Hollow Knight: Silksong is finally out, and everyone is now scrambling to find a new joke they can make for Nintendo Directs. More importantly, fans who’ve been waiting for this sequel can finally get their hands on the game and see if it lives up to their expectations.
But what about fans who just “liked” the game? The ones who were excited for Silksong, but didn’t obsess over it because there were other things to play? In Layman’s terms, what about casual fans who just think games are neat?
As someone who considers the original Hollow Knight a great game, I didn’t obsess over it like others. While most fans dedicated themselves to the game and got every ending, I beat it once and was satisfied. Slashing my sword was fun, unlocking new abilities made my brain feel good, and I moved on to other games.
Now that Hollow Knight: Silksong is out, what does this casual fan of the original game think of it? Here are my early thoughts.
I See Your True Colors
After getting used to the dark and atmospheric setting of the original game, it was shocking to see Silksong open up with so much color. From the embers in the opening menu to the vibrant moss in the first area Hornet wakes up in, this sequel is a lot more colorful. That doesn’t mean it’s suddenly a happy game, because there’s still plenty of misery to be shared, but the colors pop out really well.
Honestly, you might want to get a Switch OLED or Steam Deck OLED just to play Hollow Knight: Silksong, because they make these colors look really good.
What makes the vibrant and bright colors of these levels interesting is how they contrast with the hub town of Bonebottom, which is still pretty dark and moody. It feels like Silksong makes you venture through more colorful levels, only to snap back to how hard things can be for these people.
I think it’s a cool contrast that helps this game stand out, especially from its emo older brother. The first game is still gorgeous, but I can't blame anyone who abandoned it for all of the black and blue surrounding most areas.
Lost in the Citadel
The true test for a Metroidvania game is letting players get lost and making that a feature, rather than a flaw. It worked for the original Hollow Knight because the game doesn’t tell you your goals, so wandering around and looking for purpose made getting lost feel appropriate.
Hollow Knight: Silksong still makes you get lost a lot, though it does handle things a bit differently. Rather than just getting lost for the sake of good atmosphere and chilling visuals, the lead character, Hornet, actually has a goal in mind. She needs to reach the kingdom’s peak and has to keep going up, so now players have some urgency to get less lost when wandering around.
Hornet having a proper goal might seem contradictory to what I’m going to say, but getting lost is just as fun as it was before. The levels are just so fascinating to go through, thanks to those vibrant colors, enemies to fight, and hoping to find new abilities to keep moving. Like the previous game (and most Metroidvanias), if the path forward is out of your reach, you have to move somewhere else and find a new ability or item.
It’s that classic Metroidvania formula that Team Cherry is just really good at doing. You’re never really lost for long; just keep moving and try to find another way through. Just make sure not to die this time, because the Soulslike mechanic of finding your body to get the money you earned back is still pretty annoying.
A Little Less Lonely
For those who felt the original Hollow Knight was a little too isolated and lonely, Hollow Knight: Silksong does have more characters this time. While the first game had its fair share of NPCs, you had to go out of your way to find them, and they were still pretty rare. Silksong makes your journey feel a little less lonely with the hub town of Bonebottom.
When Hornet arrives in Silksong, you can already see fellow insects in this town. It’s no GTA, but there is some comfort in heading back to Bonebottom after 30 minutes of getting killed or lost, and seeing people that aren’t just trying to kill you. Granted, these are fairly miserable people who have lost all hope and want you to feel the same way, but misery loves company, amirite?
You also encounter NPCs at a fairly fast rate in Silksong, especially when compared to its predecessor. It doesn’t take long before you meet Shakra, the new (and kinda sexy) map maker, Sherma, who sings songs hoping to open metal gates, and the band of travelling Fleas, just to name a few.
Even if Silksong is primarily an isolated adventure where Hornet handles things by herself, it’s nice to see that she isn’t just alone most of the time. If the original Hollow Knight was too isolated and sad, Silksong might be a nice change of pace for players who didn’t like that indie masterpiece.
Despite Everything, It’s Still You
For better or worse, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Hollow Knight game. While the brighter environments and livelier atmosphere are appreciated, fans who didn’t like that first game probably won’t like this one either.
On the other hand, if you dedicated seven years of your life waiting for this Metroidvania, it is absolutely worth getting. It’s still a great Metroidvania, and one that probably has a bunch of secrets we haven’t discovered yet.
And for us casual Hollow Knight fans? It’s pretty good. You can get it now and feel the hype, or wait for things to die down and enjoy it at your own pace.
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