Hollow Knight: Silksong

Silksong feels like a natural evolution of Hollow Knight. It moves quicker, introduces you to its systems earlier, and wastes less time before opening up its world. From the opening hours, it’s already clear that this is a refined take on a familiar formula, offering tighter traversal, expressive movement, and a more responsive protagonist in Hornet.

Gameplay

Hornet’s mobility is the most immediate difference. She is faster, more agile, and better equipped for fluid exploration. Dashing, slashing, and throwing daggers all feel smooth, and her dialogue gives the game a slightly more present tone without losing the quiet mystery that defined the original. She’s not overly talkative, but she offers just enough commentary to ground you in her perspective.

The world of Pharloom is both beautiful and strange. Biomes feel handcrafted and layered with visual detail. Background elements tell stories on their own, ruined bells, old machines, and weathered structures suggest a rich history without relying on exposition. The soundtrack follows suit. It’s more orchestral than ambient this time around, swelling with emotion during boss fights and resting quietly as you explore.

Combat is still mostly basic in the early game, focused on standard attacks and timed dodges, but the difficulty ramps up quickly. Bosses are aggressive, and the game is not afraid to punish mistakes. However, early indicators suggest a smoother difficulty curve than the original. You still lose currency on death and must recover it, but systems are in place to soften the blow. This makes progression tense but not overly punishing, at least so far.

Where some concern starts to creep in is the “tools” system, which limits the number of abilities you can equip at once. Early game choices can feel restrictive, like having to choose between a working compass or other passive buffs. There’s a question of whether this will eventually evolve into a meaningful build system or just a frustrating limitation. Similarly, while charms are now color-coded and tied to slot types, it’s too early to tell if this system supports real diversity or leads to clearly optimal builds.

Review

For new players, Silksong is approachable. You don’t need to have played Hollow Knight to jump in. The story is mostly standalone, and the world-building does not rely heavily on previous lore. That said, some systems — like map unlocking and corpse runs — will feel more natural if you’ve experienced the original.

One of the biggest changes compared to Hollow Knight is how early the map and upgrade vendors are introduced. This removes one of the original’s more frustrating quirks, where players could explore for hours without any way to mark their path. The pacing in Silksong is better tuned in that regard.

There’s still a lot unknown, for example how far the world expands, how deep the build systems go, and whether the mid-to-late game stays fresh. But the foundations feel strong. It’s not trying to reinvent itself, and that’s fine. It’s focused on refining, polishing, and building upon what worked.