Hollow Knight Silksong

🎮 Steam ⏳ 95 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

A Sequel Reimagined #

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.

Hornet’s Agile Gameplay #

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.

Pharloom’s Vertical Beauty #

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.

A Haunting Soundscape #

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.

Refined Core Systems #

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.

Expanded World Scale #

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.

Difficulty and Mastery #

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.

Punishing Yet Rewarding #

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.

Epic Personal Journey #

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.

A Metroidvania Triumph #

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.

A Defining Masterpiece #

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.

An Unforgettable Experience #

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.