Hollow Knight: Silksong is Finally Here

I still can’t believe this game is real. Team Cherry practically shadow-dropping it after all this time feels like a dream. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bigfoot or aliens are proven real.

‘Hollow Knight‘ is one of the best Metroidvania games ever made, if not the best. That alone set a high bar for its successor. Unfortunately, its long absence has sent player expectations into the stratosphere. Six years of near-deafening silence have left Hollow Knight fans frothing at the mouth. So much so that the Steam store crashed within minutes of the game’s release!

The question is: was it worth it? Does ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong‘ live up to the hype? Or was this game better off as a hopeful dream?

Folks, I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Silksong is a great game. It lives up to the hype and even exceeds it in some areas. However, as much as I like it, there are issues that keep me from really loving it. If I had to choose between this and the first game, I’m picking ‘Hollow Knight‘ every day of the week.

Quick disclaimer: this is not a full review. I’m only ten hours in, having just finished Act 1, so I can’t judge the full package just yet. If something happens later on that wildly changes my opinion, I’ll probably write a follow-up post. With that in mind, let’s begin.

Our story begins with Hornet imprisoned. Mysterious robed bugs have captured her, taking her across the wastes to the land of Pharloom. After managing to escape and get her bearings, Hornet’s goal becomes clear: ascend to the kingdom’s peak, find the one responsible for her kidnapping, and eliminate them. Along the way, she’ll meet a colorful cast of characters, overcome numerous trials, and unravel the mysteries of her heritage.

As I said earlier, I’ve only just entered Act 2. But so far, I find the story very compelling and intriguing. There are so many questions I can’t wait to find answers to. Who is our mysterious foe? How are they connected to Hornet? What happened to this somber, hopeless kingdom?

One detail I love that separates Silksong from its predecessor is Hornet herself. Unlike the Knight, Hornet actually speaks when spoken to. You get to learn so much more about her than what we got in the first game. She’s very dry, straight-forward, and pragmatic, only helping others if it happens to be on her path. Treat her well, and she’ll be a good friend. Make an enemy of her, and she’ll make you regret it. She’s a solid character, and I’m looking forward to how her story will evolve.

An especially nice touch is the Hunter’s Journal. Kill enough of each enemy, and Hornet will write down her own thoughts on that particular bug. Some enemies she finds cute, others curious, and some even terrifying. It’s a wonderful way to build up both the character and the setting, if you’re willing to do the reading.

Pharloom as a setting is as beautiful as it is sad. There’s hidden history everywhere, if you’re willing to look for it. Every single area is dripping with atmosphere. There were so many points where I forgot what I was doing and got lost wandering side corridors. I became truly lost and immersed in this new kingdom. It is more than a worthy follow-up to Hallownest.

Aesthetically, Silksong is an absolute home run. The sprite work and animations are all a delight on the eyes. Every single area is full of detail that brings the world to life. From little touches like the grass shifting beneath Hornet’s feet, to jaw-dropping visuals that take your breath away. Pharloom is a truly beautiful yet sorrowful land that begs you to explore.

And of course, the music is amazing. Christopher Larkin proves once again that he is one of the best composers in the industry. Bombastic boss themes, mellow hub tunes, or chilling melodies; Silksong has got them all.

Yet it is the silence that sticks with me the most. Most areas have music, and it’s all so good. Which makes it so much more chilling when the OST completely disappears. You’re suddenly left alert, taking in every ambient sound and distant voice.

As for the game itself: Silksong plays very differently than its predecessor. Hornet is much more agile than the Knight was. Her dive attack is much harder to master than the Knight’s pogo-slash, but when you do it right, it feels so good! You can even unlock special Crests that change up her moves. My personal favorite is the Reaper’s Crest, with heavy slashes that give more Silk.

On that subject: replacing Soul is the new Silk mechanic. Like Soul, Silk can be used to heal or use special attacks. However, Silk is a much more valuable commodity; without upgrades, it takes much longer to build up enough Silk to do anything. You need a full bar of it just to heal, and half to use a special attack. If you get hit while healing, you won’t regain health and you’ll lose all your Silk. It is the game’s ultimate risk-reward feature. And it fucking sucks when you mess it up.

As you probably expected, Silksong is a very hard game. Unfortunately, this is my greatest issue with it. Because I’ve played hard games that were also fun. And this is not how you do it.

At the risk of sounding like a game journalist: the game feels too punishing. You only start with five health, and most enemies do two ticks of damage right off the bat; that’s the same as endgame bosses in the previous title. Even environmental hazards eat up a whole third of your health bar. Combined with how few invincibility frames you have, along with how tricky Hornet’s controls can be, and you might just die before you even realize what happened.

On its own, this wouldn’t be too frustrating. Just learn the attack patterns and adapt. Unfortunately, when combined with the lack of checkpoints, it gets so much worse. Most bosses don’t have a bench anywhere near them; if they kill you, then you get to repeat a solid chunk of the area. Including obnoxious enemies and difficult parkour sections. Dying to a hard boss is already annoying; having to run through a difficult level just to try again is downright infuriating! It makes learning the fight take so much longer, like the game is padding for time.

Which is a shame, because some of these bosses are AMAZING! The Cogwork Dancers and Widow are some of the most fun fights I’ve had in any Metroidvania! When the bosses don’t flatten you with overwhelming damage or send you on a marathon to try again, they’re easily the best parts of the game!

Finally, there are the Tools, Silksong’s Charm equivalent. I’m sorry, but these are just straight-up bad. They’re color-coded, with Yellow Tools helping navigation and resource collection, Blue Tools providing passive buffs, and Red Tools adding extra weapons to your arsenal. Problem is, you can only equip up to two of each color. You can’t trade a bad Yellow Tool for a much better Blue one. Compared to the huge build variety Charms offered in the first game, this system is a downgrade in every way. It feels needlessly restrictive and unsatisfying.

Yes, the first Hollow Knight was also very difficult. But that game never felt unfair. By the time enemies started dealing two damage a hit, you had more than enough health and upgrades to handle it. Most areas had shortcuts that made running back to bosses much less tedious. Once you got to the endgame bosses, the run backs were removed entirely; just walk into the room and try again. It was brutal, but fair.

Except for the Path of Pain and Pantheon 5. Those can fuck off to hell.

Silksong throws you straight into the deep end and tells you to sink or swim. It does everything in its power to make your life harder. Not to mention it can pull some dirty tricks, like bosses that attack you in safe areas or explode when you kill them. While these are certainly memorable moments, in my opinion, they are neither fair nor fun. Shit is so brutal it actually hurt my self-esteem.

Does this ruin the game for me? Absolutely not. Beyond these complaints, I would consider Silksong a near perfect game. The story is great, the world intriguing, and the whole game is absolutely beautiful. I just think it could use a few balance adjustments and extra checkpoints. Because as it is now, I find myself being angry with it more often than I actually enjoy playing it.

Regardless of its issues, ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong‘ is a phenomenal game. The fact that it only costs $20 is nothing short of a steal. For all my gripes, I find that I’m enjoying it more the deeper into it I get. If you are a patient soul, this game is absolutely worth its generous asking price.

Team Cherry has an extensive history of pro-consumer behavior. ‘Hollow Knight‘ had several updates, including several free DLCs. Given the obvious passion they have for their games and their fans, I have no doubt Silksong will only improve from here.

Then again, they were working on this one for six years. With all the unrealistic expectations of all the internet weighing on their shoulders like boulders. No one could blame them if they needed a break after all that.