Hollow Knight: Silksong Review – A Daring, Breathtaking Sequel
▼ Summary
– Hollow Knight: Silksong is a challenging but rewarding sequel that avoids the pitfalls of following a beloved indie game.
– The game demands patience in combat, platforming, and exploration, with a risk-reward system emphasized during boss fights.
– Early sections are punishing, with enemies dealing heavy damage and a complex economy involving Rosaries and Shards for progression.
– Silksong encourages non-linear exploration, allowing players to find upgrades and alternate paths when stuck on difficult sections.
– Boss fights are highly praised as memorable, well-designed encounters that require pattern learning and strategic execution.
Hollow Knight: Silksong emerges not merely as a follow-up but as a breathtaking evolution of its predecessor, skillfully sidestepping the common traps that often plague sequels to beloved indie classics. Team Cherry’s latest offering demands patience and rewards boldness, weaving together intricate combat, demanding platforming, and deep exploration into a rich tapestry that feels both familiar and thrillingly new. While occasional frustrations with map design and a punishing early game may test some players, there’s no doubt that Silksong stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the original in both ambition and execution.
The immense anticipation surrounding this title has created a unique pressure to consume it rapidly, yet this approach misunderstands the game’s very nature. Silksong is not meant to be rushed; it unfolds gradually, revealing its true brilliance only to those willing to immerse themselves in its labyrinthine world. Initial impressions focusing solely on its difficulty miss the deeper experience waiting beneath the surface, a experience that will likely take the gaming community years to fully unpack and appreciate.
Early hours can feel particularly brutal. Enemies strike hard from the outset, dealing significant damage that forces players to master Hornet’s agile moveset quickly. Unlike the Knight’s straightforward pogo bounce, her diagonal needle dive requires precision and practice, encouraging aerial combat and fluid movement between foes. The silk meter introduces a compelling risk-reward dynamic: build it by attacking enemies, then choose between healing or unleashing a powerful special ability. This system emphasizes strategic decision-making from the very beginning.
Currency management adds another layer of complexity. Rosaries, the primary currency, are lost on death and must be retrieved from a cocoon, while Shell Shards serve as a supplementary resource for crafting tools and expanding combat options. The economy between these two can feel unbalanced early on, sometimes forcing players to grind Rosaries to replenish tools depleted during difficult encounters. This echoes the infamous blood vial farming in Bloodborne, pulling players away from the action for repetitive farming sessions, a design choice that persists throughout the game and grows more noticeable in later areas.
Where Silksong truly shines is in its encouragement of nonlinear exploration. When faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge, the solution often lies not in repetition but in venturing elsewhere. The world is vast and filled with optional content, and nearly every detour leads to meaningful rewards: hidden caches of Rosaries, new abilities, or NPC allies who can join certain battles. Adopting a mindset of exploration over persistence transforms the experience, reducing friction and continuously offering fresh discoveries.
The atmosphere remains one of Silksong’s strongest assets. Each new area feels like turning over a damp log, uncovering a teeming, sometimes unsettling ecosystem buzzing with life. Auditory details like skittering limbs and whining gnats deepen the immersion, while visual contrast between grimy early zones and opulent late-game regions enhances the sense of progression. All this is rendered beautifully in 2D, with masterful use of light and shadow adding depth to every environment.
Unfortunately, the map system feels outdated given the game’s expanded scope. While functional, it lacks intuitive NPC markers, varied pin options, and a more useful compass mechanic. These shortcomings can lead to confusion in a world as intricate as Pharloom.
Playing as Hornet offers a refreshing change from the silent Knight. She is vocal, confident, and emotionally engaged with the world around her, adding narrative weight to her journey. This characterization enriches both the lore and the combat, making every victory feel personal and earned.
And what combat it is. Boss fights in Silksong are nothing short of spectacular, each encounter is a meticulously choreographed dance of deadly elegance, set to stirring original scores. The game boasts one of the most impressive rosters of bosses in modern memory, each demanding pattern recognition, quick reflexes, and creative strategy. With patience and exploration, none feel insurmountable, and the satisfaction of mastering each duel is immense.
Silksong is a worthy successor to Hollow Knight, reflecting a development team committed to exceeding expectations rather than resting on past success. It challenges players but rewards them richly for their investment. This is a game to be savored, explored, and revisited, a new benchmark for the metroidvania genre.
For those seeking a deep, challenging action-platformer with unparalleled boss design and a beautifully grim world, Silksong is an essential play. Fans of the original will find familiar strengths amplified, though newcomers need not have completed Hollow Knight to appreciate this standalone journey. However, those short on time or patience may struggle with its open-ended structure and occasional grinding requirements.
Accessibility options are limited, offering basic controls remapping, HUD adjustments, and audio sliders but lacking features like colorblind modes or difficulty settings. The experience reviewed here spanned over 36 hours on Nintendo Switch 2, utilizing docked 120Hz mode with a Pro Controller, though players preferring d-pad input may want to consider alternative peripherals.
(Source: TechRadar)
