In Silksong, players control Hornet, the former Princess of Hollow Knight's fallen kingdom of Hallownest and a prominent supporting character from the original game. The story follows her as she is captured and transported to the mysterious new land of Pharloom, where she must navigate a vast, interconnected world filled with unique enemies, challenging bosses, and intricate environments. The game expands on the combat and traversal mechanics introduced in the first title, incorporating Hornet's agility and needle-based combat, as well as adding a quest system to encourage exploration and discovery. Originally planned as downloadable content for Hollow Knight, the project grew in scope over time, prompting Team Cherry to announce in February 2019 that it would instead become a full standalone sequel.[2]
The game received critical acclaim for its graphics, soundtrack, story, world design, and gameplay, though its high difficulty was met with mixed reviews. On its first three days of release, it had over 5 million players, including 1 million playing via Xbox Game Pass and 3 million on Steam.[3]
Gameplay screenshot showcasing Hornet in combat with three enemies
Hollow Knight: Silksong's gameplay is similar to its predecessor Hollow Knight, featuring 2D platforming and combat. Some changes are made from the original, such as Hornet moving with a more acrobatic flair compared to Hollow Knight's protagonist, and that healing is faster. Side-quests (called "wishes") are part of the game, and include a journal to keep track of them. These "wishes" are provided by the non-player characters or found at quest boards.[4] Two new currencies are introduced: Shell Shards and Rosaries. Rosaries act similarly to Geo from Hollow Knight, with them mainly being collected after defeating enemies, and with them being lost upon death. However, if they are put on a string, they will not be lost. The game also features "tools" which require Shell Shards to repair.[5] Additionally, Hornet is capable of swapping between different "crests", which modify her attacks and change her tool slots.[6] "Silk skills" are also unlocked by locating Weaver sites when progressing through the game, giving Hornet access to additional attacks.
Plot
Silksong takes place after the events of Hollow Knight. The warrior Hornet is kidnapped from Hallownest by a group of veiled bugs and transported to the distant kingdom of Pharloom, where she faces her past, slowly gaining information about herself while traveling and fulfilling many minor quests, known as wishes. The plot of Silksong takes place over multiple acts, following Hornet's journey through Pharloom.
Hornet escapes her captors and falls down into the Moss Grotto, beginning Act I. She then finds that her captors were adherents of the Citadel - a religious institution located at Pharloom's summit, a supposedly "holy" place that numerous pilgrims are traveling towards. Hornet decides to ascend to the Citadel in order to discover the reason behind her capture. As Hornet explores, she notices that much of Pharloom is choked by silken threads that ensnare residents and pilgrims alike and appear to drive them to madness - making them hostile - and speculates that her own ability to produce silk is the reason why she was of interest to the veiled bugs. In her travel Hornet reveals parts of her past and encounters "Weavers" - a species in Hallownest and Pharloom - as Hornet herself is a half-Weaver. In Deep Docks, Hornet encounters Lace, whose goal is to prevent Hornet from ascending to the top of the Citadel, and who is presented as the rival of Hornet. After ringing five bells across Pharloom, Hornet defeats the Last Judge and gains entry to the Citadel.
Upon entering the Citadel, where Act II starts, Hornet falls into the Underworks. After escaping, Hornet encounters three statues of the Conductors who tell her to learn the threefold melody. After travelling across the Citadel, Hornet learns the melody and plays it for the statues. The statues bring Hornet to a second battle with Lace. After defeating Lace, she grants Hornet entry to the Cradle, where the source of the Haunting is located - the Grand Mother Silk. After defeating the Grand Mother, Hornet binds with her body and becomes the new Weaver Queen.
Upon meeting certain conditions through the game, the story progresses further. If Hornet defeats the Grand Mother Silk after this, Hornet instead falls into the Abyss, beginning Act III. Hornet descends to Grand Mother Silk's prison, where she fights Lost Lace, who was corrupted by the Void. Hornet is able to purify her corruption, and the imprisoned Grand Mother Silk grants the last of her power for Lace and Hornet to escape, but it is not enough to return to the surface. However, the "God of Gods", the main character from the first game, intervenes and carries Hornet and Lace to the surface, saving them and ending the game.
Development
Hollow Knight: Silksong was originally planned as downloadable content for Hollow Knight.[2] This piece of downloadable content, set to have the player control Hornet, was in development even before the release of Hollow Knight.[7] Eventually, due to the increased size and scope of the project, Team Cherry decided to expand it into a fully-fledged sequel titled Hollow Knight: Silksong.[2]
In the February 2021 issue of Edge, Team Cherry co-founders and co-directors Ari Gibson and William Pellen detailed aspects of Silksong's development. Their development style was described as being a "controlled scope creep", with Gibson stating "the way we approach these games... is that they are just a web of ideas, and notions, that all pass through this filter of bugs, and caves, and ruined civilisations and whatnot”, with Pellen adding “with destinations that we’re comfortable with not knowing what they are for a while – just building up or down to them.”[8] The developers were also not attempting to "create a more difficult sequel", with Pellen stating that "they're hoping for it to be a comparable test of skill to Hollow Knight".[9] Despite this goal, they both highlighted the fact that more enemies deal two points of damage, when compared to Hollow Knight, which Pellen stated was in order to have the player "spend more time at either full health or almost dead, [with] the gameplay... snapping between these states." Hornet's heal was made faster and stronger than Hollow Knight's protagonist's, in order to combat this.[10]
In a Bloomberg article in August 2025, Gibson and Pellen gave further detail on the game's development. They stated that their original vision for Silksong involved the game having a smaller world than that of Hollow Knight, instead implementing a quest system to encourage revisiting areas within the world, but that they progressively expanded the game's map as development proceeded.[11][12] The team decided to limit their communication about the game's progress during development, explaining that they wanted to focus their energies on the development process itself and that they wanted to avoid revealing too many of Silksong's secrets before release.[11][13]Bloomberg hypothesized that reasons for Silksong's lengthy development process included the small size of Team Cherry, as well as the developers' focus on delivering a finely tuned experience—Pellen was paraphrased as saying that "the last year or two [of development]" was focused on adding polish and additional detail to the game.[11] Gibson described the development of Silksong as "enjoyable" and "very satisfying"; he and Pellen both recounted that they could have continued expanding the game but forced themselves to stop in order to avoid delaying its release further than necessary; they will instead add extra content in post-release updates, like they did for Hollow Knight.[11][12]
Release and marketing
Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced on 14 February 2019 in a trailer, with a developer diary video sharing more information.[2] Since the announcement, per GameSpot, "updates have been sporadic and infrequent".[14] The developers released an update in March 2019, sharing descriptions and images of characters who will appear in Silksong. They thanked the game's fans for supporting them regarding the announcement of the sequel.[15]Silksong was playable during E3 2019, at the Nintendo booth,[16] and a Nintendo Treehouse livestream additionally showed off the game.[17] Team Cherry released a new blog post soon after this, which mentioned that the area "Greymoor" is one of the biggest they've ever created; the post also explained further gameplay details.[18] In December 2019, Team Cherry released a preview of the soundtrack, composed by Christopher Larkin, as well as an update on the total number of enemies developed (which was 165 at the time), with a focus on a trio, described as "members of a scholarly suite."[19]
In June 2020, Team Cherry began a series of riddles that revealed non-player characters and short videos of Silksong once solved; these riddles continued into July. One of the characters revealed was "Seth", created by a fan named Seth Goldman who was battling terminal cancer and had wished to meet Team Cherry.[20][21] In December 2020, an issue of Edge revealed details about Silksong, with multiple screenshots and quotes from Gibson and Pellen.[22]
An article in PC Gamer from February 2022 showcased Pellen stating that Silksong was still in development despite the lack of updates since December 2020, and said that more details would be revealed as it got closer to its release.[23] A new trailer was revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, revealing that Silksong would be released on Xbox Game Pass at launch, with the game being available through the service for PC and Xbox Series X/S.[24] While no release date was announced, the XboxTwitter account stated in a tweet that all games in the showcase will be released within twelve months, implying they expected a release by 12 June 2023.[25] In September 2022, Sony confirmed in a separate tweet that the game would come to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.[26] Team Cherry marketing and publishing director Matthew Griffin declared on 10 May 2023 that the game was delayed, stating "We had planned to release in the first half of 2023, but development is still continuing", and to "expect more details from us once we get closer to release."[27]
On 14 February 2024, which marked five years since the game's announcement,[28] Griffin posted on Discord that Team Cherry was "...still hard at work on the game."[29] After nearly a year of silence, in January 2025, in response to rumors online,[30] Griffin said that Silksong was still in active development, was progressing, and was still planned for release.[31][32]
During the Nintendo Direct on the then-upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 system, which aired on 2 April 2025, Silksong was presented in a sizzle reel, where it was given a 2025 release date, alongside some new footage.[33] Soon after, Nintendo sent out new screenshots of the game to press.[34] On 1 May, IGN announced that Silksong would appear at ACMI's then-upcoming Game Worlds showcase, which opened on 18 September 2025. The exhibit was confirmed to include sprites from the game, information on boss fights, and the ability to play Silksong. They also shared a partial spritesheet of Hornet.[35] On 8 June, Silksong appeared at the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase, as part of the reveal trailer for the ROG Xbox Ally. It was confirmed to be available on the console day one; the console is planned to release in Holiday 2025.[36] Soon after this announcement, Griffin clarified that the game would release before Christmas 2025, and that it is "...not tied to a console release."[37] On 30 June, ACMI posted an Instagram story that revealed new sprites of Silksong, alongside development sketches.[38]
On 28 July, a new Silksong demo was announced to be playable at the Xbox booth during Gamescom 2025, which started on 20 August;[39] the demo was later confirmed to be playable at the Nintendo booth as well, on 7 August.[40] On 19 August, Team Cherry—breaking their infamous radio silence[41]—announced that they would have a "special announcement" on 21 August.[42] A Bloomberg interview with Gibson and Pellen was also announced to release on that day; it was stated to "explore why Silksong has taken seven years to develop."[43] Also on 19 August, Silksong appeared at Gamescom Opening Night Live, where it received new footage.[44] Two days later, the Bloomberg interview was published,[11] and the "special announcement" aired on YouTube; it was the game's release trailer, which ended by revealing that the game would release on 4 September 2025.[1]
The announcement of the game's release date just two weeks prior to its release caused several other indie games originally set to release around the same time to be delayed for fear of being overshadowed by Silksong,[45][46][47] while others, such as Hell Is Us, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion and Cronos: The New Dawn, kept the release date as they intended.[48] Team Cherry did not send out review codes for Silksong, citing the difficulty of organizing them as a small team and the view that it would be unfair for critics to play it before Kickstarter backers and other players.[49] When the game released on 4 September, Steam, Nintendo eShop, the Microsoft Store, and the PlayStation Store all experienced errors.[50][51] Steam was taken down temporarily, making the platform inaccessible to purchase the game or download it for many users.[52]
Reception
Pre-release
The playable Silksong demo at E3 2019 received critical praise. IGN writer Tom Marks liked "its combat and movement even more than the original", and said "Silksong has the potential to be even better than the original."[53] Ozzie Mejia of Shacknews praised the "tremendous amount of detail in the environments and in the backgrounds".[16] Writing for Game Informer, Matt Miller prematurely called Silksong a "worthy sequel", stating "the portion of Hornet's adventure on display maintains the tradition of excellence established by the original."[54]Nintendo World Report writer Melanie Zawodniak praised the speed in which Hornet could traverse vertically, as she believed such movement was "a bit too sluggish in Hollow Knight." Despite the short play-time, the demo made her certain that "Team Cherry [is] putting just as much of their skill and passion into the project as [in] their debut title".[55]
The demo at Gamescom 2025 was given similar praise. Writing for Destructoid, Adam Newell called the demo "stunningly beautiful with its lush visuals and animations", and stated that he was "hooked from the start."[56]GamesRadar+ writer Josh West stated "there's an attention to detail in its visual and audio design that's scintillating to experience. The play itself is smooth, Hollow Knight's occasional sharp edges sanded down to ensure that movement and motion is the star."[57] Writing for Game Informer, Wesley LeBlanc stated "if what I played today is any indication, Silksong will follow in [Hollow Knight's] steps – I really enjoyed what I played."[58]
As of late August 2025, Silksong was on roughly 5.2 million Steam users' wishlists, making it by far the most-wishlisted game on the service at the time.[59][60]
Fan culture
The first episode of "Daily Silksong News"
Due to the game's long development cycle, fans would often hope for Silksong news to appear at video game showcases. After repeated no-shows, the fans eventually would consider this hope illogical, so they used clown imagery to signify this, with the most popular image being an edited screenshot of Hollow Knight, showing its protagonist wearing a clown wig and nose.[61][62][63] The meme was referenced by Geoff Keighley in August 2024 and 2025.[62][63]
Starting on 16 January 2021, the YouTube fan channel Daily Silksong News began tracking and reporting updates on the game's status every day, leading to over 1600 uploads. Almost every video consists of the script, "Today is [date]. This is [host name], your host for today bringing you your daily Silksong news. There has been no news to report for Silksong today. This has been your daily news for Silksong for today, [date]." Only 48 uploads actually reported news prior to the game's release.[64][65][66] The game released on day 1,692.[65] The channel's main host, Araraura, was interviewed twice by PC Gamer writer Harvey Randall. Many videos were also guest hosted by other social media personalities.[64][65]
Since Silksong often received minimal news for lengthy periods of time, users on the Silksongsubreddit developed a meta culture of jokes, memes and factions;[67] these included the creation of elaborate fake posts, known as "Silkposts", to trick readers into thinking there had been Silksong news. This has become a viral phenomenon in the subreddit.[68][69][70][71] Other widespread jokes within the subreddit included users reporting encountering fake copies of Silksong offered by "Snosk", a pun on one of the bosses from Hollow Knight called "Nosk"; this particular trend prompted "anti-Snosk" public service announcements and denial posts by other users.[67] In July 2025, the subreddit "sacrificed" four users via banning them in order to "secure Silksong's release", which received coverage due to its absurdity.[70][72]
Hollow Knight: Silksong's Nintendo Switch 2, PC and PS5 versions received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator website Metacritic,[73][74][75] while its Xbox Series X/S version received "generally favorable" reviews.[76] According to OpenCritic, 96% of critics recommended the game.[77]
Several critics felt that the game was a worthy sequel to the original[81][82][84][83] and praised its larger, more ambitious scope.[79][82][83] Others appreciated the low price point for such an expansive game.[84][86] Critics generally lauded the art design of Silksong.[79][81][82][86][87][83]Nintendo Life commended the game's "beautiful color palette",[83] and Video Games Chronicle praised the game world's "gorgeous layering, parallax scrolling, and meticulously placed background details".[87] The artwork was variously described as "absolutely gorgeous"[81], "visually stunning".[82], and "an absolute marvel"[86] The soundtrack was similarly praised, with Push Square calling it "sumptuous"[86] and Eurogamer describing it as "haunted, playful, and endlessly beckoning".[79] In terms of story, IGN praised the "top-notch writing throughout".[82] Hornet's character was seen as a general improvement to the original game's silent protagonist, with her "sharp, amusingly standoffish dialogue" being regarded as "far more compelling" according to NME,[84] and IGN similarly called her "an excellent hero" with a notable "difference in tone" from the original.[82]Video Games Chronicle praised the "small bits of characterisation and humour" the world's NPCs were given through side quests, calling them "highlights" of the game's writing.[87]
Reviewers noted the quicker, more nimble nature of Hornet during gameplay as compared to Hollow Knight's protagonist.[79][81][84][86][83]NME described her as "slashing her needle in bouncy flourishes"[84] and Video Games Chronicle complimented the "freedom and precision" that Hornet controlled with.[87] The amount of customisation options for Hornet was also generally well received.[82][86][83] The world of the game was praised as being highly detailed and rewarding to explore.[79][81][82][85][83]PC Gamer appreciated how the world design contextualized the broader narrative, and praised how the details of the world incentivized exploration.[85] The boss battles were often seen as a highlight, with these fights being called "thrilling",[82] "awe-inspiring",[86] "smartly designed",[81] "creative",[85] and "a ballet of movement and action".[83]
The difficulty of Silksong drew mixed responses, with reviewers describing the game as "confrontational",[79] "hostile",[81] "vicious",[84] "Sisyphean",[85] "deliberately harsh",[83] and "unapologetically challenging".[82] Some reviewers appreciated how the difficulty gave the game "character"[79], integrated the gameplay with the story and world[82][85][83], and provided a sense of mastery when overcoming the challenges of the game.[82][85][83] Others, like Video Games Chronicle, considered the difficulty "tiring and demotivating" and felt it inhibited the feeling of exploration.[87] Some elements of the difficulty were particularly contentious, such as the long "runbacks" to get back to bosses,[79][81][82][86][87] increased enemy damage,[79][81][82][87] scarcity of currency,[81][86][87][83] and the difficulty of using Hornet's diagonal pogo, especially for platforming sections.[79][81][84][86][87] Reviewers were also more mixed on the game's side-quests, some of which were praised for their world-building, but others of which were criticized for generally being "uninspired" and "monotonous".[82][84][87]
Audience response
Due to its highly anticipated release and absence of pre-orders, Silksong caused digital storefronts such as Steam and the Nintendo eShop to crash upon its launch, leading to players being unable to buy or download the game.[50][51] It was also temporarily unavailable on the PlayStation Store.[88] The game reached over 100,000 concurrent players within 45 minutes after release, peaking at over 500,000 active players during the first day, reaching 10th place on the list of the concurrent most played games on Steam and, as of launch, the 29th of all time.[89][90] The game also topped sales charts on Steam and the eShop.[89][91]
The perceived increased difficulty of Silksong compared to its predecessor received polarized reactions from players.[92] Various mods to make the game easier were created a few days after release.[93][94][95]
The game received negative reviews from Chinese players on Steam, owing to significant quality concerns with the game's Simplified Chinese localisation.[96][97][98] Addressing these concerns, Matthew Griffin wrote on 5th September that the developers intend to implement improvements to the translation.[99][100]
↑ "外媒谈《空洞骑士：丝之歌》中文翻译糟糕：很难归咎于樱桃组！"[Foreign Media on Hollow Knight: Silksong's Poor Chinese Translation: It's Hard to Blame Team Cherry!]. Gamersky (in Chinese (China)). 5 September 2025. Archived from the original on 12 September 2025.
↑ Yamanaka, Taijiro (6 September 2025). "『ホロウナイト シルクソング』の中国語翻訳が「作風とズレまくり」で不評殺到、業界翻訳者まで苦言。開発元がすぐさま改善表明する事態に"[Hollow Knight: Silksong's Chinese translation faces backlash for 'completely missing the mark,' drawing criticism even from industry translators. The developer immediately announced improvements.]. Automaton (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 September 2025.
↑ "《空洞騎士：絲之歌》簡中文本引發Steam評論褒貶不一，官方回應將改善翻譯品質"[Hollow Knight: Silksong's simplified Chinese version sparked mixed reviews on Steam, official response promises improved translation quality]. Gamebase (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 5 September 2025. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
