Garick Elordi
In an unexpected move that has resonated throughout the independent gaming community, Team Cherry has released a technical update for its seminal 2017 title, Hollow Knight, nearly a decade after its initial launch. The patch, while modest in size, addresses a specific mechanical grievance regarding the game’s true final encounter, the Radiance, marking a rare instance of a developer returning to a legacy title to fine-tune high-level gameplay balance years after the industry has shifted its focus to subsequent releases. This update arrives amidst a flurry of activity for the studio, which is currently managing the post-launch ecosystem of its critically acclaimed sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and preparing for the upcoming Sea of Sorrow expansion.
The primary focus of the surprise update for the original Hollow Knight concerns the hitbox logic during the Radiance boss fight. For years, players engaged in the game’s most grueling challenges—specifically those attempting the "Pantheon of Hallownest" in the Godmaster DLC—have noted a discrepancy in the behavior of the Radiance’s light orbs. The official patch notes confirm that Team Cherry has "Fixed Radiance’s orb attack hitbox lingering slightly longer than intended if the orb expires in the air." This fix addresses a phenomenon where the damaging area of the projectile remained active for several frames after the visual asset had dissipated, often leading to "phantom hits" that could end a permadeath run or a high-stakes speedrun.
Technical Implications of the Radiance Hitbox Fix
The Radiance encounter is widely regarded as one of the most difficult sequences in modern action-platforming. The fight requires players to navigate a bullet-hell environment while platforming over a void. In the "Absolute Radiance" version of the fight, the speed and frequency of these orb attacks are increased. By tightening the hitbox to match the visual expiration of the orb, Team Cherry has effectively standardized the encounter, ensuring that player failure is the result of direct contact rather than a lingering technical artifact.
This adjustment is particularly significant for the competitive and completionist communities. Hollow Knight has maintained a robust presence on platforms like Speedrun.com and Twitch, where "No-Hit" runs and "Steel Soul" (permadeath) challenges remain popular. The removal of a "slightly longer than intended" hitbox removes a variable of unpredictability that has frustrated top-tier players for years. Beyond this specific mechanical fix, the update also introduces Traditional Chinese as an official language option, expanding the game’s accessibility to a broader demographic in the Asian market.
The Legacy of Hallownest and the Transition to Silksong
The decision to patch the original Hollow Knight nine years into its lifecycle underscores Team Cherry’s commitment to its intellectual property. Originally released in early 2017 following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Hollow Knight redefined the Metroidvania genre with its intricate world-building, somber atmosphere, and demanding combat. It sold millions of copies across PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox, setting a high bar for indie production values.
The transition from the original game to its sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, was one of the most documented and anticipated developments in indie gaming history. Originally conceived as a DLC expansion featuring the character Hornet, the project’s scope expanded until it became a full-fledged sequel. Upon its eventual release, Silksong received universal acclaim, earning five-star reviews from major outlets, including Eurogamer, which praised the title for being "pretty and charmingly mean-spirited" and "filled with revelations and genuine personality."
Silksong’s "Sea of Sorrow" and Final Major Updates
While the original Hollow Knight receives maintenance, Team Cherry is simultaneously finalizing the roadmap for Silksong. The studio recently detailed what it describes as the last "significant" update for Silksong before the launch of its first major expansion, titled Sea of Sorrow. This pre-expansion patch is heavily focused on localization and narrative consistency.
Team Cherry has reportedly worked in close coordination with translation teams to ensure that the complex lore of Pharloom—the setting of Silksong—is accurately conveyed in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. The studio emphasized the importance of "consistency on critical elements" between these versions to ensure that the cryptic storytelling, a hallmark of the series, remains intact across different linguistic interpretations. Additionally, the German script has received a comprehensive polish to better reflect the nuances of the game’s dialogue and item descriptions.
Following this final technical patch, the studio’s resources will shift entirely to Sea of Sorrow. This expansion is described as a nautically themed addition to the Silksong experience. True to the studio’s history of providing substantial post-launch content for free—reminiscent of the Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, and Lifeblood updates for the first game—Sea of Sorrow will be a free update for all Silksong owners. It is slated to include:
- New Geographic Regions: Entirely new biomes located within or adjacent to the kingdom of Pharloom.
- Boss Encounters: A suite of new legendary adversaries designed to challenge players who have mastered the base game’s mechanics.
- Expanded Arsenal: New tools and abilities for Hornet, further diversifying the "hunt-and-craft" gameplay loop that distinguishes Silksong from its predecessor.
Chronology of Development and Community Reaction
The timeline of Team Cherry’s development cycles reveals a studio that prioritizes long-term refinement over rapid-fire releases.
- 2017: Hollow Knight launches on PC, followed by a series of free content packs (Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe).
- 2018: The Lifeblood and Godmaster updates are released, finalizing the "Voidheart Edition" of the game.
- 2019: Team Cherry officially announces Silksong as a standalone sequel.
- 2020–2024: A period of extended development and relative silence, during which the game’s scope grows significantly.
- 2025: Silksong launches to critical acclaim and massive commercial success.
- Current Window: The surprise patch for the 2017 original is released alongside the final pre-expansion patch for Silksong.
The community reaction to the original game’s patch has been one of appreciative surprise. On social media and community forums, players have noted that it is rare for a small indie team (consisting primarily of Ari Gibson, William Pellen, and Christopher Larkin) to dedicate time to "legacy" bug fixes while simultaneously managing a massive live project. The fix for the Radiance hitbox, in particular, has been hailed as a "love letter" to the hardcore community that has kept the game’s competitive scene alive for nearly a decade.
Industry Impact and Developer Philosophy
Team Cherry’s approach to game maintenance offers a distinct contrast to the "live service" models adopted by larger AAA publishers. Rather than focusing on monetization or seasonal passes, the studio has maintained a philosophy of "completing" their games through iterative, free updates. By fixing a nine-year-old boss mechanic, they reinforce the idea of the game as a permanent piece of digital art that deserves to be polished to perfection, regardless of its age.
The focus on localization accuracy also highlights the growing importance of the global market for indie developers. By ensuring that Traditional and Simplified Chinese versions are lore-consistent, Team Cherry is catering to one of the largest and most dedicated fanbases for the Metroidvania genre. This attention to detail ensures that the "environmental storytelling" which made the first game a cult classic is not lost in translation.
As the industry looks toward the release of Sea of Sorrow later this year, the dual-track updates for both Hollow Knight and Silksong serve as a reminder of Team Cherry’s unique position in the gaming landscape. They remain a studio that operates on its own timeline, prioritizing mechanical precision and narrative depth over industry trends. For the players still wandering the ruins of Hallownest or ascending the heights of Pharloom, these updates ensure that the experience remains as sharp and challenging as intended, free from the "lingering" ghosts of technical oversight.
