Hollow Knight: Silksong Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch 2, Switch, & PC)

Indie Team Cherry’s first foray into the Metroidvania world was a massive hit no one saw coming, following it up with four major DLCs. These have, at least, kept us engaged, awaiting the sequel to Hollow Knight for eight years. Now that Silksong is finally here, though, it’s time to see whether Team Cherry has hit the sky limit we fervently know and believe they can. 

Hollow Knight is so good, it’ll give you a headache trying to picture how it could be better. I mean, a bigger, platforming world, of course, with more weapons and skills to dispose of enemies. Otherwise, nearly every gameplay element is pitch-perfect: tight and precise throughout your exploration of dark and brilliant Hallownest. 

It’s indeed exciting to see how an already near-perfect game challenges itself to be better. We already know the sequel will be great, either way. But how exactly? And will the new changes bring those who’ve never played Hollow Knight into the fold? Will it have veterans singing even more high praises? 

Buckle up, while we expound all that Team Cherry has achieved in our Hollow Knight: Silksong review.

Only Way is Up

Booting up Hollow Knight: Silksong, all I could think of was that it’s only bound to get better from Hollow Knight, with more of what made the original so special, but also new ideas that take the series to the next level. So far, marketing material has kept us in the dark about what we might expect, save for reveals of some key characters and world design. 

Only an actual footstep into the new Pharloom kingdom will determine how well you like it, how well you enjoy it, and how much you’ll want to keep returning once you hit the credits roll. For any newcomers who haven’t played Hollow Knight, you should still enjoy a soft landing into Silksong. The story is new, and the mechanics, while taking a bit of time to learn and master, will no sooner click in. 

Nay, the mechanics will trouble not only the newcomers but also veterans for at least the first few hours into Hollow Knight: Silksong. You’ll perhaps find the speedier and more agile Hornet tough to immediately gel with. And combining her more versatile verticality with the intense combat akin to Hollow Knight will be even trickier. 

That’s not to say it’s not all totally worth it. Hollow Knight: Silksong is indeed bigger and better than its predecessor in many ways. And in the areas it’s lacking, it’s hardly worth lingering on or causing much fuss to scrutinize. Let’s begin with the story, a most melancholic tale about a cursed land. 

Exploring the Kingdom of Pharloom

Hornet, a significant mini-boss and NPC from Hollow Knight, is your protagonist, kidnapped into the distant kingdom of Pharloom to begin her independent journey afresh. She escapes from her kidnappers, a veiled group of bugs, to find Pharloom’s entirety ridden by a dark curse. 

Quickly, she steps into heroic shoes, cleansing the world of its vile and ascending to take up the throne. Right out of the bat, Hollow Knight: Silksong’s world catches your attention. Its mystery and backstory are intriguing to chase, talking to NPCs and paying attention to environmental lore. 

Most especially because the protagonist now has a voice. Rather than silently navigate Hallownest, you now enjoy the wise and sharp replies Hornet gives to the NPCs she meets. You’re intrigued by a sense of presence and purpose, directly engaging with the darkness and tragic stories you learn.

But also, the world itself is stunning. Faith and pilgrimage still emerge, but also honor and self-discovery via exploration. It’s indeed a huge map, Metroidvania in style as you discover new areas and backtrack to previously inaccessible ones. When you’re not running into waves of bugs and menacing bosses, you’re platforming through pesky traps and deadfalls. 

You’re finding rewarding upgrades, crests, benches as fast-travel checkpoints, rosaries, lost files, and more. When you’re not running into danger, you’re talking to interesting and helpful NPCs. And all harbored in compelling places, even by 2D design, lush with personality and charm. 

This is a world that is alive and wants you to explore its heights and depths to ultimate satisfaction. And it’ll reward you with a fascinating visual climax and useful tools and items to aid you on your quest.

Faster, More Agile, and More Fluid

There’s no need to go into the nitty-gritty of the gameplay itself, as it’s very similar to Hollow Knight. The foundational layer remains intact, with only more versatility and challenge added for a fuller experience. Specifically, Hornet’s movement looks and feels faster and more agile. And thus, smoother and more fluid, and highly paramount when navigating the bigger and more vertical levels. 

If you’ve played the original, you’ll notice the Knight moves in a straight line, whether sideways, upward, or downward. Whether attacking or dodging, the Knight will downward slash or move to the left or right. Hornet, on the other hand, moves diagonally. Rather than the pogo with a downward slash, you can now use a 45-degree dive attack. 

There are, indeed, many ways you can use the new traversal changes to move faster. How you use your dashes, flips, and aerial dives will matter a ton toward your dispatch of enemies and beating of platforms. Mastering how to combo and string more versatile movement with attacks is ultimately the challenge players are facing, with many pointing out a steeper difficulty learning curve.

What’s more? Hornet can now grab ledges and hop onto them, which will be your saving grace against many deathfalls. You’ll notice sprinting is also faster, and how you combo these with jumps will make a major difference. While attack combos remain largely the same as Hollow Knight, your faster-paced and more agile movement allows for more slick combat moves. 

And because of the increased versatility, the enemies are stronger. Not only do bosses put up vicious challenges, but also seemingly basic ones, with many inflicting double-damage hits. Enemies add more attack patterns as well, constantly surprising you with their traversal and combat moves.

Added Challenge

Many of the negative reviews you’ll see point out this steeper learning curve, even for veterans. It’s definitely not a walk in the park to clear the early levels, as you gradually learn and master Hornet’s new moveset. But what’s even more paramount is that it’s all satisfying. All that faster-paced and more fluid combat and platforming leaves you wanting more. And so, you can’t help but push yourself to best Hollow Knight: Silksong at its own game, however long it’ll take.

You’ll need over 20 hours to beat Hollow Knight: Silksong, and even then, there’ll still be plenty more for completionists to discover. Overall, rather than detest how Hollow Knight: Silksong may be more difficult than its predecessor, you’ll find yourself focusing on the fundamentals of the game itself. Just how masterful the world and level design is, purely more intriguing than some 3D open-worlds might care to compete. 

And Team Cherry does provide plenty of ways to eventually become a master at Hollow Knight: Silksong, even with the added ways you can heal, in motion, and even in mid-air. Whenever you find a Crest, you enjoy the opportunity to switch up your fighting style with new abilities, tools, and sub-weapons. Crests entirely change your moveset and build in ways that keep your playthrough fresh and engaging. Benches aren’t few and far between. And much, much more, you simply can’t deny as masterful and satisfying.

Verdict

Upon completing Hollow Knight: Silksong, all I have to say is that I couldn’t have imagined a better sequel, where the core of what makes the original so special, the masterpiece of its tight and precise platforming and stunning level design, was transported over to a new world to explore. And not just copying and pasting all that works in the original, but also fine-tuning many nitty-gritty details. 

The movement, in particular, has received the most TLC, ensuring a faster, more agile, and more fluid traversal system. It raises the level of challenge of accurately and precisely timing your moves. But also, pushing you to experiment with versatile ways you maneuver intricate platforms and world design. You can certainly discover speedier tricks of dispatching enemies, mastering the movement system to overcome the stronger enemies Hollow Knight: Silksong throws at you.

Hornet is, indeed, graceful to control. She responds to your every command responsively and fluidly. And the platforming, combat, and world heed to its requirements of engagement and intrigue. Everything has come together so perfectly enough to never wear you out, to always hold your attention and need to conquer, and still entice you for multiple runs. Unlocking the True Ending will certainly be a challenge for the millions of gamers playing Hollow Knight: Silksong, but a truly welcome and appreciated challenge, I’m sure, regardless of how long it takes to beat.