It’s possible at this point that Hollow Knight: Silksong has become overwhelmed in the public consciousness by the wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong. The name has become synonymous with the many memes and jokes that have followed it, as eager fans and press alike met every event with the possibility that now, finally, Team Cherry may be ready to announce a date, show us fresh footage, anything.
Now that day is finally near, and the gaming community’s furious obsession with the lack of Silksong could make it difficult to focus on the real, actual game, which looks to be a worthwhile successor that doesn’t deviate too far from its acclaimed predecessor.
To be clear, my experience with Hollow Knight: Silksong was very brief–only about 10 minutes in all, which you can see in the video above. The limited demo only gave me enough time to complete one starting area, following a brief cutscene. And it at least appears to be the same demo that we played in 2019, though I can’t speak to any under-the-hood changes the game has gone through since then. The opening cutscene, which set the stage for the new heroine Hornet, is moody, poetic, and haunting in a way that will feel familiar to fans of the first game. Its color palette was also a good deal more muted than most of the demo, which was a nice surprise.
In the actual gameplay, the world was alive and buzzing with color and effects. The original Hollow Knight was by no means a bad-looking game, but it had a particular style and use of color, and many of the foregrounds were dark, with limited visibility. Silksong, by comparison, is visually vibrant and colorful. The verdant starting area has loads of greenery all around it, and the even more visually impressive second area was full of subtle glowing effects, with orange and red hues that made the whole place look and feel alive. The visual style is still very much in communication with the original Hollow Knight, but it’s worth noting how far it has come since 2017.
And while it’s especially difficult to judge a combat-heavy game from such a limited demo, that aspect felt like a natural evolution for Hollow Knight, as well. Hornet is noticeably faster, and her downward attack is a quick diagonal slash that gives her more mobility. The early stage was never too tough, though I did die at one point against a boss because I overcommitted to one too many attacks. That kind of small mistake costing me so heavily in the early game is uncommon, but I think Team Cherry knows what Silksong is and exactly who it’s for: Hollow Knight fans seeking a new challenge will need a little light warmup to get back into the groove, but won’t need (or want) to be coddled after the refresher.
And in that way, Hollow Knight: Silksong appears to be exactly what we all should have expected: a strong, well-designed, visually lovely game that carries forward the aesthetic and design philosophies of the original with thoughtful, if not earth-shattering, updates. It’s been a long wait for Silksong, but now that it’s finally on the horizon, maybe we can get back to focusing on what it is, rather than when it isn’t.
Team Cherry has not set a release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong, though the Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation confirmed it’s still on-track for a 2025 release. A special announcement, possibly with a release date, is set for Thursday, August 21.
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