Save for that blissful half-hour of Silksong that I played back in E3 2019, Constance is, so far, the best Hollow Knight-like game I’ve ever played. It’s not exactly the same–Constance takes a page out of Splatoon’s book and features a main character that can wield dangerous purple paint and submerge into puddles in order to slink past enemies or obstacles or ascend up walls–but I couldn’t help but be reminded of my time spend in Hallownest. My time with the game was unfortunately quite short–I played a 20-minute Gamescom demo–but I adored what I saw of its quirky world and enjoyed how much the various designs of the robotic enemies and assortment of paint-based abilities shook up each combat encounter. Just as Hollow Knight’s gameplay emulates the acrobatic dance and frenzied movements of insects, combat in Constance feels like the frenetic flourishes and flicks of a paintbrush as an artist enters the flow state.

Constance’s story seems quite interesting but I’m…