Whether you’re looking at the making of *Hollow Knight: Silksong* or the many patient fans that have been waiting, this has been a long time coming. And in the end, it was worthwhile to open this up, let it breathe, and take in all the details. Not only is *Hollow Knight: Silksong* a challenging Metroidvania, it’s also incredibly dense.
While that challenging side sometimes slips into annoying territories, this is an undeniably well-crafted delivery of a promise made nearly a decade ago. Need help with your own adventure? Check out our **HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG INTERACTIVE MAP**.
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### Into the Lands of Pharloom
The story of *Hollow Knight: Silksong* centers on a notable character from the first game, the half-god bug Hornet, who finds herself in a bit of a predicament. She appears to have been captured by a cult, drained of her powers, and prepared for transport in a cage to an unknown recipient.
A little fate intervenes, giving her just enough strength to break out of confinement, sending her tumbling to the very bottom depths of a land called Pharloom.
We quickly learn two things about Pharloom: First, pilgrims climb this land in a quest to reach a holy place called the Citadel. Second, throughout Pharloom, mysterious thread causes both beast bugs and rational bugs—the entire world is inhabited by bugs—to lose their minds and attack others.
The setup of *Silksong* supplies a conceptually similar adventure to the first *Hollow Knight*. The land is under the grip of a curse, and much like the first game’s Knight, Hornet resolves to break it, or at least break the force that tried to capture her.
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### A Massive, Beautiful World
*Silksong* is a significant upgrade from the original game. Pharloom is an absolutely massive map packed with unique biomes, secrets, and challenges to explore. It’s a delightful tapestry of art, music, and carefully crafted platforming action, stuffed with side quests and optional content that makes exploring every nook and cranny worthwhile.
*Hollow Knight* has always been uniquely expressive. Despite its bugs wearing stoic shell masks, they are animated beautifully—whether to be cute, terrifying, or heartbreakingly sad.
One particularly memorable quest involves a flea caravan, where you help a traveling band find their compatriots. For reasons unknown, Team Cherry made fleas fluffy and cute, which is an adorable contrast to their real-world bloodsucking counterparts!
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### Incredible Music and Performance
The music is another highlight. Composer Christopher Larkin outdid himself with a collection that provides wonderful ambiance across Pharloom’s various regions. I’ve already added some tracks to my playlist—the background music is incredible, with boss fight themes ramping up the intensity during the game’s biggest battles.
During my review, I played *Hollow Knight: Silksong* on both PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. I have to say, the Switch 2 version might actually be better. On PS5, there were moments where the game stuttered slightly while sprinting through corridors or interacting with NPCs. The Switch 2 version, whether in handheld or docked mode, ran smoothly without those hiccups.
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### Skillsong: A Tough but Fair Challenge
You may have heard that *Hollow Knight: Silksong* is not an easy game to complete. It’s not unfair or broken—it’s just difficult, sometimes demanding skill, other times patience.
The game is vast, bursting with increasingly challenging bosses and platforming puzzles, alongside a wealth of optional content worth exploring.
As expected, *Silksong* follows the classic Metroidvania formula. You start with limited abilities, exploring the map and encountering areas Hornet can’t access at first. As you progress, you collect new abilities that enhance movement, combat, and your chances of reaching the end.
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### Familiar Mechanics with a New Twist
Returning from the first game is the map system, which requires you to find an NPC vendor in each area to buy a map using rosary beads—the primary currency in Pharloom.
The compass also returns, occupying an accessory slot. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of this choice because accessory slots are precious for amulets that boost defense or attack. The compass simply shows your location on the map, a feature other games include by default without any restrictions.
Despite some early navigation hiccups, once you become familiar with Pharloom’s layout, getting around becomes easier.
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### Crisp Combat and Platforming
Combat and platforming remain high points in *Silksong*, just as they were in *Hollow Knight*. Hornet’s movement differs from the first game’s Knight; her downward attack is now a downward-diagonal dive kick. However, she still moves crisply and can weave around enemies like a ballerina once you master her melee and jumping.
Anyone who played the first game knows about the pogo mechanic—bouncing on enemy heads or obstacles to traverse the environment. *Silksong* continues this tradition.
Additionally, you discover crests that modify Hornet’s basic moveset and equipment. One of the earliest crests allows an attack style closer to the original *Hollow Knight*, but others offer unique and fun variations to explore, upgrade, and mix into your combat kit.
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### Thoughts on Difficulty and Tedium
I have mixed feelings about the difficulty. On one hand, it’s clear from every grandiose display to the smallest details that this game is impeccably crafted. The platforming is smart and satisfying, boss fights are fun to figure out, and the characters and quests are consistently rewarding. Nearly every sight, sound, and gameplay element feels carefully considered and purposeful.
On the other hand, the game can feel padded with unnecessary tedium. For example, shell shards are a notable frustration. These shards are used to craft subweapons like throwing daggers or brews that boost Hornet’s attack and speed. While useful, tools consume shell shards quickly during boss fights, which forces you to break your progress to farm shards.
Rosary beads can also feel stingy at times, although this becomes less problematic later in the game.
Other tedious elements include long runbacks to bosses after dying and side quests that require back-and-forth running across vast sections without fast travel options.
I also didn’t enjoy having to buy map markers for points of interest, as these are vital for navigation. Without them, you simply have to remember locations, which can be frustrating.
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### The Best and the Worst of Silksong
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* shines at its best when you’re fully engaged in its core content: a challenging boss fight, a complex platforming maze, or a touching story moment with beloved characters.
Unfortunately, the unavoidable tedium sometimes drags down the experience, creating unnecessary low points in what is otherwise a peak Metroidvania journey.
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### Nearly a Decade in the Making — Worth the Wait?
Was it worth waiting eight long years? Absolutely.
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* is beautiful, feels fantastic to play, and is filled with fun content and challenges. Its characters are wonderfully expressive, and despite their charm, there’s a deeply complex, morbid atmosphere that motivates you to save these bugs from a terrible fate.
Though I could have done without the hours spent farming and other padding, *Silksong* is an enormously packed, rewarding journey—a tremendous payoff after almost a decade of anticipation.
Just remember to mind the challenge and take your time. True endings won’t come easy, but that struggle makes victory feel all the more satisfying.
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*This review is based on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions of the game.*
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146038/hollow-knight-silksong-review-score
