Hole Knight: Silksong is the extremely anticipated sequel to 2017’s indie darling, Hole Knight. It comes from Crew Cherry, a small group of three builders primarily based in Adelaide, Australia. Did I say “extremely anticipated”? Which may simply be an understatement.
Whereas we didn’t fairly expertise the event delays of Metroid Prime 4, one might excuse Hole Knight followers for being impatient with regards to this sequel. In 2022, Silksong was slated for a 2023 launch after first being introduced means again in 2019. Nothing else was revealed till late 2025. The truth is, the ultimate launch date was posted simply two weeks earlier than the sport dropped on 4 September, 2025. Shock! Fortunately, it was properly well worth the wait.
Enjoyable reality: Silksong was initially deliberate as DLC for Hole Knight!
For these new to the sequence, Hole Knight: Silksong falls squarely into the metroidvania class. It options all the important thing parts; 2D platforming, sprawling maps that broaden as you discover, upgradeable weapons, unlockable skills, and difficult boss fights. It does the style justice, with a tough outing that’s stuffed with character, collectibles, and lore.
Silksong follows the journey of Hornet, one of many principal non-playable characters from the unique title. Her position was fairly vital in Hole Knight, and utilizing her because the protagonist was a sensible transfer by the group. The truth is, Crew Cherry has managed to supply followers with one thing fairly particular by replicating the successful components of the unique Hole Knight whereas concurrently creating one thing that feels fully recent.
For starters, Hornet performs in a different way from the common-or-garden Knight. She’s nimble, leaping and dashing in a faster, smoother vogue. Whereas some strikes are kind of the identical—wall leaping and dashing are current and accounted for—Hornet has a unique means of utilizing particular assaults and therapeutic that shakes issues up. She’s additionally a troublesome cookie who’s stuffed with character—one thing that could possibly be stated to be lacking from the mute hero of the unique sport. In brief, I like her.
This character additionally creates one thing more difficult for long-time followers by offering new methods to play. For instance, Hornet’s dive assault is on an angle, in comparison with the Knight’s model, which merely goes straight down. With loads of platforming perils requiring one of these transfer to bounce throughout lethal spikes, it means even veterans must accustom themselves with a brand new approach to play.
Hole Knight and its sequel are each tough video games, however that’s a part of the appeal. The boss fights, specifically, are difficult. They’re additionally very artistic, with bosses who seem from the ceiling, tunnel underground, or bounce out of the water to assault. Whereas they’re powerful, they’re extremely satisfying to defeat.
The factor that shocked me most after I first performed the unique Hole Knight was the sheer quantity of content material. There’s simply a lot to do. Silksong continues this pattern, with fleas to rescue, beasts to hunt, maps to find, instruments to search out and equip, crests to unlock, and a lot extra. There’s by no means a scarcity of issues to do on this insect-based world.
Visually, the sequence has by no means regarded higher. Hole Knight seems nice, however Silksong provides much more when it comes to layers, colours, and complexity. It’s notably gorgeous for a 2D side-scroller, with dynamic foreground parts and lavish backdrops. The soundtrack is equally gorgeous, constructing upon the stunning work of the unique. That is the kind of soundtrack you’ll be able to get pleasure from listening to any time, even whereas not taking part in. Kudos to composer Christopher Larkin for once more bringing such emotional depth to every space and character along with his orchestral rating.
Our assessment may be late, however this reviewer spent ample time with each Hole Knight and Silksong previous to writing up her ideas. On the finish of the day, it’s a worthy entry in my checklist of prime video games of 2025. A assessment, regardless of the hole in time, appeared essential. The sport surpassed this participant’s expectations, offering not only a strong followup to among the best indie titles of the previous decade, however an impressive entry in its personal proper. The unique outing grew to become a bestselling basic with its metroidvania-style platforming and exploration. The sequel? Effectively, it broke the Web. Steam servers and even the Nintendo Swap eShop reported points as a result of overuse by followers trying to obtain the sport.
I advised you—“extremely anticipated” doesn’t fairly cowl the thrill round Hole Knight: Silksong.
Total, Hole Knight: Silksong is greater than worthy as a successor to the unique Hole Knight. Crew Cherry has completed an unbelievable job of offering followers precisely what we wanted—an extension to the prevailing world that’s related sufficient to be accessible whereas distinctive sufficient to really feel recent. It’s a tough factor to steadiness, however the group pulled it off. It’s a tough outing that gained’t be for everybody, however if you happen to love powerful platformers with sprawling maps stuffed with secrets and techniques to uncover, you owe it to your self to attempt Hole Knight: Silksong.
