Silksong: Why Hornet Feels Better to Play than the Knight

With all the attention it's getting, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most popular titles of 2025. Fans have waited so long for this game, and Team Cherry has more than delivered, producing something that looks and feels great to play after years of development.

But what is it about Silksong that makes it so good? While there are many different factors, a significant one would have to be the game's main character, Hornet. When compared to Hollow Knight's protagonist, it can be said that the leading lady of the sequel is leagues beyond her predecessor and feels much better to play as.

Those yet to play the game, or even those who have, may ask questions regarding how that's possible. For those of you who are curious, there are a few answers, ones that should help solidify Hornet as a better protagonist than The Knight.

1. She’s More Fluid Both Inside and Outside of Combat

Credit: Team Cherry

When playing Hollow Knight, the limited movement and combat capabilities of the adorable controllable figure are evident. This is especially clear at the beginning, where The Knight is yet to receive any of the upgrades that would drastically improve the control of the character.

This is not an issue for Hornet, however, as players should already be able to tell that she's much more capable than her predecessor right from the start. Everything from her downward diagonal air attack to her ability to climb ledges shows that Team Cherry understood what needed to be done to improve upon Hollow Knight's protagonist, and the developer did a fantastic job.

She gets even more movement and combat options as the player dives deeper into the game, further emphasizing how much better she is than The Knight as a controllable character.

2. Hornet Feels More Alive as a Character

Credit: Team Cherry

Aside from better movement and combat capabilities, the reason people are baffled over Silksong's $20 price is because of how much more there is to Hornet when compared to The Knight as a character. The sequel emphasizes that she isn't an empty husk like the previous protagonist, and it's executed perfectly.

This is evident through her animations and the sounds she produces. A good example of this is when she calls for the Bell Beast whenever she needs to travel. The little movement and sound she makes when beckoning the creature show that she has personality, something that The Knight was heavily lacking in the previous game. Aside from that, there are many other ways she proves she has character, such as doing flips in the air, yelling out when damaged, looking around when resting on a bench, and much more.

Hornet not being a blank slate like The Knight was the right call, as reactions make her and the surrounding world feel more alive, resulting in Silksong being more enjoyable.

3. She’s More Connected to the World She’s Exploring

Credit: Team Cherry

In Hollow Knight, it's established that the main protagonist is linked to the kingdom of Hallownest and the lives of its inhabitants. However, players cannot really feel it as much, given that the controllable figure doesn't say or react to anything, regardless of the situation. The sequel changes that, and it's a good thing that it did.

With Hornet actually being able to converse with Silksong's many NPCs and showing her personality whenever she does so, she establishes a connection with the world in ways greater than The Knight ever did. Having her thoughts and feelings come across during interactions and being able to see them allows the game to tie her relationship with the kingdom of Pharloom in a much better way, which in turn allows the player to establish a link with the world they're in.

This makes exploring the environments of Silksong more special, since there's always a chance to run into someone who can further deepen the ties Hornet has with the narrative. With her ability to establish a deeper connection with the world she's in, it should be clear that she is capable of creating much more memorable and significant in-game moments than The Knight, which also makes her a better character to play as.

Hollow Knight's main protagonist still felt great to play as, despite its limitations, but with Hornet existing as the main controllable character in the sequel, it's hard to go back. She can do everything The Knight can do, improves upon them, and even has extra tricks up her sleeve. Silksong is a more enjoyable game because of what Team Cherry did to make Hornet better than the previous main protagonist, which is something other developers should take note of. Hopefully, they do, so they too can produce characters that improve the quality of their creations.

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