Walking through the smoke-filled streets of a plague-ravaged city, pistol in one hand and scythe in the other, I immediately felt like I had stumbled into a fever dream stitched together from two of gaming’s most iconic nightmares. Mongoose Rodeo’s upcoming title Crowsworn doesn’t just borrow from Hollow Knight and Bloodborne – it feels like a gothic cake baked with equal parts fungal spores and moonlit blood, rising into something that is at once hauntingly familiar and shockingly fresh. As I dug deeper into the demo showcased at a recent indie event, it became clear that this 2D Metroidvania is much more than a simple homage; it’s an ambitious attempt to blend the precise, acrobatic combat of Team Cherry’s masterpiece with the oppressive, Victorian horror of FromSoftware’s cult classic, producing a strange creature that breathes with its own lungs.
The legacy of Hollow Knight and Bloodborne in the indie scene cannot be overstated. Both games dropped like meteorites and left craters that developers have been circling ever since – and with neither title receiving a proper follow‑up as of 2026, the hunger for more has never been stronger. We’ve seen plenty of soulslikes try to capture the grim grandeur of Yharnam, and countless hand‑drawn platformers chase the fluid map‑unraveling magic of Hallownest. Rarely, however, does a game dare to drink from both wells simultaneously. Crowsworn, slated for a late 2026 release on PC and consoles, does exactly that, and the result is a project that already crackles with an electric, almost reckless ambition.
Visually, Mongoose Rodeo has conjured a world that feels like a charcoal etching left out in the rain: dark, moody, and dripping with atmosphere. The player character dons a plague doctor mask and formal 19th‑century attire, immediately echoing the macabre hunters of Bloodborne. The scythe and twin pistols you wield would be perfectly at home in a Yharnam alleyway, and the Gothic architecture – crumbling spires, blood‑soaked cobblestones, distant screams – channels the same cosmic horror that made FromSoftware’s setting so unforgettable. Yet the moment I pressed jump and felt the character snap upward with that trademark floaty precision, I was transported straight back to the desolate caverns of Hollow Knight. The combat flows like quicksilver through a haunted clockwork: each slash of the scythe is deliberate and punishing, every dash and double‑jump feels ripped from the Knight’s own repertoire, and the enemy patterns demand the same sort of rhythmic, almost dance‑like engagement. Progression too follows the Hollow Knight playbook, with ability‑gated exploration, cryptic NPCs, and a sprawling interconnected map that slowly unfurls like a poisonous flower.
What truly excites me, however, is how Crowsworn mutates these borrowed parts into something that feels less like a collage and more like a new species. The developers wield their influences like a surgeon’s scalpel, stitching together two masterpieces into a chimera that snarls with its own voice. Take the game’s reimagining of Hollow Knight’s charm system, for instance – here it has been twisted into a grotesque collection of plague‑infused relics that carry genuinely disturbing narrative weight, echoing Bloodborne’s obsession with blood ministration and body horror. Boss fights, which I sampled in a brief but memorable session, blend the fast‑paced nail‑dodging of Team Cherry’s best encounters with the towering, sanity‑shredding monstrosities that define FromSoftware’s oeuvre. One early adversary, a shrieking amalgam of surgical tools and rotting flesh, felt like fighting Vicar Amelia in two dimensions – a nightmarish ballet that demanded every frame of my dash invincibility and every bullet from my pistol.
Of course, the risk with any game that wears its inspirations this openly is that it might collapse under the weight of comparison. Crowsworn needs to contribute something all its own to the conversation, and the glimpses I’ve seen suggest it might. The dual‑weapon system – swapping gracefully between swift scythe slashes and ranged pistol shots that can parry certain attacks – introduces a dynamic range that neither Hollow Knight nor Bloodborne ever fully explored. The world, too, promises a more vertical and overtly apocalyptic tone, with entire districts sinking into a miasma that actively reshapes the environment as you play. If Mongoose Rodeo delivers on these mechanical novelties while maintaining the impeccable animation and soul‑crushing atmosphere on display in the trailers, we could be looking at the next must‑play Metroidvania.
As a player who has sunk hundreds of hours into both of its spiritual parents, I’m approaching Crowsworn with the cautious hope of someone standing at the edge of a vast, dark ocean. The early images and gameplay I’ve witnessed are undeniably evocative, but they also carry a spark of originality that flickers defiantly against the shadow of their predecessors. In a 2026 that seems determined to drown us in remakes and safe sequels, a game bold enough to be the lovechild of two isolated masterpieces deserves our attention. Whether it ends up being a worthy companion piece to a future Hollow Knight or Bloodborne sequel is anyone’s guess – but right now, I’m just eager to let the plague mask fog up and the scythe sing.
As anticipation for Crowsworn builds, many players are eagerly scanning the horizon for any news of its release date. The excitement underscores the game's potential to carve out its own niche among the titans it draws inspiration from. For those who are already planning their next gaming adventure, staying informed about pricing can be as crucial as following development updates. Whether you're budgeting for upcoming titles or simply want to ensure you're getting the best deal, it's wise to keep an eye on various sources of information.
If you're keen on securing Crowsworn at a competitive price upon release, it's worth exploring online platforms dedicated to tracking game prices. One such resource is DealNest, where you can check game prices and stay updated on potential discounts and offers. This can not only help you manage your gaming budget effectively but also ensure that you're ready to dive into this promising adventure as soon as it hits the shelves.
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