Hollow Knight: Silksong Review: Beauty, Challenge, and Worth the Wait
Break out the silk and sharpen your needles. Hollow Knight: Silksong is here, and it’s exactly the kind of sequel fans hoped for, though it doesn’t pull many punches. Developed and published by Team Cherry, this game drops you into a strange new world with new dangers, but with the same sense of wonder that made Hollow Knight a cult favorite. If you like challenges, exploring, and souls-like difficulty, this is likely made for you. If not… well, be ready for frustration mixed with beauty.
What’s New, What’s Similar
If you played Hollow Knight, you’ll feel a lot of familiar vibes. Silksong is a Metroidvania: big interconnected map, lots of secret areas, upgrades, boss fights, platforming, careful exploration. But there are several changes:
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You play as Hornet, a more nimble, faster character. Her movement feels sharper: better mid-air control, new attacks like a diagonal divebomb, and more graceful transitions rather than being slowed down by inertia.
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There is a quest system now (“wishes”) that gives more structure. You have different side-quests: gathering, hunting, wayfarer, etc., which encourages exploring beyond just “go to the next boss”.
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New currencies/resources: Rosaries (act like Geo in old game, but you lose them on death unless they’re ‘strung’), Shell Shards, etc. Tools are craftable and need repair; new “crests” that modify attacks or tool slots.
So yes, Silksong keeps the heart of the old game but improves in many ways: speed, replay loops, combat variety, and exploration rewards.
Graphics, Sound, World Building
Visually, Silksong stands out. The art is sharper, more detailed, with lush backgrounds, fine animations, richer colours. The environments are vibrant yet mysterious. Pharloom (the new land) has many zones, each with its own mood, surprises, and hidden corners.
The music and sound design also get high praise. The soundtrack feels richer, guiding you through tension, mystery, and occasional soft beauty. It adds layer after layer, sometimes haunting, sometimes playful. It doesn’t feel cheap or reused; the composers clearly leaned into giving this sequel its own identity.
How Hard Is It — Brace Yourself
Here comes one of the biggest talking points: Silksong is tough.
From early on, the game pushes you. Boss fights are demanding. Enemies hit hard. Precision matters. Some of the platforming sections and enemy placement can feel unforgiving, especially if you’re used to more forgiving games. But many reviewers say that, while hard, the game is fair once you learn the mechanics, patterns, and how to use Hornet’s speed and agility.
Some criticisms:
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“Runbacks” (traveling back to a boss or checkpoint after dying) can feel tedious.
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Getting hit by enemies even when they are stunned (or in certain awkward positions) feels unfair to some.
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Difficulty spikes occur. The start may be manageable, but later on, some bosses feel brutally hard. It’s not just skill; sometimes it feels like endurance and patience are tested heavily.
Performance, Platforms, Price
Silksong launched on September 4, 2025, across many platforms: PC (Windows), PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, Nintendo Switch & the new Switch 2, macOS, and Linux.
It also came to Xbox Game Pass on day one. Many players downloaded via Game Pass.
Price point is reasonable it’s not a huge AAA title in cost but delivers much content (many zones, many bosses, many secrets). For fans, value is good.
One snag: launch was rough for many. Storefronts crashed due to overwhelming demand. Players had trouble buying or downloading the game in the early hours due to server issues and high traffic.
Also, translation/localization issues in some languages (notably Simplified Chinese) got a lot of complaints. Players said the translation style was awkward and didn’t match tone. Teathe m Cherry has already promised to fix/improve translations.
What’s Good, What’s Less Good
What Silksong does great:
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Excellent atmosphere. The art, sound, and environment work together to make you feel drawn into Pharloom.
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Hornet controls feel satisfying. Movement, attack, dodging, and diving all feel sharp and responsive.
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Boss fights are fun, memorable. When you beat a tough one, satisfying sense of achievement.
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Many secrets, side quests, and optional content. If you like exploring every corner, there’s a lot to dig into.
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Good value content vs price is solid, especially for fans of Hollow Knight style.
Areas where it may frustrate:
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As mentioned, the difficulty might scare off some players. It demands patience and willingness to die, learn, and retry.
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“Runbacks” and getting through areas after death can feel repetitive if you fail often.
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Some side-quests are criticized as not being very creative (fetching items, repeating tasks) vs being very meaningful.
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Localization/translation in certain languages has broken immersion for some, making dialogues feel odd.
Who Is This Game For?
If I were to suggest who will love Silksong, and who might struggle:
You will love it if you:
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Enjoy Metroidvania 2D games. Love exploring, hidden passages, upgrading, and secrets.
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Enjoy a challenge. Not just easy walks, but tough bosses, precision platforming, and learning enemy patterns.
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Appreciated Hollow Knight and want something similar but improved.
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Don’t mind replay/failure loops. You’re cool with dying, retrying, and exploring between failures.
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Are moved by artistic games: good art, good music, immersive world.
Might not be for you if you:
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Prefer more casual, laid-back games, or hate dying often.
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Don’t like “runbacks” or long travel after death.
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Expect the story over gameplay. The story is there, but gameplay is the big focus.
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Are sensitive to frustrating platforming / extremely punishing difficulty.
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Rely on translations/localization in languages that are currently not polished.
Final Verdict
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a triumph in many ways. It takes everything that made the original special atmosphere, mystery, combat, and tight platforming, and refines it. Hornet is a wonderful protagonist, both in movement and in narrative. Pharloom is rich, beautiful, dangerous, and full of rewards if you stick with it. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it sometimes feels like it’s designed to punish, but for many players, that’s also part of the fun and achievement.
For me, this sequel delivers what it promises: it respects its roots, pushes boundaries, and gives fans and newcomers a big, joyful, sometimes brutal game. It’s not perfect, but it’s superb in its imperfections. I give it a long recommendation for players who don’t mind sweat, repetition, and learning through failure because the payoffs are real.
