It is the game whose developers would not acknowledge, and the game whose fans would not stop acknowledging. Ever since its reveal in 2019 by the trio of game developers known as Team Cherry, the excitement for “Hollow Knight: Silksong” has reached an almost meme status. Over the past six years, Team Cherry practiced a policy of almost complete silence regarding their game, causing fans to be desperate for any information regarding it. So when the release date was revealed a mere two weeks before the game’s release on September 4th, one question was on the minds of so many fans: “Can it live up to the hype?” To that point, the answer is undoubtable: “Silksong” does indeed live up to the expectations of fans. While the surprisingly inexpensive experience is not for everybody, it provides hours of adventure and wonder.
The game follows Hornet, who was captured and taken to a strange land. After she escapes, a series of strange encounters and events leads her to find that she must ascend to the kingdom’s peak. It sounds simple, until one realizes that there is something decidedly wrong about those who try to ascend through the kingdom in decline. Something is driving them insane, and that something may just have the answers Hornet is looking for.
Almost immediately after a short introduction, the player is let out into the open 2D metroidvania world. From the opening area, the player is introduced to “Silksong’s” gameplay loop. Players fight adverse foes and perfect platforming challenges, all while uncovering the mysteries of a vast world. The story is built upon plot moments like any other game, but it also makes great work of environmental storytelling, in which players piece together some of the world’s history through their discoveries while exploring.
That exploration is made all the more interesting by “Silksong’s” hand-drawn environments and animations. Artist Ari Gibson’s attention to detail sews together a highly detailed world, which, when combined with his heightened attention to detail, makes every moment of exploration all the more wondrous. The animation too makes the game visually pleasing. From Hornet’s moveset to creatures in the background, every moving element is approached with care and artistry.
But despite that care and artistry, “Silksong” would not be the same without its soundtrack. Composer Christopher Larkin returns to create “Silksong’s” string-based score, and he does it with all and more of the expertise present in the original “Hollow Knight.” From ambient backgrounds to high-stakes boss fights, Larkin creates tracks full of emotion that suit every situation, whether they demand feelings of ambience or adrenaline.
That rush of adrenaline is commonplace during the game’s challenging boss fights. While it does not fall directly under the Soulslike genre, “Dark Souls’s” “Prepare to Die” slogan completely applies to “Silksong.” Those considering buying the game should be forewarned that the game does not hold the player’s hand. Regular enemies are deadly in themselves, and bosses can take many tries to beat. However, if one has the patience and determination, finally beating the game’s many challenges is truly satisfying.
Of course, it is hard to make any game satisfying if it cannot run in the first place. In that regard, Silksong succeeds again. The game runs smoothly, and over the course of my playtime no performance issues occurred while playing on PS5. The one and only exception to this was an instance of the game crashing while transitioning between areas. However, after some research, this appears to be an isolated incident. While many modern games face major performance issues at launch, “Silksong” manages to avoid this common problem. Excluding the one instance mentioned above, the adventure is not interrupted by even minor issues such as frame drops, allowing it to fulfill fans’ expectations in quality.
“Silksong” had a lot to live up to, being the sequel to one of the most successful indie games of all time. Yet despite the odds, “Silksong” builds upon the foundation laid by its predecessor, delivering a more complex and engaging experience. Yet it does not end there, as Team Cherry confirmed in an interview with “Bloomberg” that DLC is already in the works for the game. With the long development of “Silksong,” it is uncertain how long it will be until fans hear from their beloved studio. However, if “Silksong” has taught them anything, it is that whatever experience the studio wishes to string together, it is well worth the time spent waiting.