Hollow Knight: Silksong

Introduction

Hollow Knight: Silksong is absolutely worth buying if you're prepared for Team Cherry's uncompromising vision of precision platforming and punishing combat. This sequel shifts focus to Hornet, the needle-wielding protagonist from the original, and drops her into Pharloom—a kingdom spiralling upward rather than down into the depths. It's a more aggressive, faster-paced game that rewards mastery but occasionally mistakes frustration for challenge.

After eight years of development since Hollow Knight's 2017 launch, expectations have been astronomical. Team Cherry has largely met them, crafting a Metroidvania that feels distinct from its predecessor while retaining the melancholic atmosphere and tight design philosophy that made the original a modern classic. According to Team Cherry's official launch announcement, Silksong features over 150 new enemies, 40 boss encounters, and a map roughly 50% larger than Hallownest. Those numbers translate into a dense, sprawling adventure that demands your full attention.

The game launched simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on 14th February 2025, priced at £34.99 across all platforms in the UK. No regional delays, no exclusivity—just a clean, unified launch that respects players regardless of their hardware.

Gameplay

Hornet moves like a gymnast compared to the Knight's deliberate waddle. Her needle strikes faster, her dash covers more ground, and her thread-based recovery system lets you grapple back to platforms after mistimed jumps. This mobility fundamentally changes how Silksong approaches combat and exploration. You're expected to stay airborne, chaining attacks into dodges into aerial recoveries, all while managing your silk meter—a resource that governs special abilities and your safety net.

The Tools system replaces the original's Charms, offering equippable abilities that range from straightforward damage boosts to bizarre utility options. Weaversmarch summons thread-constructs that distract enemies. Pimpillo's Pact converts health into temporary invincibility. Starvenom coats your needle in poison that stacks with each consecutive hit. Unlike Hollow Knight's passive Charm loadouts, Tools demand active decision-making mid-combat. You've got limited slots, cooldowns to manage, and situational effectiveness to weigh. It's a more involved system that rewards experimentation but can feel overwhelming when you're already juggling dodges and parries.

Boss fights are Silksong's highest highs and most frustrating lows. Encounters like Lace—the blade-dancer who mirrors your mobility—showcase Team Cherry's design brilliance. She punishes hesitation, rewards aggression, and telegraphs attacks clearly enough that deaths feel earned. Then there's Deep Docks' Crustilux, a multi-phase nightmare that floods the arena while you're dodging homing projectiles and managing adds. It's technically fair, but the execution windows are so tight that victory often comes from memorising patterns rather than reacting fluidly. According to Digital Foundry's technical analysis, Silksong runs at a near-constant 60fps on all platforms, which helps immensely—frame drops during these gauntlets would be unforgivable.

Exploration strikes a better balance. Pharloom's vertical structure means you're constantly climbing, and the game gates progress through mobility upgrades rather than arbitrary key doors. Finding the Wingstride ability doesn't just unlock new areas—it transforms how you navigate old ones, revealing shortcuts and secrets that were always visible but just out of reach. The map system returns largely unchanged from Hollow Knight, requiring you to find Cornifer's wife Iselda in each region before you can chart your surroundings. It's a smart way to encourage thorough exploration, though the mid-game section in Coral Cascades devolves into tedious backtracking as you ferry quest items between NPCs.

Story & World

Pharloom feels alive in ways Hallownest never did. Where the original's kingdom was a tomb, Silksong's realm thrums with factions, festivals, and political intrigue. Hornet isn't an observer wandering through ruins—she's entangled in the Silk Song prophecy, pursued by cultists who believe her ascension will usher in a new age. The narrative operates on Team Cherry's trademark subtlety: most lore hides in item descriptions, environmental storytelling, and cryptic NPC dialogue. You piece together why Pharloom's insect citizens both revere and fear you, why the Citadel's bells have fallen silent, and what the Weavers truly want.

Characters like Shakra—the gruff caravan master who provides safe transport between regions—and Leah—a musician hunting for inspiration in the kingdom's most dangerous corners—give Pharloom personality. Their questlines intersect in surprising ways, and completing them unlocks Tool upgrades and lore fragments that deepen your understanding of Hornet's purpose. It's less lonely than Hollow Knight, which some will appreciate and others will miss. The original's isolation was part of its identity; Silksong trades that for connection, and the tonal shift won't suit everyone.

The main narrative stumbles in its middle act. After the spectacular opening in Moss Grotto and the tense escape from the Coral Cascades, you hit a wall in the Citadel where progress hinges on completing three separate fetch quests for different factions. The pacing slows to a crawl, and the game's usual elegance gives way to checklist design. It recovers in the final stretch—the ascent to the Bell Tower is breathless—but that sag lingers.

Visuals & Sound

Silksong is stunning. Team Cherry's hand-drawn art style has evolved from Hollow Knight's gothic claustrophobia into something more vibrant and varied. Moss Grotto's bioluminescent fungi contrast sharply with the Coral Cascades' sun-drenched tide pools, which then give way to the Citadel's crumbling baroque architecture. Each biome has visual motifs that telegraph enemy behaviour and environmental hazards before you engage with them. The colour palette—purples, golds, teals—is richer than the original's whites and blacks, and the particle effects during combat are genuinely gorgeous without obscuring readability.

Christopher Larkin's soundtrack is once again transcendent. The main theme, "Silksong," layers strings and piano into a mournful melody that recurs throughout the game in different arrangements. Boss themes like "Lace's Lament" match the intensity of the fights without overwhelming them, while exploration tracks like "Citadel Hum" settle into the background, accentuating the atmosphere rather than demanding attention. According to an interview with Edge Magazine, Larkin composed over four hours of original music for Silksong, and it shows—there's almost no repetition across the 20–25 hour runtime.

Sound design deserves equal praise. Hornet's needle makes a satisfying thwick on hit, enemy death rattles are distinct enough to identify kills without looking, and environmental audio cues—dripping water signalling hidden passages, distant bells warning of Citadel patrols—integrate seamlessly into gameplay. It's the kind of audio work that's invisible until you turn it off and realise how much you were relying on it.

Performance

Digital Foundry's technical review confirmed what players have been reporting: Silksong is a remarkably stable release. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the game holds 60fps in performance mode and offers a 4K/30fps quality mode that adds minimal visual enhancements—stick with performance. PC performance scales well, running smoothly on modest hardware thanks to the 2D art style's relatively low demands. A GTX 1060 and Ryzen 5 3600 maintained 60fps at 1080p without drops. The Switch version targets 60fps and mostly achieves it, though the Citadel's more particle-heavy sections can dip into the mid-50s during chaotic fights.

Load times are snappy across all platforms—two to three seconds when respawning at benches, five to six when fast-travelling between regions. No crashes or game-breaking bugs in my 30-hour playthrough on PS5, though a few players on Steam forums have reported soft-locks during specific boss transitions. Team Cherry issued a day-one patch addressing the most common issues, and according to SteamDB, the game's been updated twice more in the first week to squash remaining bugs.

Accessibility options are disappointingly sparse. There's no assist mode, no difficulty toggle, no option to slow combat or increase parry windows. You can remap controls and adjust UI scaling, but that's the extent of it. For a game this demanding, the lack of flexibility feels like a missed opportunity to welcome a broader audience without compromising the core experience for purists.

Final Thoughts

Silksong is a triumphant sequel that builds on Hollow Knight's foundation with faster combat, richer exploration, and a world that feels more alive. Hornet's mobility transforms how you approach both traversal and combat, and the Tools system offers enough depth to keep builds feeling fresh across multiple playthroughs. When it clicks—and it often does—Silksong is among the finest Metroidvanias ever made.

The difficulty, however, is a genuine barrier. Some boss fights cross the line from challenging to exhausting, and the lack of accessibility options means players who might have loved 80% of the game will bounce off the remaining 20%. The mid-game pacing issues compound this, turning momentum into tedium just when the game should be accelerating toward its climax.

Still, these are cracks in an otherwise masterful experience. Team Cherry has crafted a sequel that respects the original's legacy while carving its own identity. At £34.99, it's excellent value—you're looking at 20–25 hours for a first playthrough, with plenty of secrets, optional bosses, and speedrun potential to extend that further. If you've got the skill and patience, Silksong will reward you handsomely. Just be prepared to earn every inch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Hollow Knight: Silksong worth buying if I haven't played the original?

A: Yes, though you'll miss some lore connections. Silksong is a standalone story starring Hornet in a new kingdom, so no prior knowledge is required. That said, it's even harder than Hollow Knight, so if you struggled with the original's difficulty, expect more of the same here. New players should brace for a steep learning curve with minimal hand-holding.

Q: How long does it take to beat Hollow Knight: Silksong?

A: A first playthrough typically takes 20–25 hours if you explore thoroughly and tackle most optional content. Rushing the main path might shave that to 15 hours, while completionists hunting every secret, boss, and upgrade will push past 30 hours. Speedrunners are already clocking sub-three-hour runs, but that requires intimate knowledge of routing and sequence breaks.

Q: Does Hollow Knight: Silksong have co-op or multiplayer?

A: No, Silksong is strictly a single-player experience. There's no co-op, competitive multiplayer, or online features of any kind. It's a focused, narrative-driven Metroidvania designed around solo play. If you're hoping to tackle Pharloom with a mate, you're out of luck—this is Hornet's journey alone, just like the Knight's was in the original game.

Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

• Hornet's movement system is exceptionally fluid and satisfying
• Pharloom offers stunning environmental variety across all biomes
• Combat tools provide genuine build diversity and experimentation
• Soundtrack elevates every moment with haunting, memorable themes

❌ Cons

• Brutal difficulty curve lacks accessibility options
• Some boss encounters rely on pattern memorisation over skill expression
• Mid-game pacing sags during fetch quest sequences

The Verdict

Silksong delivers the demanding, artful Metroidvania experience Team Cherry promised, though its uncompromising difficulty and occasional structural stumbles prevent it from achieving perfection. Fans of the original will find everything they loved refined and expanded, but newcomers should prepare for a steep learning curve that doesn't always feel fair. At £34.99, it's a meaty, beautiful adventure that earns its place among the genre's best—just don't expect it to hold your hand.