Although everyone was curious, no matter how many highly upvoted comnts appeared in the replies, Ichin refrained from responding directly. Instead, he posted a follow-up update:
> "Everyone, please be patient. You'll find out soon enough. The promotional PV for the new ga has been completed, and the demo version is in its final stages of developnt. Once it's released, in addition to the offline demo at the ga exhibition, we will also make the demo version available to all players so everyone can experience our new title. One detail I can share in advance is that the ga's release will happen within this year, no later than the end of December. While the exact date isn't set, it will only be earlier, not later." <
Ichin rarely posted updates, and when he did, they were either related to gaplay update videos or occasional Slay the Spire giveaway events. Most of the ti, his posts focused on developnt progress.
This reliability ant that his followers never doubted his announcents. His assurance about the new ga's release was seen as a certainty. The only question now was when exactly it would be unveiled during the Cologne Ga Show.
Fans quickly dove into researching this year's Cologne Ga Show but couldn't find any specific information. Soon, a few internet detectives began to speculate:
> "First of all, an independent ga studio isn't likely to have its own promotional channel, so searching for direct announcents won't work. I suspect the reveal will happen during another company's presentation. Given the studio's size, there's a strong chance it will appear at Nintendo's Direct. After all, isn't the studio based in Japan? Plus, one of the mbers is from Eagle Jump. They'd definitely have connections with Nintendo!" <
This comnt quickly climbed to the top of the discussion thread within half an hour.
Taking a short break, Ichin scrolled through his post's replies and ca across this comnt.
"Of course," he thought to himself, "there are always so sharp thinkers out there." The deduction was spot-on.
However, Ichin refrained from liking or replying to the comnt. Due to their agreent with Nintendo, he couldn't leak any additional details.
Afterward, Ichin decided not to post any further updates, letting the online discussion run wild. anwhile, he calmly continued working on Slay the Spire.
As his first solo-developed ga, Ichin was determined not to let it end on a bad note. He fully intended to update it to a complete, polished version.
---
Two days later, after Umiko installed the Hollow Knight demo on six Nintendo Switch consoles, she announced with barely contained excitent, "The demo version is ready! Anyone who wants to test the Switch version can start now."
"Yay! I want to play!"
Sakura Nene, quick to act, grabbed one of the consoles. She imdiately launched the ga and entered the demo.
"Aoba, Aoba! Let's have a competition! Let's see who can clear the demo first. Loser buys the winner bubble tea!"
Aoba hesitantly picked up another Switch, lacking confidence. "Ugh... Do we have to? I'm not very good at action gas."
At that mont, Ichin joined the conversation, smiling. "How about letting join? I'll compete with you, Nene. Didn't you always say you're a pro at gas?"
"No way!"
To everyone's surprise, Sakura Nene rejected the offer outright, clutching her Switch protectively.
"I'll compete with anyone, but not you, Ichin! You're the ga's producer, so you're definitely amazing at it. Why else would you want to compete? This is just asking to lose!"
"Ah, busted. Well, I guess there's no helping it," Ichin said, feigning defeat with a chuckle.
Ichin smiled as he patted Aoba's shoulder encouragingly. "Aoba, it's up to you now. Try to beat Nene!"
"I-I'll do my best," Aoba replied hesitantly.
Besides Nene and Aoba, Yagami Kō, Shinoda Haji, Narumi, and Hifumi also grabbed Nintendo Switch consoles to test the demo. anwhile, the others focused on the PC version.
Seated next to Ichin in front of a computer, Utaha held a controller in her hands. She stared at the little protagonist on the screen, frowning. "Ichin, I'm not good at gas like this."
After learning that Hollow Knight was a troidvania-style ga, Utaha had tried playing one of the genre's pioneers, troid. However, she found it incredibly difficult. Refusing to give up, she also tried two Castlevania gas from the GBA era, but she struggled just as much, constantly getting defeated.
Gently pinching Utaha's cheek, Ichin reassured her, "It's okay. Just give it a shot. Hollow Knight is easier than those older gas. Plus, it has a healing chanic. While the demo's monster placents are slightly more challenging than in the full version, their attack patterns are pretty simple. Once you get used to it, you'll be fine. Don't stress. Go ahead and start."
Encouraged by Ichin's words, Utaha nodded and guided the character forward, breaking obstacles along the way.
The difficulty in the ga was designed to increase gradually. Ichin would never throw sothing overly challenging at the player right from the start—that kind of treatnt was reserved for developing Dark Souls.
With Ichin's guidance, Utaha managed to get past the first few enemies with ease.
After healing her character, Utaha let out a sigh of relief and said, "It's actually simpler than I expected. The combat feels smooth, and the controller's vibration is implented nicely. Ichin, are you planning to adapt the ga to fully utilize the Nintendo Switch's HD Rumble feature?"
"Oh, that. I do want to integrate it eventually, but for now, the priority is finishing the ga. After release, we'll look into it and, if it's feasible, include the adaptation in a future update."
Utaha nodded and continued playing.
After defeating so minor enemies and passing through a few areas, Utaha finally encountered an elite enemy placed further ahead: the Husk Guard.
Seeing the enormous creature that dwarfed her character in size, Utaha froze, her expression stiffening.
"I have to fight this already?"
Ichin chuckled beside her. "Don't worry. It's not too hard. Just watch its attack patterns carefully. Even if you die the first ti, it's okay—you just passed a save point. It'll only take a couple of steps to get back here."
Ichin's reasoning made sense, so Utaha hesitantly moved her character closer to Husk Guard.
As soon as she got within range, Husk Guard sprang to life. Letting out a thunderous roar, it hoisted its massive, fang-like weapon and leapt high into the air, aiming to stomp down on the protagonist.
In the original version, Husk Guard didn't have a jumping attack. But after Ichin suggested it, Haji added this move. Now, the early-ga elite enemy had three attacks instead of the original two: a weapon slam, a ground shockwave, and the new jumping stomp.
When Husk Guard leapt into the air, Utaha panicked and tried to make her character jump back. Unfortunately, the timing was off, and her character got clipped by the attack, sent flying.
Barely recovering in ti to counterattack, Utaha saw Husk Guard raise its weapon again. With a loud thud, it smashed her character, landing another hit.
Before she could land a single blow, Husk Guard pumled her character repeatedly until she was defeated.
"Well, that happened…" Utaha muttered, putting down the controller in defeat.
...
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