Hollow Knight: Silksong once had a release date set for the first half of 2023, but as we venture into the summer of 2024 with no word on Team Cherry’s release, something has to fill the void. Meanwhile, that something could very well be Constance, a 2D Metroidvania that places you in a colorful but decadent world.
Constance: a hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania about mental health
Constance may seem like an adorable Metroidvania to play (and it is), but it has a lot of messages to convey about mental health and work-life balance. You play as Constance, who wields an oversized brush like a sword and turns herself into paint to escape the dangers that lurk on each platform.
As you explore, you will visit six different biomes with multiple paths that you can travel in various ways. From jumping to reach each ledge to turning into a blob of paint so you can fly through the air, Constance certainly tests your skill and patience. To me, it looked a bit like one of the older Mario or Sonic games; especially when you start using the glowing rings to propel yourself through the rooms on the map.
Throughout the game, you’ll get to see more of Constance’s life, including her personal struggles. These are playable flashbacks that allow you to empathize more with Constance while helping her through her inner world.
This beautifully hand-drawn game is 2D and plays similarly to Hollow Knight, which could make it the perfect game for you if it releases before Hollow Knight: Silksong. The Constance demo is available on Steam since the game’s announcement trailer on August 23, 2023.
Constance is more than a filler for Silksong
Having played the demo and read the game’s Steam page, as well as Constance’s official social media, I can say with certainty that Silksong and Constance will be nothing alike in terms of plot. You won’t play the same game twice, and while Hollow Knight is said to have been the precursor to a wave of Metroidvania games, Constance is more of a welcoming game that offers a space to discuss mental health and wellbeing.
Something that caught my attention while playing the demo is the change in Constance when you “run out of ink.” Constance loses all of her color and, although she quickly returns, it’s an obvious change that made me think of Spoon’s theory.
Considering that the game takes place in Constance’s inner world, the various powers she has are powerful ways to show the effects of depression, anxiety, and exhaustion. She can also heal herself by meditating and defeating enemies, and I think that says enough on its own.
It’s definitely a game I’ll pick up on release day.
Want to read about other upcoming games on MyFullGames? Try our ALZARA news Radiant Echoes is an “intense” turn-based JRPG inspired by classics like FF10 and Golden Sun, available on Kickstarter or Margin of the Strange is a spooky pixel adventure from developer OneShot, about to launch on Kickstarter.