Imitation, as they say, is the highest form of flattery, and that seems to be a motto to which indie developer Mongoose Rodeo closely adheres. Its upcoming Metroidvania titleCrowsworn—the Kickstarter for which was launched a year ago—bears a not-insignificant semblance to many beloved entries in the genre, Team Cherry’s 2017 hitHollow Knightbeing chief among them. A new Kickstarter anniversary trailer forCrowswornrecently went up on YouTube, and it showcases gameplay features and visual elements that almost seem to have been directly lifted fromHollow Knight,the game’s primary inspiration.
Taking place in the forsaken kingdom of Fearanndal, players must work to unravel an intricately connected world and decipher a self-described souls-like story while coming to grips with an intricate moveset and a parade of more than thirty boss encounters. Plus, with a hub town, a suite of unlockable moves that aid in both combat and environment traversal, and a dark, gothic art style, fans could be forgiven for mistakingCrowsworn’snew trailer for aHollow Knight: Silksongspotlight. The two are so close in terms of presentation that they’re almost difficult to distinguish.
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Crowsworndoes, however, deem to offer one important distinction in the form of ranged combat. While ranged attacks were possible inHollow Knight, they weren’t especially common and required the use of unique charms. InCrowsworn, a set of dual handguns seem to provide players with new outlets for both attack and defense, though this inclusion introduces comparisons to another gothic horror title with a melee focus offset by offhand firearms inFromSoftware’s 2015 PlayStation exclusiveBloodborne.
Weirdly enough, Mongoose Rodeo also seems to pay attention to what’s going on in theBloodbornecommunity, as the team is currently making their own version of the “Bloodborne Kart” meme. In early 2022, a single indie dev released an awesome recreation ofBloodborne’s introductory area in the style of a PS1 game, and it was subsequently announced that akart racer title based on that effortwould be their next project. In a similar vein,Crowswornwill receive a companion title in the form ofCrowkart, though the game also doesn’t have a definite release date.
As interesting asCrowswornlooks to be, a set-in-stone release schedule has yet to be announced, and the title may run the risk of being overshadowed by the long-anticipatedHollow Knight Silksong.Hollow Knight Silksongmade an appearanceduring the 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, but, much likeCrowsworn, it still doesn’t have a definite release date.
