team Cherry announced a sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong , that took so long to come out that some wondered whether it was even real.

One year ago today, Silksong was released, and it lived up to the eight year wait. It's now the pinnacle of the Metroidvania genre for the time being, and so many indie adventure games are trying to emulate both games to see if they can match the gold standard that was set.

It's rare for a sequel to match or exceed the greatness of a game as revered as Hollow Knight , but critics felt Silksong did just that. PCGamesN said as much in their review last year.

"Team Cherry has done the impossible. In the face of colossal expectation, it has bottled lightning twice. Silksong is a masterpiece, not because it's bigger and better than what came before, but because it doesn't lose itself in trying to escape Hollow Knight's shadow. Its massive scope extends beyond Team Cherry's initial influences to become a definitive Metroidvania epic that challenges players to rise to the occasion."

There are a great variety of games you can play if you've already finished Silksong and want something similar a year later. MIO: Memories in Orbit has the same haunting graphical beauty and smooth platforming. Nine Sols has a different combat system, but the mechanics are very similar. And if you want to go retro, Super Metroid laid the groundwork for all of these games.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Sep 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.