One of the best feelings in the gaming world is when two series crossover. It’s always fun to see how two different universes blend into each other, and I was positively surprised when I found out that the latest web event for Genshin Impact was nothing less than a direct Hollow Knight homage that makes the wait for Silksong just that little bit easier.
Hollow Impact? Genshin Knight? No, Make it Silly!
With a traditionally extravagant name of Lightning-Riding Swordsman, this crossover is a limited-time-only event brought by HoyoFair, a Hoyoverse initiative that promotes fan creations such as short animations, artwork and minigames. The browser game is available up until April 17th and brings a convincing Metroidvania experience with some Genshin paint over it.
And as coincidentally as it could be, I just happened to find it while watching the Triple-I Initiative livestream yesterday. Just like in any other video game conference, the chat was losing it over no mentions for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Well, this isn’t what I wanted either, but it’ll do!
At first, I thought it was just another one of those simple Genshin events where you just click some glowing things and you’re done. But I was never happier to be proven wrong. As soon as I got my hands on controlling the Traveler, I knew exactly what I was getting into with those 2D simplistic yet charming designs and exact commands and movements.
Related: Everything We Know About Death Must Die’s Act 2 Update
From background visuals, sound effects, animations, arenas and enemy patterns, I felt like I was visiting Hallownest all over again. Some collectibles would increase my health, and I knew how to deal with those enemies. There’s even the nail pogo moves! It’s a complete feast for fans of both Genshin and Hollow Knight and I love it.
Same Old Faces With The Same New Tricks
As I explored the somewhat limited map, I found it amusing how references were sneaked for both games. We got the usual Genshin enemies as the main foes, but all based on certain enemies from Hollow Knight directly. Patterns are quite simple to grasp, but it takes a while to master them and overcome those overturned bosses.
Finishing a run took me quite a while. I was delighted to see some mini quests included around the path, as well as references to certain situations, such as that scary 1v2 you have at the end of the Path of Pain, or the more direct references to places like the Colosseum of Fools and the Grimm Troupe’s circus.
Our main goal is to defeat Raiden Shogun and rescue Kokomi, and we meet some other playable Genshin characters on the way. Lyney takes the role of good ‘n old Grimm and becomes a boss with a reminiscing fighting style, for example. No Nightmare King version here, luckily. The Shogun fight gave me some Soul Master vibes, but other bosses’ move sets were also part of the inspiration.
Given how this is a fan-made creation promoted by Hoyoverse instead of something made by them, don’t expect the usual web event gameplay here. Lightning-Riding Swordsman is quite challenging in itself, although a huge part of said difficulty comes from your limited move pool. It’s a fan game, after all, despite some official promotion. It’s not meant to be perfect, and it does its job well.
As I crossed the final path to have my 1v1 with the Shogun, I noticed I wasn’t even bothered by not having Silksong news anymore. No, this small game isn’t a substitute or anything. But it scratched that itch I’ve been having for that type of gameplay. It was quite satisfying, I’ll give them that. Maybe I’ll start another proper Hollow Knight run whenever I get the time.
Unfortunately, the only rewards here are just special banners for the HoyoLab forums, but I think it’s ok. It was a cool experience to have and something I wasn’t expecting. If you dig any of the two games, you’ll probably enjoy it as well. I’ll probably keep my eyes open for other possible HoyoFair mini events like this one. Who knows what other pseudo-crossovers they’ll promote next?
