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. In the end, it was worthwhile to open this up, let it breathe, and take in all the notes. Not only is *Hollow Knight: Silksong* a challenging Metroidvania, it’s also dense. And 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**.
### Into the Lands of Pharloom
The story of *Hollow Knight: Silksong* finds a notable character from the first game—the half-god bug Hornet—in a bit of a predicament. She seems to have been caught by a cult, drained of her powers, and prepared for transport in a cage to some unknown recipient. A little bit of fate intervenes, giving her just enough power to break out of her confinements, sending her tumbling to the very bottom depths of a land called Pharloom.
We quickly learn two things: First, pilgrims climb Pharloom in a quest to reach a holy place called the Citadel. Secondly, there is mysterious thread strewn throughout Pharloom that makes both beast bugs and rational bugs (this world is all bugs, all the time) lose their minds and attack other bugs.
The setup of *Silksong* supplies a conceptually similar adventure to the first *Hollow Knight* game. The land is in the throes 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.
### A Massive, Beautiful World
*Silksong* is quite the upgrade from the first game. Pharloom is an absolutely massive map full of unique biomes, secrets, and challenges to explore. It’s also a delightful tapestry of art, music, and carefully-crafted platforming action, stuffed with side quests and optional content that makes poking every nook and cranny of the map a worthwhile endeavor.
*Hollow Knight* has always been uniquely expressive. Despite all its bugs wearing stoic shell masks, they are incredibly animated—whether to be cute, terrifying, or even heartbreakingly sad. A personal favorite quest involves a flea caravan where you help a traveling band find their compatriots. For some reason, Team Cherry made fleas fluffy and cute, and I’ll gladly accept that over their bloodsucking real-world counterparts!
And, of course, there are plenty of other life-draining elements in *Silksong*.
### An Incredible Soundtrack
The music is also incredible. Christopher Larkin outdid himself with a collection that provides delightful ambiance across the various regions of Pharloom. I’ve already added some of these tracks to my own playlists because they make excellent background noise. Meanwhile, the boss fight themes kick into high gear, delivering a far more intense backdrop to the game’s biggest battles.
### Performance on PS5 and Switch 2
During my review, I played *Hollow Knight: Silksong* on both PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Honestly, I think the Switch 2 version might be better. On the PS5, there were several moments where the game stuttered slightly while sprinting through halls or talking to NPCs. It didn’t seem to affect combat or platforming directly, but since the game moves so fast, it’s very possible.
I haven’t noticed the same stutters on the Switch 2 version, whether in handheld or docked mode.
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### Skillsong: A Challenging Adventure
You may have heard by now, but *Hollow Knight: Silksong* is not an easy game to complete. It’s not unfair, unbalanced, or broken—it’s just difficult. Sometimes this challenge is skill-based, other times it’s time-intensive.
The game is vast and bustling with increasingly difficult bosses and platforming challenges. It’s filled with an enormous amount of optional content generally worth exploring.
*Silksong* follows the Metroidvania formula as expected. You start limited, exploring the map and spotting areas Hornet can’t access at first. As you collect abilities, your movement, combat, and chances of reaching the end improve.
One returning feature from the first *Hollow Knight* is the map system. Instead of having the map auto-reveal as you explore, you must find an NPC vendor in each area who sells you the map for rosary beads, Pharloom’s primary currency. The compass also returns, taking up an accessory slot—which I’m not a fan of because these slots are precious for amulets that protect you or boost your attack. The compass simply shows your position on the map, a feature most games provide by default without such restrictions.
Once you’ve traveled Pharloom’s halls long enough, navigating becomes easier, but it’s still an annoying early-game choice.
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### Combat and Movement Shine
Thankfully, combat and platforming remain high points in *Silksong*, just as in *Hollow Knight*.
Hornet moves a bit differently from the original Knight; her downward attack is a downward-diagonal dive kick. Still, she moves crisply and can weave around foes like a ballerina once you master her melee and jumping moves. For anyone who played the first game, this is a pogo-oriented action title—you can bounce on enemy heads with downward strikes or off obstacles to traverse the terrain.
It takes some time to get used to Hornet’s moveset, and you’ll eventually find crests that change her basic moves and equipment. One of the earliest crests gives her an attack style closer to the first *Hollow Knight*, but the others offer fun variations to explore, upgrade, and mix into your overall kit.
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### The Difficulty Debate
I’m of two minds about *Hollow Knight: Silksong*’s difficulty.
On one hand, everything from grandiose displays to the smallest details shows how impeccably crafted this game is. Platforming feels smart and satisfying, boss fights are generally fun puzzles to figure out, and the characters with their quests are consistently rewarding. Nearly every sight, sound, and response feels carefully considered and placed with purpose.
On the other hand, several design choices feel like unnecessary padding. For me, the shell shards system was the most frustrating example.
Throughout the game, you get tools that act like subweapons—for instance, throwing daggers or a brew that increases Hornet’s attack and movement speed. These tools have limited uses and are refilled by crafting with shell shards at any save point.
On the surface, this isn’t a bad system, but tools make boss fights more manageable. If you use a lot of tools, you quickly drain your shell shard count, forcing you to break from progress to farm them.
Rosary beads can also be stingy at times, though this becomes less of a problem later on.
The system reminded me unpleasantly of *Demon’s Souls*’ item economy—which I also disliked.
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### Other Tedious Elements
Other sources of frustration include:
– Lengthy runbacks to bosses after dying.
– Quests that involve running back and forth across the entire map to find one or two little items, sometimes without fast travel support.
– The compass restriction mentioned earlier.
– You must buy map markers from an NPC for points of interest, so if you hit a progression wall without those markers or the map, you just have to remember the area’s location.
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* is at its best when engaging directly with its core content: tough bosses, intricate platforming, and meaningful story beats with characters you’ve grown to love. The unavoidable tedium can dampen the mood and introduce unnecessary valleys in an otherwise peak Metroidvania experience.
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### Nearly a Decade in the Making
Was it worth the eight years of waiting? Yes, absolutely.
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* is beautiful and feels great to play. It’s filled with content and challenges that are genuinely fun to overcome. Its characters are delightfully expressive, and despite the charm, there’s a deeply complex and morbid atmosphere that compels you to want to save these bugs from a terrible fate.
While I could have done without the many hours spent farming and other padded elements, *Silksong* remains a tremendously packed journey and a wonderful payoff after nearly a decade-long wait.
Just mind the challenge—and don’t rush it. True endings won’t come easy, but that’s part of what makes victory feel so rewarding in *Hollow Knight: Silksong*.
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*This review is based on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 copies of the game.*
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch, and Switch 2.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146038/hollow-knight-silksong-review-score
