Silksong, RDR2, & Other Sequels That Were Worth The Wait

Sometimes, games simply get announced too early. Trailers can pop off during shows like Nintendo Direct, The Game Awards, Gamescom, or the late great E3. It’s great to see surprise announcements like Marvel’s Wolverine, Kingdom Hearts 4, and whatever the next Mass Effect will be called. However, these examples and more have not received many updates after their initial tease.

It’s hard for the community, but when a sequel game does come out and is good, then it makes the wait well worth it. Hollow Knight: Silksong is a fine example, as things are still pretty hushed right now, while the community is trying to complete it as fast as possible on their own terms to avoid spoilers. That said, early impressions seem positive. So, what other sequel games made the wait for their release worthwhile?

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hard But Satisfying

It felt like decades for some fans, but Hollow Knight: Silksong’s six-year development window is not as bad as some others. While there is debate over the game’s difficulty, no one can deny the qualities of what this game brings to the table as far as Metroidvanias go.

The art style is a nice step up over the original, with bright colors and more detailed models and animations. Hornet is a faster and more fluid character than The Knight, and without spoiling too much, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a bigger game than its predecessor, for sure.

Red Dead Redemption 2

A Long, Dusty Road

Red Dead Redemption 2 satisfied fans who had been craving a sequel since the original debuted in 2010. Eight years was a long time to wait, but the sequel was such a leap over the original that it’s great Rockstar drew out its development.

The world was bigger, the gameplay was more complex, and the story was intense and heartfelt, depending on player choice. Players could go through the story like a typical Rockstar experience, or they could treat the game like a Wild West simulator and live out their best days as a cowboy.

Alan Wake 2

The Horrors Of Small Town America

Alan Wake is another game that came out in 2010, although fans had to wait longer than Red Dead Redemption 2 to play Alan Wake 2, as it was released in 2023. While the game is short, it is packed with a lot of great moments, most of which are not worth spoiling here, but let’s just say music plays a big role, like in many Remedy games.

The horror elements are truly terrifying in the dark, and the gameplay is more open than what most fans probably expected, especially coming off the first game. The cliffhanger ending is brutal, but hopefully, fans won’t have to wait another thirteen years for answers.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Who Would Have Expected?

Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear was a 2016 expansion to Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, which was a 2012 release. It was the last entry before Baldur’s Gate 3’s full launch in 2023, but realistically, fans had been waiting for this sequel since 2000 when the second mainline game was released.

No one thought it was possible for a sequel to come out, since a lot of the old developers had moved on. Even stranger, who would have guessed that the franchise’s return would net it as much attention as it received, and all deservedly so, as it was a groundbreaking return to form for CRPGs.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

The Promise Made, Kind Of

Final Fantasy 7 blew the lid off the PS1 in 1997, and when Square Enix showed a tech demo of the game’s opening running on the PS3 in 2005, fans got excited. That demo was never a real game, but that didn’t stop fans dreaming of what could be. Then, in 2015, the announcement was made, and the remake was real.

It hit a snag along the way, but Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released in 2020 as only part of what will become a trilogy of remakes. It may not exactly be what fans expected, but they certainly loved the action gameplay and story twists. Plus, the second part, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, was received even better.

Donkey Kong Bananza

He’s Still Got It

Donkey Kong fans were not doing well for a decade, as Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was a 2014 Wii U game and the last entry in the series. Even though DK kicked off Mario’s career in 1981, Mario is the brand that took off and became a cash cow for Nintendo.

Fans waited patiently and were rewarded on a level that they could have never predicted with Donkey Kong Bananza. DK was back and better than ever, and this time in 3D with fully destructible environments. It was a new look for DK and a new gameplay style for Donkey Kong games, but that’s what helped it excel.

Kingdom Hearts 3

Now, About That Fourth Game…

Kingdom Hearts 2 was released in 2006 in North America, which was one year after its release in Japan. Kingdom Hearts 3 didn’t release until 2019, with the gaps in the meantime being filled by spin-offs, the last prominent one being 2012’s Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.

Fans had portable games and HD collections to occupy their minds, but it wasn’t the same thing as getting a mainline console experience that followed up on the second game. Kingdom Hearts 3 was worth it, though, with so many issues from the PS2 days being fixed, from the fluid combat to the camera controls.

Psychonauts 2

Hypnotically Good

Psychonauts 2 is a game that fans basically never thought would happen, as most Double Fine games are experimental one-offs and rarely become franchises. A decade after the original’s release, a sequel was announced in 2015, which was shocking news, but it even then, the game didn’t materialize until 2021.

It felt like the game Double Fine wanted to make in 2005, with strange visual experiments and gameplay tricks that could only be accomplished on modern hardware. The original game was a cult hit, but Psychonauts 2 made itself known far and wide as something everyone should pay attention to.