It's fair to say that we are all ready for Hollow Knight: Silksong now, right? After being pushed from the first half of 2023 back in May, the thumb-twiddling wait for the hotly anticipated sequel has reached new heights, though at least it seems that some fans are using the time productively (thanks, The Gamer).
One player by the name of Poly-Knight recently took to the r/HollowKnight Reddit forum to share their incredible project: converting the game's Mantis Lords boss battle into 3D. Now, we adore Hollow Knight's 2D visuals and wouldn't want to have seen Team Cherry do it any other way, but as an exercise in improving game development skills, Poly Knight's build really is impressive.
The project took around two months to complete, with Poly Knight building all of the assets by hand. Compiling it all together in Unreal Engine with the addition of some official music and menu options, the finished build might not be quite as frantic as our first experience with the Mantis Lords (at least, not as frantic as that battle felt), but everything else is just about spot on.
Poly Knight has said that the aim of the project was to help improve their game development skills — and what a way to learn! We're getting some serious Death's Door vibes from those 3D models and while we can't imagine all of Hallownest imagined in such a way, we wouldn't mind seeing another boss battle or two get the extra dimension treatment.
You can find a video showing Poly Knight's full process below.
Be sure to check out Poly Knight's YouTube channel, to see the designer's previous project to remake Undertale as a 3D game.
Now, back into Hallownest we go as the wait for Silksong continues...
Would you like to see a fully 3D take on Hollow Knight? Let us know in the comments.
[source reddit.com, via thegamer.com]
Comments 13
That looks way easier than the actual fight
That is one of the most memorable fights in the game, imo, think the music is playing a big role in that. Surely in 3D it no longer looks challenging.
I hope that they come up with the announcement close to the release date so that we don't have to wait any longer after it gets announced.
Nice idea but 2D suits the mechanics of Hollow Knight IMHO, the style carries well over in terms of the music and aesthetic
Looks a hell of a lot easier in 3D to be fair, easier to dodge with the Z Axis in play.
Love the look though.
Looks cool, but it's also a great example of "not every game needs to be 3D"
I really commendable effort. Needs some work in bringing the atmosphere of the original across though. Especially side-by-side you can see how much is missing in 3D, but it's all doable and what's there is solid.
Honestly it's something so many clones and fan projects seem to miss but it's key to what makes this game so fantastic. It's steeped in atmosphere! It's not Hollow Knight without it.
I got pretty deep in Hollow Knight but I couldn't beat the Mantis Lords. I abandoned the game for other things but I'm hoping to revisit it after I'm done with TOTK. I don't know why but 2D games can feel so much more difficult than 3D games. Maybe I'm just more used to moving and dodging in 3 directions.
Ah, the nostalgia. This is also one of my 3 favorite boss fights. I wasn't aware there was a DLC though lol.
Fair play on the effort and learning involved, but unless the camera rotates with the player or something it doesn't really add anything noteworthy to the experience, the standard 2D version the game looks better.
Very cool little fan project, but it also makes me more sure that 2D is the only way to go when it comes to Hollow Knight's mechanics.
That and also more desire for major Silksong news.T.T
That fight was insane! Hollowknight is incredible and hopefully Silksong will be out soon.
Amazing work! Really impressed, looks like a cool tech demo for a 3D Hollow Knight. I hope to see more from the author, right on track as a game maker!
Maybe it's just me and my bias for 2D, but the fight looks less intense and easier than the original, I also think the HK mechanics is made for 2D.
Huh. Didnt know these types of things were allowed
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