Hollow Knight Silksong is finally out. And after a delay of more than half a decade, you must be wondering if it is worth it. The sequel to an insanely well-made and appreciated game had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Ever since its announcement, the craze and hype of this game have been astounding. Initially said to be just a DLC to Hollow Knight, was now going to be a game of its own. Promises of everything from the previous game, but much better and more added, increase the hype tenfold.
Announced in 2019, Hollow Knight Silksong had a surreal launch. After waiting 6 years, fans can finally experience more of Hollow Knight, a beloved game. This time, you play as Hornet, who, after getting captured by “veiled bugs,” is transported to a strange place called Pharloom.
Now the question is, does Hollow Knight Silksong live up to the hype after years of delayed news?
How did fans keep the hype alive?
Often, many video game titles fade from people’s minds after being delayed too much. But Silksong grew in hype and expectations every day. Fans used everything they could get their hands on to figure out something about the game.
It got to a point where Silksong’s release became a meme. No news from Team Cherry in Nintendo Directs left players in hopes that Silksong will not just be a good but a near-perfect game. Putting more and more pressure on the developers with each passing day.
The build-up for Silksong was stronger than ever since the day it was announced that it would be released in 2025. Everyone was more than ready to face whatever challenges Team Cherry had in mind with Hollow Knight Silksong.
What did Silksong have in store for the players?
Hollow Knight Silksong offers a new, much smoother and faster gameplay. While Hallownest’s map was huge, Pharloom is even bigger. At just 20$, it’s astounding just how much you’ll get as a player. Silksong makes things that were great in Hollow Knight, even better.
The game offers dozens of New boss types, a faster and more aggressive combat system, new enemy types, and a world that’s as beautiful as it is dangerous.
But exploring Pharloom is no easy task. Like everything else, the difficulty level has been increased, too. Double damage, which was an endgame boss-only thing in Hollow Knight, is now an everyday thing with Silksong. But the faster healing mechanic makes up for it.
As for the story, Hornet, the protagonist for this title, embarks on the ascent towards the Citadel to find out why she was captured and who her captors were. The city of Pharloom has its own mysteries, history, ecology, and problems, just like Hallownest.
Making something new with elements of its prequel
Silksong doesn’t try to reinvent things from scratch. Team Cherry took the already great base of Hollow Knight and added more great stuff to it. There’s a quest system, different types of traps and crests, and a well-refined resource management system.
Healing has changed for the better. It’s faster and fills more health, allowing an aggressive gameplay with Hornet. Hornet’s dash can be used downwards to dodge attacks, and a new type of downward attack that attacks diagonally acts as the new pogo/downward parry.
The server-breaking launch of Silksong
Within just a couple of days, Silksong became the top of the charts globally. The launch was so massive that it caused a massive server outage on Steam and Nintendo eShop under the massive surge of players trying to play the game.
The cracks and mistakes
Translation errors
While Silksong is almost perfect, it has its gray areas. Chinese players feel that a lot of the game’s experience and feel has been lost in translation. This is a reason due to which many players from the region have left negative reviews on Steam, which in due course have affected Silksong’s overall reviews.
The difficulty and balancing
Since the start of the game, Silksong can be a little too tough for players new to Hollow Knight. With just 5 masks of health, double damage can be very irritating and seem unfair. Almost all players found the game way too difficult to be enjoyable and immersive. Seeing these issues, patches and updates have been released, which makes the difficulty a bit bearable.
The weight of high expectations
With such a long wait period, it’s natural for fans and players to expect a groundbreaking game. Something that might lead the metroidvania scene to something much, much better.
And Silksong is an amazing game, but whether it’s as good as some people’s expectations or not is debatable. While everything about it is just amazing and so much fun, it’s nothing you wouldn’t have experienced in Hollow Knight already, with some refinements and changes.
Was it actually worth the waiting period?
In simple words, yes, at least for fans of Hollow Knight. Silksong offers a challenging and well-crafted sequel. With its vast variety of bosses and enemies with no repetition from the previous game, everything feels fresh, but at the same time, the essence of Hollow Knight is there.
For new players, the overly punishing difficulty can be a challenge and might ruin the enjoyment. But if, with future patches or with enough practice, you’re able to experience the game, it’ll be, without a doubt, an experience worth remembering.
