Hollow Knight: Silksong

Developer: Team Cherry
Release: Sep 4th 2025
Platforms:
Action
Adventure
Indie
Addictive
Challenging
Beautiful
Frustrating
Grinding
Hollow Knight: Silksong Poster

" Fluid action-adventure with diverse combat and exploration but punishing difficulty and tedious runbacks "

Hollow Knight: Silksong Review

Hollow Knight: Silksong is the highly anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight, delivering an expansive metroidvania experience with improved combat fluidity, a beautiful hand-painted world, and a rich soundtrack. Players control Hornet, who offers a more agile and nimble playstyle compared to the original Knight, with diverse builds enabled by crests and tools. The game features over 40 bosses, intricate platforming, and a large world to explore, with a story that is more accessible due to Hornet's voiced interactions.

However, Silksong is notably more challenging and punishing than its predecessor. Common frustrations include lengthy boss runbacks, scarce resources, and an artificial difficulty spike caused by enemies dealing double damage and high health pools. Some quests feel like tedious fetch tasks, and the economy demands grinding. The design choices around difficulty and progression may alienate casual players, making it a game best suited for dedicated metroidvania and soulslike enthusiasts. Despite these criticisms, many players hail it as a masterpiece and a strong contender for game of the year.

Highlights

Players praise Silksong for its fluid and responsive combat mechanics, with Hornet's agility providing a fresh and exciting gameplay feel. The art direction and hand-crafted environments are lauded as stunning and immersive, complemented by Christopher Larkin's exceptional soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere. The game's storytelling and character development are more accessible and engaging than the original, with memorable NPCs and lore. The sheer scope and content including over 40 bosses and vast exploration areas offer a rewarding experience for genre fans.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on the game's high difficulty and frustrating design choices, such as lengthy and repetitive boss runbacks, which disrupt pacing. The scarcity of resources like rosaries and shards leads to tedious grinding. Many players find the double damage enemies and large health pools create an artificial difficulty spike that is punishing rather than skill-based. The quest system includes tedious fetch quests that detract from exploration enjoyment. Some bosses and areas are perceived as unfair or overly tedious, and the limited charm (crest) system restricts build variety. The game’s design is seen as less accessible to casual players, favoring a perfectionist, hardcore audience.

Pros

  • Fluid and responsive combat with diverse playstyles and builds.
  • Beautiful hand-painted art style with detailed environments.
  • Exceptional and immersive soundtrack by Christopher Larkin.
  • Engaging and accessible storytelling with memorable characters.
  • Vast and varied world offering rewarding exploration.
  • Over 40 well-designed bosses with unique challenges.
  • Improved movement mechanics make platforming enjoyable.

Cons

  • Lengthy and frustrating boss runbacks disrupt gameplay flow.
  • Enemies often deal double damage, causing artificial difficulty.
  • Resource scarcity forces tedious grinding for currency and shards.
  • Some quests are boring fetch tasks adding busywork.
  • Certain bosses and areas feel unfair or overly tedious.
  • Limited charm (crest) system restricts player build variety.
  • Runbacks sometimes involve difficult platforming and enemy waves.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

Discover a vast, haunted kingdom in Hollow Knight: Silksong! Explore, fight and survive as you ascend to the peak of a land ruled by silk and song.

Release Date Sep 4th 2025
Publisher Team Cherry
Developer Team Cherry
Platforms

User Reviews

Very Positive (96,453)
92% Positive 8% Negative