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 news about the release from Team Cherry, something must fill the void. In the meantime, that something might very well be Constance, a 2D Metroidvania that puts you in a colorful but decaying world.
Constance: A hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania about mental health
Constance may look 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 Constance, who wields an oversized paintbrush like a sword and turns herself into paint to escape the dangers lurking on each platform.
As you explore, you'll visit six different biomes with multiple paths that you can travel down in various ways. From jumping to reach each ledge to turning yourself into a splash of paint so you can dash across the air, Constance certainly tests your skill and patience. To me, it felt a little like one of the older Mario or Sonic games; especially when you start using the glowing rings to propel yourself across the rooms of the map.
Throughout the game, you'll be able to see more of Constance's life, including her personal struggles. These are playable flashbacks, allowing you to empathize more with Constance as you help 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 to pick up if it's released before Hollow Knight: Silksong is. The demo for Constance is live on Steam and has been since the game's announcement trailer on August 23, 2023.
Constance is more than a filler for Silksong
Having played the demo and read through the game's Steam page, as well as the official social media feeds for Constance, I can say with certainty that Silksong and Constance won't be anything alike in terms of plot. You won't be playing the same game twice, and even though Hollow Knight is said to have been the precursor for a wave of Metroidvania games, Constance is more of a cozy game that offers a space for discussion around mental health and wellbeing.
Something that struck a chord with me while playing the demo is the change in Constance when you "run out of ink." Constance loses all of her color — and though it comes back to her quickly, it's an obvious change that made me think about the Spoon theory.
Considering the game takes place in Constance's inner world, the various powers that she has are powerful ways of showcasing the effects of depression, anxiety, and burnout. She can also heal through meditating and defeating enemies, and I think that says enough by itself.
It's certainly a game I'll be picking up on release day.
Want to read about other upcoming games on Pro Game Guides? Try our news piece ALZARA Radiant Echoes is an ‘intense’ turn-based JRPG inspired by classics like FF10 and Golden Sun, live on Kickstarter or Margin of the Strange is an eerie pixel adventure from OneShot developer, about to drop on Kickstarter.
