The beloved tradition of creating demakes has found its way to Hollow Knight: Silksong, presenting Team Cherry’s notoriously challenging Metroidvania in a nostalgic N64 style. This remarkable adaptation comes from the skilled game developer and artist Gustavo Barros, known as Botão Select on YouTube. The Silksong N64 demake smartly transforms the vibrant visuals of the game’s Moss Grotto environment by dulling the colors, softening the resolution, and elevating the polygon count for texture. The outcome is a nostalgic homage that makes it seem as if Hollow Knight: Silksong has time-traveled back to around 1996, which is quite impressive!
Check it out:
Fans have noted that Team Cherry may have underestimated the challenge, claiming that Silksong is actually “significantly harder” than its predecessor, Hollow Knight, with challenging movement mechanics and tough bosses right from the game’s outset.
Also, a hands-on experience entitled “Hollow Knight Silksong hands-on: After 2,379 days since its announcement, I finally got my hands on this elusive Metroidvania, and it certainly lives up to the anticipation” highlights the excitement surrounding this release.
As for the demake, Barros explains the development process in a detailed video available here: https://t.co/X0yAH0Zvls. The full video, presented in Barros’ native Portuguese, showcases his creative journey. Importantly, Barros has clarified that the demake is currently “more of a scene than a game,” so it isn’t available for download. However, he has indicated that he might consider creating a complete version in the future.
Despite the stunning visuals, it’s daunting to ponder how exceedingly difficult this game might become with an N64 controller and the typical clumsiness of fifth-generation game controls. Those who manage to conquer games like Silksong show incredible resilience, but I can’t shake the feeling that, with outdated controls, it would prove nearly impossible for anyone to complete.