Hollow Knight's lead playtester is working on another Metroidvania, but its Kickstarter campaign promises it's being influenced by loads of other classics too.
Hari 'Graig' Dimitriou, who worked with Team Cherry on the original subterranean adventure and a little bit of its long-awaited sequel Hollow Knight Silksong, is now making Roc's Odyssey, a side-scrolling, comic book-style, post-apocalyptic Metroidvania that has almost everything you loved in Hollow Knight: intense fighting, slick platforming, a zig-zagging map, and secrets tucked away in every corner.
Developer Sunshine Festival Studios is inspired by more than just Team Cherry, though. Roc's Odyssey also pulls together "the stylish combat of Marvel vs. Capcom, the NPC interactions of Persona, the high-flying chaos of Super Smash Bros., and the level design mastery of Donkey Kong Country...this game is built for players who crave action, challenge, and discovery," according to its Kickstarter description.
It's not very easy to imagine what a 'Persona meets Hollow Knight' game actually looks like, but it's just a simple way of saying that Roc's Odyssey has some floaty platforming and fighting in a world you're free to explore, and you can even find and recruit NPCs to join your cause. "Call allies into battle, each bringing unique abilities and devastating attacks to the fight," the description continues, explaining where the Persona stuff comes from. "Strengthen your bonds through shared struggles, unleashing their full potential as friendships deepen."
Roc's Odyssey's Kickstarter campaign has raised around $6,000 of its initial funding goal of roughly $74,000. Should it reach that milestone in the next 57 days, the team at Sunshine Festival will have enough funding to cross the finish line and bring it to PC, Nintendo Switch, and Switch 2, while future stretch goals might make an Xbox and PS5 port possible.
There's currently a free demo on Steam if you'd like a small taste of the final game.
Roc's Odyssey has an estimated 2027 release, so why not check out all the other upcoming Switch 2 games in the meantime.
