Hollow Knight Silksong is a direct sequel to Hollow Knight. The game focuses on a new protagonist, princess Hornet, who previously began as an antagonist who turned into the knight's ally by the end. The game begins with Hornet being captured by unknown bugs(choir members) and move her away from Hallownest(The location/kingdom of Hollow Knight). Inside the cage Hornet uses her silk which causes an
explosion that throws them off a bridge. Now free, Hornet decides that instead of running away and returning to Hallownest, she ll instead search for answers like who were these bugs, where did they bring her and why. Princess Hornet learns that she is in the kingdom of Pharloom, a sacred place that houses the Citadel. In order to receive answers, Hornet will have to make her way into the Citadel,
to do so she has to do what every piligrim does and take a path that will lead her to the Grand Gate. Hornet's journey to the Grand Gate, acts as Act 1 of silksong.
Act 2 finds Hornet going through the gate and comming into the Citadel. inside the Citadel alot of information will be revealed about the kingdom of Pharloom, the "curse" of its inhabitants and ofcourse, the Pale being responsible for everything. Similar to Act1 where the player climbs Up the kingdom of Pharloom, Hornet will have to make her way Up the Citadel. After various encounters, she was told that
to access the holy area she needs to play a song whose parts are scattered around the kingdom. Only then will Hornet successfully reach the top and who every awaits her. These song parts are scattered around and represent the three groups responsible for the success of the Citadel, the Conductors, the Keepers and the Architects.
The original Hollow Knight was a game i never thought i would fall in love with but if you saw some of my reviews you would know i searched for the perfect game that captured the essence of that game. Silksong was amazing as it allowed me to not only revisit this universe but also expand upon it. This time around the bugs of the new kingdom are not brainwashed nor do they act againts their will. Instead, in Silksong the bugs seems to follow a hierarchy
that seems to be corrupted. The new "godly" being is very interesting as its backstory differs alot from both Grimm and Radiance. As mentioned, the plot of Silksong affects the lives of the NPCs who travel into various places. The game once again has multiple endings based on the choices the players make.
In Silksong, the player gets control of Hornet, the bug that helped the knight back in Hollow knight. The game is an action adventure Metroidvania. What is Metroidvania game? Metroidvania are games with large interocnnected maps that the player can explore. However there will be certain
locations where the player will not be abe to procceed until they receive certain items or skills that they can unlock later on. For a better understanding, here is a simpe example. the player may not be able to reach a certain location unless they obtain double jumb which can be found somewhere else.
Once they obtain double jump they can return to the location where they couldnt jump before and proceed to explore. So basically it's a game where the players will have to go back and fourth in the map to unlock new locations and continue exploring the map.
Similar to other games of its genre, Hornet begins her journey in Pharloom with little to minimum abilities and her nail which she uses to take down the enemies she encounters along the way. The more the player proceeds with the adventures the more powerfull Hornet becomes and more abilities
and skills she masters. A big change between Hollow Knight and HK Silksong is Speed. The player feels much more faster and powerfull in comparisson to when the control the knight. For example, Hornet can sprint which allows Hornet to traverse through areas much more faster than the Knight ever could.
Additionally the sprint can be used in combination with Jump and Wall climb which allows Hornet to perform these actions faster and even enchanced them by jumbing higher or temporarily ran vertically before hooking. Team Cherry knew how mobile Hornet is and thus most of the areas were created to test the players skills.
In fact Double jumb, which you would think is a necessary skill, is "optional" and can easily be skipped. Time wise, Double jumb becomes available later in the game as another ability is needed to reach the area of Double Jumb. That ability is needle throw. Hornet is capable of throwing her needle and then pulling
herself towards it which further unlocks traversal.
Combat wise the game playes like the OG. Hornet can hit enemies with her needle. Each needle strike generates Silk, which is equal to the knights Soul. Hornet can use her silk to either use a Silk ability(Special attack) or to heal herself. Unlike the knight's focused slow heal, Hornet will gather her silk
and regenerate three masks at once. She can also heal both on ground and whilst on air. Interupting her healing will waste the silk and wont heal the player. The life of the player is represented with masks on the top left. Most enemies deal one mask per hit but bosses and all enemies have attack that deal double mask damage.
Silk is placed below the lives. Both the masks and the silk can be expanded given that the player found Mask Shards(4 per mask) or Spool Fragments(2 per expand). Next to the silk, the silk ability will appear. When it glows, it means the player can use that attack.
When fighting the player can use their nail to deal damage, holding down the attack button will deal a heavy blow. Holding a direction whilst striking will make Hornet to attack towards the given direction. Another thing that differentiates Hornet from the knight is the usage of Tools and Crests. Crests re fundamental cores
that change the players playstyle and abilities. For example, by default, Hornets down strike is diagnal which can cause many mistakes in precise platforming. Equiping a crest like the Reaper will swap that for a down vertical similar to the Og. At the same time, each Crest changes the passive ablities of Hornet. For example, when healing
with the Reaper crest, each strike for the next 10 seconds(without being hit) will spawn extra silk for Hornet to collect. The shaman/witch crests leeches life from the nearby enemies and the shaman focuses on crafting tools using silk. There are 7 crests each specializing in different areas. Another think affected by the Crests are the Tool Slots.
Tool slots are similar to charms in a way. The player can equip tools (passive/ active) on the numbered slot. Each crest has a specifc number of slots available and they can be unlocked using Memory Lockets.
Tools re used to aid Hornets adventures in the Kingdom of Pharloom. These tools come in three catergories, Red, Blue and Yellow. Red tools are used mainly for combat purposes to help Hornet take down foes faster and more effectively without risking taking damage. Red tools can be throwing knives, placing traps that will detonate upon
impact or being hit. Others act as extra form of projectiles whilst others act as temporar buffs for the hero(extra lives, speed, blazed needle.) Red tools are limited(based on how overowered some are) and can only be craft with the exchange of Shell Shards, which fall from defeated enemies. Blue tools grant passive abilities to Hornet. These tools
focus on enchancing defensive abilities or regenerate silk faster. These abilities can add a safe Shell when casting healing, protect Hornet from fire base attack(reduce the 2 heart damage to 1), regenerate silk everytime you receive a blow and much more. last but not least, Hornet can equip Yellow tools that specialize in passive exploration abilities
and resourse farming. For example, a compass that displays Hornets location in the map, tools that keeps her attached on the walls without slipping or making enemies drop more Rosaries(games Currency) and Shell shards.
Another "tool" on Hornet's arsenal is the Needolin. The Needolin allows Hornet to use her silk and nail as a music instrument. Similar to the knights dreamnail, playing the Needolin around NPCs will cause them to sing, revealing to you their thoughts and dreams. Some are reminising of the past, others sing about their hopes whilst others sing about what they lost.
The melody can even triggered thoughts of dead bugs revealing their final thoughts. It can also be used near certain glowing areas which reveal scenes from the past. For example, the last dialog between Lace and Phantom can be seen if you play the melody infornt of the mirror found near Phantoms boss battle. The locked Weaver gates will be unlocked if you play infront of them.
During combat, playing the instrument will temporarily stunt the enemies. In Act3, the Needolin gets more melodies. One melody allows you to summon the Bell beast's babies which will fast travel you to the fast travel area. This melody is unlocked by defeating Bell Eater in act 3. The other melody unlocked, allows you to enter the memories of the bugs and is needed in order to get the Act 3 ending.
The general gameplay goes as follows, Hornet moves around in a 2D space using all of her mobility options. The player moves in the blind until they come across Shakra or a building construction Maquette. Interatcting with them will give the player the map of the given area. Each map/area is filled with enemy monsters, environmental Hazards, benches and potential items and NPCs.
Benches allow Hornet to rest which similar to Hollow Knight will recover all of her health, reveal the map(where the player has been to) and also spend Shell shards to refill her tools ammo. In case of death, the player will be brought back to the last bench which the player rested on. Hornet's silk cacoon will be placed near the area of her death. When the player hits her cacoon, Hornet will receive
full Silk and also all of her Rosaries. If she dies on her way to recover the cacoon, all the Rosaries will be permanenlty lost. There is an item capable of recovering her cacoon from far away. Fast Travel is also available. One of thee first bosses Hornet faces, is the Bell beast. Upon defeating the beast, Hornet can use it to fast travel to other areas. In order to fast travel from place,
Hornet will have to pay a fee to open the stations first, however travelling is actually free. To find the station the player will have to keep an eye out for a sign with a pointing direction. Within the Citadel, the player can fast travel using Tube stations which they ll have to pay to unlock.
Hollow Knights Silksong's gameplay improved the formula of the original by alot but still manage to keep the identity of the series. First of all Hornet is much more faster and agile than the knight. She can sprint, jump and user her needle for extra mobility. In combat she much more skillfull as the player can equip Crests that
change the combat and the abilities of the heroene. The addition of tools also change the playstyle of the hero. There's plenty of passive and active tools which can be crafted and completely change the style. Additionally, Hornet unlocks special Silk attacks which she can use, some were seen in Hollow Knight when the knight fights Hornet
whilst others are brand new. The Needolin is supposed to be Silksong's version of the dreamnail but acts differently with the environment and the players. The level design is nice with alot of challenging parkouring areas which will test the players skills and Hornets arsenal. The more abilities Hornet gets the more the world opens for her.
The enemies have various attack patterns and as mentioned some deal 2 hearts of damage which makes the game harder. My main issue with the game is the fact that the game is constantly placing Hornet in a small room filled with enemies(who deal double damage) and mini bosses. I wouldnt mind it, if it wasn't happenning so often. My second issue
regarding the gameplay is simply the process of unlocking Act3. I personally did both endings, all of the side quests, fought a couple of optional bosses and turns out i couldnt go to Act 3 because i was missing a few fleas. I searched the web to see what i had to do and after finding a certain Flea i proceeded on a quest to find them to proceed and
get the quest.
Again these are minor issues that i believe could ve been balanced better.
The game has a couple of different things to do. One of the things the player can do is side-missions. When reaching a village inhabitant by NPCs Hornet can find the job-listing board. The player can accept missions which sometimes revolves around hunting enemies, donating for cause or going to collect or find certain items/people. Some NPCs not found around the world can also give players quests. In order to access Act3 the player will have to complete certain Quests. Getting all endings can also be an activity for the players to do during or after their runthrough. Additionaly, the player can go through a collection of multiple items. This can be collecting information about all the Mobs or equipment. Equipment comes in the forms of Crests, Tools, Mask Shards and silk expanders. Last but not least, the player unlocks the Steel Soul Mode upon completing the game atleast once which allows them to play the game in a harder difficulty where death is permanent.
Hollow knight Silksong is once again created using the Unity Engine. Ari Gibson the co-director of Team Cherry is also the artist behind the looks of Hollow knight. Gibson's art evolve through the time and we can see it in Silksong. The game does
does look similar to Hollow knight but looks more fresh. The kingdom of Pharloom is well designed with new unique NPC looks and unique areas to visit. Silksong also includes a couple of cutscenes that re well animated and handrawn. Gameplay wise, the game
has nice visual indicators to allow the players to know when an upcomming blow is comming whether its an attack or an AoE.
The music of the game is quite interesting as well, given the name of the game is silkSONG. The game's composer is Christopher Larkin, the same person responsible for the iconic music found in the original game. The game has multiple OSTs located
in various areas. NPCs have unique battlecries and sounds. Some NPCs like Sherma and Shakra always sing a jingle to themselves. Similarly Hornet gets the ability to play the Needolin. She can use her needle and silk to create music. This music can access
the thoughts of NPCs and access secret areas. Similarly playing the needolin can cause NPCs to sing songs whose lyricks indicate their thoughts. During fights the enemies seems to be brainwashed by the sound before snapping out of it.
In conclusion, Hollow knight Silksong is a game that was worth the wait and the hype. The game not only matches the Hollow knight vibe but it also expanded and enchanced it. Story wise the game introduces to another kingdom and another Pale being. The characters, the world and the mystery are there from the get go. Many mysteries are being revealed and many visual indications build up the image of the world, its hierarchy and living conditions. Gameplay wise, the game is a faster version of the Og with a more Agile hero filled with plenty of different abilities that can be used in and out of combat. Hornet can equip Crests, Silk abilities and tools that can change the style and the way a player approaches a battle. The enemy variety is also different with many new enemies each having a double strike attack. The boss encounters are tuffer than before with enemies being more mobile, having powerfull strikes and occasional minions joinning them. Act3 makes everything harder as it buffs the enemies, gives them more powerfull attacks in closer and longer range. Visually the game is impressive with beautiful designed areas and enemies. During combat, the enemy pattern is visually cleared as well as the dodge windows. Audio wise the games tone is very similar to the original which means it BANGS! From calm and lonely melodies in cities to crazy boss encounter sounds. Upon finishing Act2, the player can complete multiple side quests and collect various items. Act 3 not only adds more story and encounters but also more collectables. Lastly team Cherry confirmed that similar to Hollow Knight more Content will be comming to the game after its initial release. Personally i complete my 1st ending(cursed) within 40 hours, the second within 41hrs(Queen) and the third(unlock Act3) within 51hrs.
This is a video of me reviewing the game