It’s 2026, and I’m still utterly consumed by the hauntingly beautiful world Team Cherry has built across Hollow Knight and its phenomenal sequel Silksong. Hallownest and Pharloom are brimming with so many memorable bugs that it almost feels criminal to leave their stories untold. Sure, the Knight’s journey was epic and Hornet’s ascension in Silksong gave us everything we wanted and more, but I can’t shake the feeling that some side characters are screaming for their own spotlight. Whether it’s through a brutal Metroidvania or an entirely new genre, I just need to see more of these crawling, flying, and sometimes downright silly creatures. Here are my top picks for bugs who absolutely deserve their own game.

Sly: The Strongest Nail Wielder

I’ll never forget the first time I stumbled upon that unassuming little shopkeeper in the Forgotten Crossroads. Sly seemed like just another merchant until I dug deeper. Beneath that tiny fly exterior lies the Great Nailsage, arguably the most skilled nail wielder in Hallownest’s history. His optional boss fight remains one of my favorite moments in the entire series — a whirlwind of slashes and sheer fury packed into a ridiculously small frame. Team Cherry loves contrasting sizes in their protagonists, and after the towering Hornet, going comically small with Sly would be brilliant. I can already imagine darting between an enemy’s legs, charging up a massive nail strike, and unleashing all the skills he’s kept hidden for so long. A prequel exploring his training days or his fall from grace? Sign me up. Sly deserves the chance to unsheathe that blade once more.

Green Prince: A Tragic Tale From Beginning to End

Royalty runs deep in this universe, and the Green Prince of Verdania is a character whose tragedy still haunts me. His striking design alone — part regal, part broken — begs for more screen time. In Silksong, we only caught glimpses of what happened to his fallen kingdom and his lost partner. I’m not asking for a dating simulator, but a smaller, more intimate game set in pre-ruin Verdania could be devastatingly beautiful. Let me walk through those lush gardens before they withered, witness his romance blossom and shatter, and finally learn why he was imprisoned. The Green Prince’s assumed fate after Hornet defeats him is the quietest, most heartbreaking kind of lore, and I need closure. A self-contained tragedy starring this royal bug would fit perfectly in the Hollow Knight universe, proving that even side stories can leave you weeping.

Cloth: Looking to Find Her Confidence

Cloth’s story hit me harder than almost any other NPC arc. In my first playthrough, I befriended her, and watching that timid but valiant bug leap into battle against the Traitor Lord only to perish was a gut punch. But here’s the thing — if you don’t befriend her, she actually survives and leaves Hallownest to prove herself elsewhere. That open-ended survival is the perfect narrative hook for her own adventure. Imagine a game where Cloth journeys to an unexplored kingdom, still wielding her absurdly oversized club, still searching for the courage she knows is buried somewhere inside her. She’s a fan-favorite for a reason: her blend of vulnerability and explosive heroism is unlike any protagonist we’ve played yet. Plus, seeing her finally become the confident warrior she always wanted to be — on her own terms — would be the uplifting saga this dark universe sometimes needs.

Garmond & Zaza: Companions for Life

Old knights have a special place in my heart, and Garmond of Pharloom is no exception. Along with his noble beast-companion Zaza, they spent decades protecting their decaying homeland. What makes me desperate for their own game is the sheer untapped potential of their past adventures. In Silksong, their story ends tragically when a Void-corrupted Hornet defeats Garmond, leaving Zaza alone. But what about all those decades before? I crave a co-op or tag-team experience set in Pharloom’s earlier, brighter days. Garmond’s goofy yet noble personality paired with Zaza’s fierce loyalty would make for a wildly different tone — somewhere between heartwarming and haunting. Their combat could revolve around tandem attacks and mounted charges, offering a playstyle no other Hollow Knight title has touched. I honestly believe this duo could carry a full game, and I’ll keep hoping Team Cherry explores their rich history before the Void claimed everything.

Dung Defender: Smells Like Heroic Duty

Yes, I can still smell him through my monitor, and no, I don’t care. Dung Defender is far more than a joke boss. He was once Ogrim, one of the legendary Five Great Knights of Hallownest, a title that carries immense weight. The fact that he now joyfully guards a sewer full of excrement while laughing with heroic bombast is exactly the kind of tragicomic brilliance Team Cherry excels at. A game starring Ogrim could dip into his glory days alongside Isma and the other knights, revealing the fall of Hallownest from a defender’s perspective. His unique fighting style — explosive dung balls, burrowing, and ground pounds — would be a hilarious but deeply strategic departure from the Knight’s nail or Hornet’s needle. The fandom adores this stinker, and I’m convinced a full Dung Defender title would be equal parts gross, funny, and emotionally devastating. Just imagine the smell-o-vision possibilities.

Sherma: The Cutest Bug in the World

When Silksong launched, the community instantly latched onto Sherma, and so did I. This little pilgrim bug is pure, sunlit positivity — he sings, he plays music, and he cheers up anyone who looks sad. He has zero combat skills, and that’s precisely why he’d make a perfect star for the series’ first spin-off. Picture this: a rhythm-adventure game where Sherma’s music literally heals broken lands, calms hostile creatures, and uncovers ancient secrets. Music already holds mystical power in the Hollow Knight universe; just recall the delicate melodies of City of Tears. Let Sherma wander a new kingdom armed only with his voice and instrument, turning sorrow into song. It would be a lighter, more colorful journey that still respects the underlying melancholy of the series. I’d play a hundred hours of that, and you would too, because who can say no to more Sherma content?

Quirrel: Dreaming Memories

Quirrel is, in my opinion, the most criminally underutilized character in the entire series. He was just as important to the original Hollow Knight as Hornet, yet his story ends so quietly that newer fans might not even realize his depth. As Monomon’s apprentice and the bearer of her mask, Quirrel’s past is a tangled web of dreams, duty, and lost memories. We know he traveled beyond Hallownest before the events of the first game, which practically hands Team Cherry a prequel on a silver platter. I want to wield his unique weapon, explore foreign lands through his curious eyes, and perhaps even witness his encounters with Hornet before she became the fierce protector we know. Quirrel isn’t just a tag-along; he’s been shown to match Hornet in strength, and his calm intellect would offer a refreshing contrast to the Knight’s silence. A Quirrel-led adventure wouldn’t just be a game — it’d be the missing piece of Hollow Knight’s soul.

Lace: More Silk Less Song

Lace fascinated me from her very first appearance. She’s not fully a bug; she’s a living construct of pure silk, a kind of sister or mirrored reflection of Hornet herself. Throughout Silksong, she constantly challenges Hornet, teasing out the mysteries of their shared origin. But even after multiple boss encounters, I still have so many questions. A game centered around Lace would let Team Cherry delve deep into the nature of silk, binding, and identity. Her body being made entirely of silk opens up insane gameplay possibilities — unraveling to slip through cracks, reforming weapons from her own form, or manipulating enemies with threads. She’s precisely what Hornet was in the original game: a character too central and too mechanically fascinating to be left as a side figure. Lace deserves her own chance to shine, to weave her own story, and honestly, I’m ready to get tangled up in it.

While we hold out hope that Team Cherry eventually gives these incredible characters the spotlight they deserve, there’s no harm in revisiting Hallownest in the meantime — whether that means replaying the original masterpiece, diving back into Silksong, or hunting down official art books and soundtracks to keep the lore alive. The Hollow Knight community thrives on speculation and fan-made content, but sometimes you just want to own a piece of the world yourself. If you’re looking to expand your collection without breaking your Geo reserves, it’s always worth checking a few retailers to find the best deal on Hollow Knight merchandise, collector’s editions, or even a fresh controller for those marathon boss runs.