Mere days earlier than the extremely anticipated launch of Hole Knight: Silksong—a DLC and Kickstarter stretch purpose turned mammoth sequel to one of the vital impactful video games of the 2010s–the lead builders behind the sport, William Gibson and Ari Pellen, broke their near-monastic vow of silence and defined the explanation for the sport’s lengthy absence from the general public eye. After years of no communication, throughout which many assumed the long-delayed sport was struggling by growth hell, the pair revealed the precise reverse.
In an interview with Bloomberg, they defined that Silksong solely took so lengthy as a result of the workforce had been having enjoyable making the sport. There was no behind-the-scenes disaster. No drama or rift between the members of the comparatively small growth workforce in Adelaide or the handfuls of contractors who helped Workforce Cherry convey Silksong throughout the end line. There was no meddling from the assorted publishers that, at one level or one other, appeared to vie for the workforce’s favor and the power to advertise the titanic sequel at one or a number of showcases. It turned out that Silksong was only a actually intense, and actually extended, labor of affection, a rarity in an business that has solely grown smaller and colder within the time the sport’s taken to gestate.
A humorous factor occurred throughout that self-imposed, years-long radio silence: Silksong grew to become the most wildly anticipated sport of the era, outdoors of solely the following Grand Theft Auto. By little greater than effusive word-of-mouth round its predecessor and a few rock-solid previews, Silksong got here fully undone from actuality and entered the harrowed halls of gaming legend. For years, gamers would champ on the bit in livestream chats by which they endlessly screamed “SILKSONG???” to no avail.
Eventually although, on September 4, 2025, Silksong arrived, and with its arrival got here the teardown of a long-held fantasy. Lastly, we had been capable of see, hear, and really feel the sport in its entirety for ourselves, because it really exists. Consider it for what it was reasonably than what we wished it to be. This cherished factor that so many, throughout the sport’s builders and its many followers, had poured an immense measure of affection into for all these years.
So, is Silksong the whole lot that I, a self-professed Hole Knight sicko, wished? Does it dwell as much as the hype? Does it reinvent the Metroidvania? Is it a cultural reset? Is it too laborious? Was it definitely worth the wait? Is it enjoyable?
Act I
Effectively, what ought to a sport of Silksong‘s magnitude be? To grasp that, I believe you first must get what Hole Knight was.
In 2018, Hole Knight got here to the Nintendo Change. I might wax poetic about how a lot the expertise meant to me and the way completely it rewired components of my mind. How a lot of my very own style clicked into place whereas combing the depths of Hallownest, the collapsed bug kingdom by which the primary sport takes place. How in contact it felt with my very own anxieties. How stunning it felt regardless of the collapse, barbarity, and damage that it invited gamers into.
The now completely memed ultimate encounter towards the sport’s true villain, a deity-like determine often known as the Radiance that at the beginning disguises itself because the solar, has not solely given me my desktop wallpaper, but in addition, in its hero’s resistance and dedication, provided me a mannequin of absolute defiance. The weirdos, adventurers, and screwballs tucked away within the darkest corners of Hallownest have time and time once more embodied the virtues of variety and acceptance that I dwell my life by. Quirrel, a kind of exact same oddballs, is certainly one of my favourite characters of all time, and his odyssey by Hallownest is certainly one of my very favourite threads of the entire journey.
After all, it’s laborious to speak about that first sport with out mentioning its spectacular cadre of boss fights both, which fits nicely past that ultimate confrontation I discussed. Whereas a lot continues to be manufactured from the collection’ issue, particularly with the discharge of Silksong, I’ve hardly seen the video games as ones pushed by a cruel bloodlust that checks the gamers at each flip. Don’t get me incorrect, many a Hole Knight boss has stumped me, however I’ve hardly ever considered these fights as notably grueling. They’re extra…rhythmic. I’ve written earlier than about how I believe Silksong‘s fight can really feel balletic and, nicely, Hole Knight was my first dance teacher. By its rigorous gauntlets and tutelage, together with the sport’s now famend bouts towards the Mantis Lords, Watcher Knights, and Troupe Grasp Grimm to call a number of, I realized my marks and tips on how to hit them with one thing resembling grace and finesse.
And as a reward for diving in headfirst and ingesting so deeply of Hole Knight‘s waters, I used to be granted the keys to Hallownest, one of the vital completely realized settings any work has ever spirited me away to. It’s a well-worn trope at this level to marvel at its development and degree of element, however the Metropolis of Tears strikes me so deeply that I should at all times invoke its quiet majesty. Town’s defining high quality, outdoors of its lavish and stately skyline, is the rain. Regardless of being underground, a crack within the ceiling above it–a powerful however refined metaphor amongst Hole Knight‘s quite a few parts that echo with better that means–invitations the pristine waters of an underground lake, casting a pallid blue gentle over the decaying metropolis and drenching it in a unending rainfall as if attempting to scrub away its sins.
Although it by no means happens within the sport, I take into consideration the day that crack rips the sky above the Metropolis of Tears huge open. In a rapturous second, the lake it holds up will seem to the town’s valuable few survivors just like the ocean coming down on their heads, and straight away, it’ll swallow the town entire.
This, and a lot extra, is the precedent set forth by Hole Knight. It’s the legacy of that sport, and it solely grows with every passing yr. Suffice to say, it’s a hell of a factor to dwell as much as, and a troublesome–some would possibly even say not possible–act to observe and construct atop. However that’s what Silksong units out to do. And I let you know what, it makes an incredible try, even when some cracks start to type within the basis beneath the sheer weight of all of it.
Act II
Silksong largely continues Hole Knight‘s exemplary work. It as soon as once more casts gamers as a diminutive however fearsome warrior critter, although this time as the primary sport’s deuteragonist–and generally rival–Hornet. Very similar to the Knight of the earlier title, Hornet is pushed to Pharloom, Silksong‘s equally haunted kingdom, by forces better than herself. Alongside her journey, she learns of an analogous corruption to the one which threatened Hallownest earlier than–Silksong does clarify it’s a successor that follows after the occasions of the primary Hole Knight. And identical to the Knight, Hornet befriends many oddball (and cute) bugs, fells horrible foes left and proper, discovers many secret passages, and uncovers the unflinching cruelty of this doomed, but stunning setting she’s now pressured to save lots of. You’d be forgiven for pondering Silksong was a “lazy” sequel given these acquainted parameters and beats, however the comparisons (outdoors of the sport’s visuals and ambiance) principally finish there.
Taking part in Silksong appears like being in dialog with it, and with each session–with each discuss–I repeatedly felt like I used to be studying greater than I might taking part in a sport completely content material with taking part in it secure.
That’s as a result of Silksong is aware of its taking part in the hits–which its builders workshopped in Hole Knight after which sharpened right here–after which spends a lot of the remainder of its runtime always fucking with the muse in ingenious, and sometimes dastardly, methods. Like Silksong‘s inverted narrative–by which Hornet climbs from the depths of the dominion versus the Knight’s descent into the abyss–the sport’s hostile design delights in toying together with your expectations. Hunter’s March and Bilewater, two of the brand new locales nestled in Pharloom’s expanse (a phrase I don’t use calmly on this sport’s case), at the moment are notorious for the best way that they jostle the participant and refuse to permit them the time and area for complacency, however might you consider they’re solely the tip of the iceberg?
Later sequences, like a rad-as-hell jail escape and an icy climb towards the clock, show out how thrilling it’s that Silksong, as a core precept, type of fucking hates the participant. In Hole Knight, like in most Metroidvania fare, it’s enthralling to develop extra highly effective and open up doorways that you simply had been beforehand locked out of. Silksong acknowledges this, however slows that development to a relative crawl and repeatedly forces Hornet, and the participant, on their backfoot. The result’s a tangibly scrappier sport that’s much less and fewer determined by arbitrary numbers and ranges and has extra to do with what I can solely describe as attaining a degree of drift compatibility.
This antagonism bleeds into a number of of the ache factors and criticisms which were levied on the sport, similar to punitive and demoralizing runbacks to a number of bosses, particularly one to a sure combat in a sandblasted area ripped straight out of Hell. And sure, it additionally extends to Silksong‘s a number of–and I do imply a number of–wave-based gauntlets, in addition to its generally oppressive (to not point out non-obligatory) third act, each of which really feel like exhaustive trials by hearth. However I’ve gotta admit, I’ve realized to like this sport throwing the entire rattling e-book at me. For probably the most half. It retains me on my toes.
If Silksong is responsible of something, it’s figuring out what the participant expects to seek out at practically each twist and switch and preempting them, generally with a brand new type of impediment or gag, and trusting them to beat these common checks. This certainly should be the mark of well-learned college students of the medium and type, and makes the hackneyed flip of phrase “a love letter to the style” into one thing resembling a extra concrete argument. Since being launched, Silksong has been accused of being a reasonably unforgiving sport for lots of the above causes and extra. In case you ask me, although, what it truly is fairly rattling playful. Playful and trusting of your skill to select up the sport and overcome something it throws at you, particularly with the arsenal of instruments and motion skills bestowed upon you, in addition to Hornet’s pure grace.
Reader, I hooted (I by no means hoot) on the fakeout bench entice in Hunter’s March. I jumped in my seat at my overcome the gauntlet in Excessive Halls and hardly regretted the hours I spent chipping away at it. The climb up Mount Fay falls simply shy of Celeste-level platforming in my eyes, and the Deep Docks? Effectively, they’re by no means boring. And with time, these classes all taught me to bounce by the Blasted Steps unscathed by any of the man-eating sandworms that occupy it. By the point I confronted The Final Decide for the ultimate time, I emerged freed from any burns, like solely the warrior-princess Hornet might.
Again-of-the-box quote:
“Uptown Lady, however make it haunting.”
Developer:
Workforce Cherry
Sort of sport:
Metroidvania
Favored:
Attractive hand-drawn world crammed with thrilling encounters and difficult degree design round each nook, and pushed by an all-time nice platforming heroine.
Disliked:
Much less cohesive than its predecessor in narrative and worldbuilding because of extra.
Platforms:
PC, PS5, PS5, Xbox Collection X/S, Nintendo Change 2 (Performed on), Nintendo Change
Launch date:
September 4, 2025
Performed:
About 73 hours, finishing the whole lot of the sport’s principal story (together with an non-obligatory third act), in addition to most sidequests and non-obligatory bosses, and buying most collectibles within the sport. Nonetheless solely at 86 p.c completion.
Silksong relishes in a type of defiance that I love. Sequels, particularly online game sequels, are sometimes greater than their predecessors, a sin which Silksong is responsible of, however they’re hardly ever extra frictional. And since Silksong zigs the place others would zag, it has a persona that I believe is uncommon to come back throughout in sequels, that are so typically by-the-numbers. It’s received chew and verve, identical to its sharp and commanding protagonist. It’s headstrong, and its architects–Workforce Cherry itself–really feel like a pleasant rival I’m in competitors with, and that back-and-forth has persistently motivated me to push again and push additional. Taking part in Silksong appears like being in dialog with it, and with each session–with each discuss–I repeatedly felt like I used to be studying greater than I might taking part in a sport completely content material with taking part in it secure.
And the factor is, Silksong‘s heights are largely price these lengthy talks and toils, however that steadfast angle and hardheadedness solely get it up to now.
Act III
Silksong is an exceptionally well-constructed sport as much as the tip of its first act, crammed with rousing fights towards spectacular bosses that take a look at your mettle early on, in addition to locales that tease the creativeness whereas concurrently sating that thirst for journey that the primary sport so completely quenched. Nevertheless it’s actually within the sport’s second act, which sees Hornet exploring the intricacies of the Citadel—a brass metropolis and holy place on the very prime of Pharloom—that it explodes and begins constructing the connective tissue that binds the whole lot of this monumental kingdom collectively.
Bear in mind how I invoked the Metropolis of Tears from Hole Knight earlier? How a lot I cherished the depth of it, not solely as a setting however due to the straightforward and highly effective metaphor completed by linking it to Blue Lake above it? Silksong’s vistas enthrall me to no finish, and its visuals are little doubt extra diversified than these of its predecessor, nevertheless it fails to inform tales as succinct or as impactful as that first sport did.
To its credit score, there are locations the place Silksong rises to the event. Greymoor, a downtrodden village that sits squarely beneath the Citadel (and likewise boasts a wet disposition) performs a well-recognized tune. That and the supposed route of the Pilgrimage on which so many bugs discover themselves reveal rather a lot about Pharloom and its folks whereas saying little or no. However by and huge, I discovered looser connections between areas, fewer storytelling nuggets and pocket-sized narratives, and fewer alternative for my very own curiosity to thrive.
Silksong nonetheless yields a lot to see, and there are inarguably extra nooks and crannies than ever to discover in Pharloom, however Hallownest’s elegant and understated mystique is absent right here, and it’s as an alternative changed by a labyrinthine behemoth–full with many proverbial Minotaurs–although one which instills in you the strain of compulsory completionism reasonably than the liberating sense of journey.
At this level in my very own expertise with it, the sheer extra of Silksong started to weigh on the sport, my very own curiosity in it, and the world which Workforce Cherry had so immaculately constructed. Its forged of characters dwarfs that of Hole Knight, however much less of them stand out among the many remainder of the noise right here. Shakra, the sport’s recurring map maker and touring warrior, is at all times a pleasure to work together with, and following her narrative thread to its finish supplied an emotionally satisfying decision I’m grateful to have seen to its finish, however she’s one of many sport’s exceptions on this regard. By comparability, there are quite a few threads I can bear in mind following in Hole Knight, just like the tales of Quirrel and Fabric, in addition to boss characters just like the Traitor Lord and Soul Grasp, all of which supplied narrative bows with which to wrap up and bundle the small, impactful vignettes throughout Hallownest.
Silksong appears eager about turning a few of these interactions and asides right into a extra concrete aspect of the collection, however they nearly appear misplaced within the expanded scope of the sport. For instance, job boards crammed with side-quests referred to as “Needs” appear to be they’d present ample alternatives to develop on characters in specific methods—Hole Knight most well-liked the Elden Ring method of loosely threaded emergent narratives—however they principally quantity to busy work and chores which fortify pockets of group round Pharloom, however hardly ever dive deeper into the make-up of those cities and their bug denizens.
What stings is that beneath all of it, there are some really superior issues tucked away in Silksong, a sport whose depth in locations continuously, sure, awed me. Superior encounters and sequences that continued to check me proper as much as the very finish, threads which tied the 2 video games collectively, and glimpses on the world outdoors of the Hole Knight collection’ haunted kingdoms that I might like to see explored additional down the road. Nevertheless it does additionally really feel at instances like a sequel made for gamers with a watch in direction of awe and spectacle reasonably than profundity.
Perhaps that weight I’m referring to, the one which threatens to undo Silksong at instances, has much less to do with literal bloat from the sport’s extended growth (although it has certainly manifested on this manner) and extra to do with the not possible burden positioned on Silksong to be probably the most unimaginable sport ever. I reckon that when Workforce Cherry first launched Hole Knight, they’d no concept the ripples it might make and the legacy it’d set up. And it’s not possible to separate what Silksong wound up being–a fork-tongued center finger of a sport that nobly goals to keep away from being a normal, standard sequel but in addition feels stretched in locations to fulfill the expectations of a Hole Knight sport–from the popularity it constructed up in its time outdoors the limelight.
Love breathed life into Silksong all these years in the past, remodeling a would-be growth right into a sprawling title whose growth was cultivated over a few years with nice care and a focus, which makes it all of the extra ironic that over the course of that growth, a lot of what made Hole Knight particular to start with feels diminished right here. That very love pushes Silksong to be a wealthy expertise, one which makes you’re employed to adore it and prefers to shock reasonably than lull you with awe. In some unspecified time in the future although, the previous provides approach to the latter, and beneath that weight, Silksong begins to crack. Its enormity hides these fractures nicely, however they’re nonetheless there. And perhaps, simply perhaps, in the future, just like the Metropolis of Tears, that crushing weight will collapse the muse and swallow it entire.
