Hollow Knight: Silksong (2025)

This title, by Team Cherry, is the long-awaited sequel to one of the most beloved indie games of all time, Hollow Knight. After years of speculation, delays, and fervent community anticipation, Silksong emerges not just as a continuation of Hollow Knight’s legacy but as a reimagining of what a sequel can be. It carries forward the spirit of discovery, challenge, and melancholy beauty that defined the original while reshaping the formula around its new protagonist, one of the bosses in the first title, Hornet. This time around the location of the world is called Pharloom, so we are no longer in Hallownest. It inverts the descent into darkness of the first game, challenging you to ascend through layered environments, each brimming with its own mysteries, dangers, and emotional weight.

From the first moment you take control of Hornet, it’s clear that this sequel moves to a different rhythm. Where the Knight of the first game felt methodical and grounded, Hornet is quick, acrobatic, and expressive. Her needle and thread weapon serve as both a tool for combat and traversal, allowing her to dash across gaps, pull herself toward enemies, and weave through combat scenarios with a balletic grace. I had two feelings regarding the first few mechanic introductions, one is the pogo, the initial downward strike is very hard to master, and second, that the very welcoming addition of edge grabbing. The controls are tight and responsive, rewarding precision and timing in a way that feels immediately satisfying, and this shift in movement philosophy changes the entire tone of the game.

The new Pharloom region feels both alien and familiar, echoing the quiet sadness of Hallownest while introducing a fresh aesthetic variety. The environments are more vertical, emphasizing Hornet’s agility and this makes you think more multi-dimensionally. Each biome, tells its own story through architecture and ambient detail, which is an inheritance of games such as Dark Souls. Every corner hides a secret, and every vista carries the haunting beauty that has become Team Cherry’s signature art-style. The game’s visual presentation remains hand-drawn, filled with fluid animations and a painterly sense of color and light that makes each area distinct and memorable. And similar to the first title, it heavily relies in the use of the parallax effect in order to create a sense of immersion.

This game OST, once again, plays a central role in defining its emotional landscape. Somber strings and delicate piano melodies evoke a sense of longing and loss, while tense, rhythmic compositions drive the intensity of boss encounters. The soundtrack shifts dynamically as you explore, adding layers of atmosphere that deepen the sense of immersion. So no big changes from the first entry, it retains the exact same style and level of quality. It’s not merely background music, it feels like an emotional partner to the journey, guiding you through her trials and triumphs. And again, similar to the first title, it's OST it'll also be on my of playlists, alongside others such as Deltarune, Undertale and the Mega Man series. The boss themes are also amazing, especially ones like Karmelita and Lace. Unfortunately, the Hornet's theme is dedicated to the first game, so we never get to hear it on this entry, though I think that it is what the bosses hear whenever we start a fight with them.

As for the gameplay, it strikes a delicate balance between evolution and tradition. Many of the core systems from Hollow Knight return, exploration, platforming, and combat remain tightly interwoven, but they’ve been refined to suit Hornet’s more energetic playstyle. Healing now requires the use of silk rather than soul, adding a new dimension of risk and reward. And I think that the healing mechanic now is much more fun since it gives you more options, such as doing it while in movement. Crafting replaces charms, letting you forge tools and upgrades that better suit their preferred approach. The result is a system that feels more customizable and experimental. There’s a greater variety of weapons, movement abilities, and environmental puzzles, ensuring that every new zone introduces something mechanically fresh.

I noticed a lot of people disliking the more limited approach (more balanced, really) to this system, but I think it served this game better since Hornet is more capable than the Knight, already being powerful without any upgrades. One of its most noticeable improvements lies in its sense of scale, Pharloom is significantly larger than Hallownest, with more interconnected pathways, secret areas, and optional challenges. And at the same time, Hollownest was already immense, so be prepared for at least double the amount of exploration. The game world feels alive with characters, many of whom have their own side quests, stories, and moral complexities. These interactions add depth to the narrative without sacrificing the trademark ambiguity that made the original so captivating.

The writing is subtle but emotionally resonant, you feel the weight of the world’s history in every ruined chapel, forgotten grave, and whispered line of dialogue. Even though it follows the game's unique spoken language, you still feel and understand the emotions of the characters since the voice-acting is phenomenal. Despite these strengths, Silksong is not without its frustrations. Its difficulty curve is steep, being even harder than the first title, which is already very hard in the first place. Boss battles, while exhilarating and expertly designed, often require dozens of attempts to master. I can't stress this enough when I say that your brain will be used to it's maximum level when you engage in the boss fights, some of them are so hard that it feels like time has stopped. Enemy attacks are faster and more aggressive, demanding sharper reflexes and deeper understanding of movement mechanics. Not to mention that you now receive twice as much damage, from the very beginning of the game, making you an even more glass cannon character than the Knight.

The game also inherits the punishing “run-back” system from its predecessor, dying can mean long treks back to your shade and another attempt at survival. And while I sometimes agree that this is a drawback since other similar games are no longer doing this, such as Elden Ring itself, some may even consider this a QOL improvement. A this can be a satisfying test of skill, for others, it may verge on exhausting. I only really had any trouble with this on one particular boss called Groal The Great, otherwise, all the other ones are very tolerable. Still, when you finally conquer a brutal boss or uncover a hidden area, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched.

As for the narrative, it feels both intimate and epic, Hornet’s story is one of resilience and self-discovery, told not through heavy exposition but through the quiet spaces between action. And while the first game already set very high standards, and hyped up her backstory, in my opinion, it still managed blow away all my expectations. Her journey up through Pharloom mirrors you own growth as a player, from disoriented captive to agile master of her environment. Themes of rebirth, sacrifice, and legacy resonate throughout the experience, connecting Silksong to its predecessor while carving out a unique emotional identity. By the time the credits roll, it feels less like a sequel and more like a spiritual ascension of everything Hollow Knight represented. While at the same time (some spoilers now), the very first time you face the credits is just half the journey, similar to the SOTN Inverted Castle.

It is absolutely a must to 100% this game, I admit that I didn't played the Steel Soul mode, but I at least performed 100% of the game's contents like challenges, side-quests and optional bosses. Ultimately, this game justifies every minute of its long development cycle, it is a masterclass in game design, a seamless blend of art, challenge, and storytelling that captures the soul of the Metroidvania genre while expanding its boundaries. It’s more demanding than ever, but also more rewarding. It invites you to lose themselves in its intricate world, to learn through failure, and to find meaning in perseverance. For newcomers, it offers a beautiful yet brutal introduction to one of gaming’s most artful universes. For veterans, it’s the culmination of everything they loved about Hollow Knight, faster, sharper, and richer in every sense.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is easily one of the defining games of 2025, a title that will be discussed, analyzed, and revered for years to come. It may not be flawless, but its imperfections only underline its ambition and humanity. Few games so confidently balance elegance and difficulty, serenity and chaos, despair and triumph. Team Cherry has once again created something timeless. This is, without a doubt, one of the best games of all time, an a must-play if you like games to any extent, similar to the first entry. Not to mention it is easy to get your hands on it since the team decided to use regional prices, yet again setting new standards, not just to the game quality and it's indie scope, but also when it comes to how it's audience is treated.

I can't recommend this enough, and it'll be better experienced if you play the first game before going to this one. And trust me, half an hour playing the first Hollow Knight will be enough to get you hooked and you won't notice that, out of nowhere, you played more than 20 hours and there is still a lot to see in the game. For my gameplay session I took two entire months, playing it to it's entirety, doing 100% of the content (minus Steel Soul Mode) and I took 110 hours, more than double the amount of the first game. I can't praise this game enough, I consider this to be the most advanced of indie titles, this is the most polished and has the highest level of quality we got up until this point in time. And despite it having a target audience and it's own genre, I still recommend this if you are not familiar with Metroidvanias, just expect an insane level of challenge if you haven't even touched the previous game.

6 years… 6 years of very impatient waiting and the 100+ hours of pure masochism that this game demands of you have proven I think that in my eyes, Team Cherry can do no wrong… but Lord did this game test me. So this review is in no way unbiased, I am a Team Cherry fanatic and no matter what, I think this game was always going to be a masterpiece for me. With that said, it has edges, and they are goddamn sharp ones.

For a lot of the general public, the hype building up to Silk Song’s release seems to have memory wiped the fact that Team Cherry are a group of sadistic bastards, it's honestly incredible and absurd just how equally addictive and aggravating this damn game is. For me Hollow Knight was the first Souls-like I ever really committed to so I’m still new to that feeling of anger slowly dissipating into calm as patterns become recognizable and then reflexive, as a boss that once confounded, slowly, overtime becomes familiar, and then predictable. Hornet dancing in and out of their blind spots and then when the time is right, laying them low just once in response to the thousands of times they’ve done the same. It’s infuriating, it’s intoxicating and like that hint of iron in blood as it fills your mouth after a fight, it’s an acquired taste. That discovery loop is what pulled me through the complete culture shock that was my first Hollow knight play-through, and jumping into this game years later for me feels like coming home, wiser, stronger, more resilient, and yet the same in many frustrating ways. I did not enjoy a big chunk of this grueling fucking game.

I very consistently oscillated between visceral anger and pure elation, and unlike Hollow knight where I felt new to the genre, and unsure of my criticisms, whether or not the game was unfair or I just wasn't ‘good enough’, at certain points Silk Song very clearly, very intentionally just takes the piss. There’s a line between challenge and punishment, and Cherry is playing fucking jump rope with it. Parts of this game feel like I’m bashing my head on a wall hoping to make it crack, the fucking mid-tier enemy randomization during some boss fights, the goddamn motherfucking run-backs, specifically one that’s just so absurd i dare not mention it out of sheer aggravation, enemy movement that feels designed to piss you off, pulling back right as you strike. It’s a design philosophy that rewards sheer force of will at the expense of time and sanity.

With that said I am so proud of the time I have spent with this game, like really. Experiences like this are what truly cultivate a sense of wonder and resilience, I feel like I have ownership of each part of this map that has been revealed to me cause there is no inch of Pharloom that I haven’t fight for, that I haven’t earned. I don’t think I’m ever going to do this shit again (Liar), but I’m glad that I did. Bravo

Oversimplified opinion: It's incredible to look at and interact with, but the gameplay never got there for me. I never felt comfortable, which was the point? Couldn't be bothered to get through Act 3

Sub-genre: Puzzle platformer, metroidvania

Favorite part: Choral Halls music

Rating: 2.5/5

Review: My lasting opinion is not that it's too hard, but it's needlessly arduous. I love when a game makes me feel like my utility belt is full and I have mastery, I never really got that. It lacked the "fun" zest I was looking for. Also, I've never played Dark Souls, but whew boy the story structure is not for me. I much prefer the style of Celeste.

Anyways, it's incredible but I'll never want to crack it again. I may listen to the soundtrack though or look at the concept art.

Silksong improved upon Hollow Knight in every conceivable way, most meaningfully for me was having a lovable protagonist with personality rather than a - by obvious design - hollow shell of a knight.

My only big complaint is that the beginning of Act 2 was woefully bereft of signposts pointing you in the direction of a few key discoveries. The game started to feel a bit like work for a few hours there, but as soon as you picked up a few core requirements, it was back to being a blast.

The other complaint is that it's a bit long. While I imagine there is DLC coming at some point anyway, it feels like some of what was already on the game could have been set aside as a separate product. A game this hard could benefit from 20% less core content.

Finally, was it very difficult? If you haven't played Hollow Knight already, I'd definitely say so. You almost want to tackle the games in order for difficulty scaling rather than lore continuity. But it wasn't excessive. It always put me on the edge of my ability, which is exactly what I wanted this experience to be.

I look forward to several of Silksong's boss fights winding up on GOAT lists. I can think of 3-4 easily off the top of my head that are easily deserving of said consideration.

Will Silksong take GOTY? Probably not - I haven't played E33 or Hades 2 yet, but they must be incredible if most people are considering Silksong a dark horse.

Overall, fantastic game. You owe it to yourself to git gud enough to play it.

Alright. This review is not going to sit well with people who love the game - especially the ones who have been waiting for it like it's the second coming of Christ. Not that those people can be objective about this game, anyway.

First, I want to say that the game is gorgeous in every single way. The art, the music, the characters, their silly bug voices, it's all amazing. The world itself is huge and very much "metroidvania". It seems it goes on and on forever. Which I loved, personally. I can't get enough of these sorts of explorable worlds, interconnected and filled with obstacles that can be overcome with future upgrades.

Second, the story is, in classic "souls" fashion (or however you want to call it), deep and difficult to follow. Although I'd say it's easier to figure out what's going on in this game than in the original Hollow Knight, it's still not just straightforward. This is something you either like or dislike about a video game. I personally like it.

However, it is very important to say that this game is too difficult. Obnoxiously difficult. Its difficulty does not border on "artificial difficulty", its difficulty is plain BS. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is a fanmade project created by those people who can beat Any% Radiance in Hollow Knight. And please don't tell me to "git gud". I did. I beat the entire game, including the third act and the final final boss. Also, one quick look at my profile will reveal that I love difficult games. I can sit for hours and hours retrying a boss, learning their patterns and smashing my head against the wall until I finally defeat them. This game, however, makes all of that not fun. Here's a quick rundown as to why:

• Nearly every boss run is a nightmare;
• Many encounters aren't unique bosses at all, they're just gauntlets of enemies which feature far, far too many enemies in most cases;
• Nearly everything, aside the basic enemies at the beginning of the game, will do 2+ damage to you. I don't know why they bothered creating individual health points at all;
• Nearly every enemy and boss has way too much health;
• Any good upgrades you could use to make it a bit easier on yourself are more hidden than legendary weapons are in some other games. And even then, most upgrades are kind of bad;
• Healing yourself takes forever, and it only restores 3 health points at a time. More often than not, you will restore your health just to get hit and lose 2 health points, making the entire process nearly worthless;

Aside from that, and this might've been just a problem for me, the gameplay is... off. Everything feels off. Your nail attack is too short, your plunge attack is too short, the dash doesn't go far enough, Hornet starts falling too fast after an air dash, she doesn't bounce as much as you'd expert from a plunge attack, the input for your traps and tools is uncomfortable and it's hard to use them in some cases (especially if you're clinging to a wall).

Worst of all, the difficulty really spikes up in Act III. I enjoyed the game until that. I loved it, in fact. But the finale made me dislike it.

I played Hollow Knight well after its release and really loved it. Certainly one of the most unique, atmospheric and gripping souls-like/metroidvanias out there. This game may not reinvent the wheel, but what it offers is a labor of love that can feel imbalanced and brutally hard. This certainly wouldn't be a good entry point for new gamers. Hollow Knight certainly is more gentle with its on-boarding, but if you like a challenge, immaculate art design, exploration and atmosphere, this game has it in spades and for only 20 bucks.

What makes Silksong significantly more difficult is around how the game is balanced. First off, even the first boss can hit you for 2 points of damage. Which is a lot considering early game bosses in Hollow Knight wouldn't hit you this hard. Thus making the game more punishing early on. In addition, as I'm sure plenty of other people have pointed out, is how your downward mid air attack works. It's a diagonal angle rather than straight down like it was in Hollow Knight. It's certainly something you can adjust to (I certainly did), but it objectively makes the earlier phases of the game more challenging. The game does introduce a new mechanic called Crests, which allow you to change your attack patterns. One of which, The Reaper or The Wanderer, feels more like base Hollow Knight. Each crest has its own ability and a different load out option with the tools you can equip, which can significantly change your playstyle. This makes customization in Silksong significantly more complex than Hollow Knight.

The tools are an interesting addition. I found myself using the Cog bugs and one of the throwing projectiles with the poison tool. This felt very strong, but there are a ton of tool options giving you access to a wide range of play styles.

Another aspect to the difficulty is how encounters are primarily designed. This time around there is a far greater emphasis on group encounters/ganks. Multiple bosses will have a bit of a combat gauntlet you need to fight through in order to even give them a chance. The game also has several grueling gauntlets/platforming challenges just to reach the boss. The worst being the Blight Woods boss, which is a long gauntlet through a difficult poison platforming challenge which ends in a gank and followed by the actual boss fight. It's honestly a slog especially since you likely will enter the arena poisoned or at the very least low on health. It's certainly intentional with its design, love or hate it (though I think most people would hate it). Another brutal gauntlet would be for the raging Conchfly. This is one of the hardest platforming challenges in the whole game and while the boss itself isn't the toughest, the gauntlet getting to them is effectively part of the boss fight. So this clear trend in bosses with adds or having prelude gank squads or long platforming to reach them is something you will like or hate and it is very common. None of these bosses were my favorite, but these types of encounters didn't sour my overall experience, even as it pushed my patience to its limits.

That all said, Silksong absolutely has great boss fights that are both a spectacle and thrilling to overcome. I ended up spending roughly 70 hours beating the game. You can certainly beat the game much quicker. Especially if you are fine with the false ending and don't pursue the completely optional 3rd act, which is certainly among the hardest challenges of the game and best boss fights. But I enjoyed the exploration, atmosphere and characters. And even as my patience was pushed to its very limits, I kept going and felt rewarded with experiencing the next new zone or encounter. Or progressing a NPCs questline.

Silksong also introduces a new quest system. Overall I did like it. It helped to motivate backtracking and giving you additional rewards ontop of exploring new areas opened to you via new power ups. Easily the most difficult quest was delivering meat to the servant in the Citadel. You not only have to run the greatest distance in the game, but also need to avoid taking damage and do it as quickly as possible or fail. Not all of these quests give great rewards, but I still found myself enjoying doing them all and getting more lore.

Also the way the game handles NPCs is on the same level as FromSoft at their best. I found myself invested in doing NPC quests, finding them and seeing how their journey progresses. They always felt like they were on their own mission and our chance encounters were just that. They weren't reacting to me, they were doing their own thing. Each character was memorable and I found myself interested in the lore of the game as a result. It does a great job of building intrigue.

Like with Hollow Knight, you start weak, but once you get upgrades and tools you have a far more complicated and robust tool kit compared to Hollow Knight. While the game likes to throw large groups of enemies at you, you are significantly more mobile to compensate for it. Though I personally preferred the one on one fights, and these bosses certainly don't mess around when it comes to particle effects and projectiles you need to avoid.

I enjoyed my time with this game, even if I walked away a bit scarred.

Deep breath. I don't really know what to say here, frankly... It's what I expected, let's start with that. It's more Hollow Knight, but tougher, more refined, with more options.

I had a lot of fun with it, but also a lot of frustration - mostly the good kind that keeps you coming back to the same boss that's kicking your ass. But sometimes I just wanted to break the screen with my controller. The game is HARD, some bosses are hard in a fun way, some in an annoying way. Running back to a boss after a defeat can often be a challenge of its own. And also fuck Bilewater...

But I completely submerged myself into this game for anywhere between 50 to 70 hours, and I would continue to play if there was more (let's go DLC!). I loved the crests, tools and talismans that allowed you to create builds for Hornet - they can change your play style in an instant and some situations or bosses can be a lot easier if you switch up you play style. I like that not all abilities are mandatory, and are hidden behind tough challenges (like Mount Fay).

Could the game be better balanced? Sure, and I can already see Team Cherry working on it. But it's another great one, and a huge Game of the Year contender.

Silksong had a lot to live up to, given both the incredible longevity of Hollow Knight and the endless hype surrounding its vaporware status. It's still surreal to know that this is a real product you can play. If you were to ignore the difficulty and unfair aspects, I could easily see an argument for how this is a 9.5/10 or a 10/10 masterpiece of a video game. Due to those ignored elements, this ended up being one of the hardest games I've ever beaten, alongside Sekiro and Returnal.

Recently, the developer of Silksong was asked about the difficulty, and he said the player could explore elsewhere. But the options to go elsewhere will result in similar levels of frustration. One of the best(and worst) things about Silksong is that nothing is free -- everything must be earned. But sometimes the price is too high, and having to bang my head against the wall for minuscule upgrades time and time again eventually gets grating.

So why is this game still incredible? Everything else. The Music, the atmosphere, the combat, the exploration, absolutely everything else this game does is a masterclass in gaming. The only small caveat I'd give is that the game hides a few things a little TOO well, and not giving some indicators will necessitate the use of a guide, but overall the navigation is greater and better streamlined than the original Hollow Knight.

This game is brutal, but it's also incredibly addicting, and is a perfect marriage of the best aspects of both soulslikes and metroidvanias. Thankfully for Expedition 33, the poor balancing will prevent this from winning my personal GOTY, but if they fix the balancing, it'd be a close call. I would not reccomend this game to everyone, only those who have the patience to crack one of the toughest nuts in gaming. Those who do choose to walk this dreadful path will find some of the greatest qualities in gaming.

9/10

review contains very light spoilers, except the blurred part which is kinda big spoilers

i'm not afraid to admit it: i was mad when i lost. there were times i wanted to drop nuclear warheads on australia, sure. heck, i may have even called a few developers israeli.

but truly, i have to thank the frustrating parts. without them, i wouldn't have reached the enlightened state i find myself in now. i am one with peace; we've become synonymous. i feel more chinese than i previously thought was possible.

its times like this where i can look back and laugh. ah, savage beastfly... what a character! and who could forget the lovable palestag, whose encounter was most definitely not created with the design teams eyes closed after a heavy night of drinking?

this game was a long time coming, and the results truly do speak for themselves. the music & sound ambience, the beautiful environments & animations, the wonderfully tragic cast of characters... to list everything great this game offers would be a task harder than ascending mount fay without swearing.

this game's themes are where it really shines, though. i didn't expect to dive so deep into the horrors of womanhood in my metroidvania bug game, but that quickly changed after i had to find a way to abort hornets rape baby, through illegal means no less. the idea of meeting strict expectations due to hornet's inherent nature being constantly thrown at the player was not lost on me either, nor was the sexual harassment from a small handful of characters. also: mass religious psychosis is a bad thing - who knew! glad that's not relevant today, haha.

team cherry, you really outdid yourselves. except you, William Pellen, i hope you die in a violent explosion. i can't wait for 2050, when Pablo enters early access. thank you.