Gaming: Hollow Knight sequel; Mortal Kombat 11 adds Jade; Gritty crashes Overwatch

Gaming news today ranges from the microscopic indie to the legendary mega-franchise — with a few weirdo odds and ends thrown in for good measure.

First up, indie favorite Hollow Knight is getting a sequel. The game won fans with its unique art style and tight, Metroidvania-esque gameplay

In an announcement trailer released by developer Team Cherry, Hollow Knight: Silksong promises a “vast, haunted kingdom” for players to explore as Hornet.

Check it out:

The game, which was originally developed as DLC for the Kickstarter smash original, grew into a standalone that will launch on the Nintendo Switch and PC. As far as its Kickstarter roots go, the company is giving away the sequel for free to the 2,158 backers of the original.

“Almost from the very start, Hornet’s adventure was intended to take place in a new land,” Team Cherry said in a statement on its website. “But as we dove in, it quickly became too large and too unique to stay a DLC, as initially planned. We do know that makes the wait a little longer, but we think the final, fresh world you’ll get to explore is worth it.”

There is no release date set yet for Silksong.

Next, Mortal Kombat 11 has announced its newest character: Jade. In an announcement trailer of its own, the game showed off the return of the previously-slain character. Yeah, she’s basically a zombie now.

Take a look:

With a new fatality and an old-school weapon, Jade’ll make a welcome addition to the roster (even if her new story is quite complicated now, since she’s, y’know, dead) when Mortal Kombat 11 launches on April 23.

Finally, in esports news, Overwatch League started its second season with a rematch between the finalists of its debut season. Philadelphia Fusion and London Spitfire waged war on each other, but the most bizarre occurrence of the night was another Philly representative. Internet meme and otherwise terrifying visage Gritty, the mascot of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, showed up in a Fusion jersey and it was as disturbing as you might imagine. How Overwatch players kept their minds on the game must be credited to professionalism.

To be fair, Gritty has lately been a supporter of the franchise — showing off a nice camaraderie between traditional sports and esports. At least in Philly, the hometown heroes can be athletes or giant talking gorillas. As long as they win, that is.