Despite pledging that we'd take a break from games of this ilk when we finished pouring blood, sweat and tears into Silksong last year, Team Cherry has somehow found a way of dragging us back in with Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
Yes, we put the halls of Hallownest behind us for good many years ago now, but the promise of buttery smooth performance had us flying back to it like a Markoth to a flame — mmm, "additional effects". The more we played, the more we remembered just how much we love this world, these characters, this floaty little knight.
'Oh no,' we suddenly realised, ' without the performance argument in our arsenal, there's nothing stopping us from asking the ultimate question: do we prefer Hollow Knight or Silksong?'
When Silksong launched last year, it felt like a foregone conclusion. In this sequel, Team Cherry had done everything in its power to take what made the first game so wonderful, and make it even wonderfuller. Hornet is quicker and more acrobatic than the Knight. Her tools open more combat possibilities than we ever thought possible. The map makes Hallownest feel piddly.
We even said as much in our 10/10 review: "It elevates map design and purposeful challenge effortlessly, and is an improvement on Hollow Knight in every single way." And yes, for reference, we only awarded its predecessor a 9/10.
But, returning to Hallownest on Switch 2 in recent days, our preference isn't quite as clean cut as it was back in September, when the long-awaited Silksong was still so shiny and new in our hands. The map may be smaller, but it feels just as dense. The overarching narrative of the fallen kingdom is sublimely woven into your surroundings, with a simplicity that's tough to knock. And can anything ever truly replicate the feeling of pure dread experienced with your first steps into Deepnest?
Honestly, there are voices for both sides of the argument here at Nintendo Life Towers, so we thought it was only right to throw it out to you, our lovely readers. Do Silksong's improvements leave it at the top spot in your mind, or is Hollow Knight still your number one? You can cast your Zote vote in the following poll.
Which game is your favourite? Let us know which you voted for and why in the comments.