After a seemingly interminable wait, a sort of mythology has grown up around Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight sequel. Its release at the beginning of the busy gaming season has captured a lot of attention, but for the most part, there hasn’t been much in the way of critical evaluation. That’s because the developer chose not to provide advance codes to inform day-one launch reviews. Alongside many fans around the world, we’re just getting started today on running the game through its paces.
After several hours, the first few bosses, and a whole lot of jumping and needle slashing, Silksong has already proven itself to be a great deal of fun – especially for fans of significant challenge and skill-play layered into their Metroid or Castlevania games. At the same time, newcomers who have been swept up into the fervor of this heavily memed launch may be shaking their heads a bit, wondering what the big deal could be. Based on its early hours, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a relatively straightforward adventure of platform jumping, collectible power-ups, and precision combat – why are people so incredibly excited? But look a little closer, even in these earliest parts of the game, and the focus on gameplay quality, gorgeous presentation, and thoughtful design is apparent, and helps to back up the strong sentiment.
If you are indeed a newcomer, I’ve encountered no reason why you might need to delay your playthrough of Silksong to first play the original – other than that the original is, indeed, quite excellent. But the story here, focused on a warrior named Hornet trying to figure out why she’s been abducted to a distant kingdom, doesn’t lean heavily (so far) on prior knowledge of the franchise.
Even after playing the game’s predecessor, I’ve been struck by the vibrant artistry of Silksong’s presentation. The biomes you explore are all wrapped in natural trappings of leaves, rock, and fire, but they also carry a weight of lived-in spaces for the odd, anthropomorphic bugs that exist there. Old machinery, scattered bells, and ruined structures add a melancholy history to the game world that is a great joy to navigate.
The gorgeous orchestral score is often contemplative and flowing, accelerating in pace as big battles begin, but always flowing and satisfying to listen to. Compared to the insistent beats and angry industrial sounds of so many modern games, it’s a welcome aural departure.
Combat in the early hours is very straightforward, primarily focused on single slash attacks of Hornet’s needle-sword and occasional thrown weapons. Likewise, traversal and navigation starts out very simple and slow. Still, the protagonist’s impressive agility begins to shine early on with the addition of dash ability – the first of many movement skills that help the game move faster and give increased flexibility to the player’s explorations.
Even with limited attack options and moveset, Silksong doesn’t hold back on early-game challenge. This is a game that requires you to watch your enemies (especially bosses) closely, as just a few hits can lead to a game over. With that said, I think Silksong’s early big fights are perhaps a tad more forgiving than some of the first fights in the original Hollow Knight – perhaps a nod to a more steady challenge curve this time around. Sight unseen, my game reviewer instincts suspect some very challenging bosses are likely lurking in the hours ahead.
New players should be warned that Silksong (like the original Hollow Knight) leverages a system drawn from Soulslike games; you lose your core currency upon death, and it must be retrieved or lost. I haven’t found that structure to be especially punishing up to this point – but I also know that, for some players, that style of progression can be a real sore spot.
I’m not yet sold on the “tools” system that defines what you can do as you explore. The structure is undoubtedly in place to encourage players to explore different playstyles as they move through the world, but at least in the early hours, it feels limiting only to be able to equip certain core capabilities at any one time, such as the compass that shows where your character is on the map. I’m sure my frustrations there will ease as options and equippable slots expand over the course of the game, but it’s a small feature in the early game that rubs me the wrong way.
I’m a longtime enthusiast for “Search Action” games, a Japanese term I’ve always liked a bit more and found more descriptive than “Metroidvania”. No matter what you call them, there’s little doubt in my mind that Hollow Knight: Silksong is shaping up to be an exemplar of the form, accompanied by compelling world-building, high production values in graphics and audio, and significant challenge. And while I’m early in my playthrough, I’d be quite surprised if Silksong doesn’t match or exceed the size and scope of the prior game, which would take most players dozens of hours to complete. As such, and taking all that into account, I’m comfortable offering an early and enthusiastic endorsement even after my first day of playtime.
The high anticipation accompanying this launch could be a letdown if you’re expecting something that will change your whole understanding of games (an unfair presumption for any project). But approach this for what it appears to be – a lovingly crafted and well-designed adventure through a mysterious and captivating world – and it seems, so far, well worth the price of admission.
If that opinion changes, or my enthusiasm increases even more as I play, I’ll share that as soon as I can. Keep an eye here for our final Game Informer verdict and review of Hollow Knight: Silksong. We’ll have that ready once we’ve experienced the complete game over the coming days.