Some thought it would never arrive. Some believed it was only a myth. But this August, all the doubters were proven wrong when the release date for “Hollow Knight: Silksong” was dropped into our laps out of the blue, ending the seven-year-long wait for one of the most anticipated indie games of the last decade.
Living up to the greatness of its predecessor would be a hard task for “Silksong.” According to Team Cherry, the small, three person development team behind the game, the original “Hollow Knight” has sold over 15 million copies since its release in 2017, making it one of the most successful indie games of all time. When creating “Silksong,” Team Cherry originally envisioned it as DLC for the main game, helmed by minor antagonist Hornet. However, things soon got out of hand, and they realized that Hornet needed a whole story of her own.
And so began a seven year development cycle for “Silksong,” during which fans were left with little information. A trailer was revealed for the game back in 2019, a release date was named for 2023 before being delayed and then, finally, after another two years, the drop date for “Silksong” was announced only two weeks before its release.
Finally, on Sept. 4, 2025, “Silksong” was here. According to the Guardian, the excitement was so immense that the “Silksong” page for almost all major game stores, including Steam, Nintendo’s eShop, PlayStation’s Store and the Microsoft Store crashed due to too many people trying to buy it at once. But does the game live up to the nearly a decade’s worth of hype? Most, and I most of all, agree that it does.
“Silksong” transports players out of the original setting of Hallownest from the first game and into the realm of Pharloom, a land cursed by a being atop the Citadel above, controlling the land with its silk below. Hornet, brought to the kingdom against her will, must now seek a way to knock a god off its throne and save Pharloom from its silken curse.
One of the largest differences between “Silksong” and the original “Hollow Knight” is the play style of its protagonist. Hornet is bigger, faster, more agile and generally more fluid than the Knight, “Hollow Knight’s” protagonist. This allows for more variance in player battle strategies and more fun with traversal and exploration. Hornet can jump out of a dash, launch herself into the air with her needle and even do backflips. There are endless ways to approach the game with her move set, letting the player have more freedom with how they want to play.
The hand-drawn art, as with the original “Hollow Knight,” is spectacular. “Silksong” is far bigger than the original game, allowing for a variety of unique settings in Pharloom, filled with gorgeous visual backdrops. The game begins in the lush green caverns of Moss Grotto, and travels into far different areas, such as the lava filled workshops of the Deep Docks and the coral encrusted cliffs of the Sands of Karak. The world of Pharloom is vast, and the areas are all unique and complement each other well visually, as well as with gameplay. Every new area is filled with secrets to discover, such as new NPCs and hidden walls that reveal secret items and even mini-bosses. Exploration is one of the things that made the original “Hollow Knight” a classic, and that sense of adventure and wonder is increased tenfold in “Silksong.”
Still, do not be convinced that it will go easily on you. Even as someone who almost exclusively plays games like this one, “Silksong” is one of the hardest games I have played in a long time. The bosses are difficult, made even more tedious by the frequent run-backs you have to complete to get back to the boss arena after you die. Money is scarce to come by to buy your tools, and quests can be long and grueling to find upgrades to strengthen Hornet. This is made even more difficult by “Silksong’s” new mechanic, which allows bosses and even some regular enemies to do double damage to Hornet.
Despite that, if you are willing to put in the time to learn how to make Hornet the best fighter she can be, and traverse the dangerous world of Pharloom to its farthest reaches, you will see that “Silksong” is an unforgettable game that is an exemplary showcase of its genre. Get ready to swing your needle, complete some crazy parkour and take down a god by the end of this beautiful game.
