Hollow Knight followers have been in for fairly a shock at Gamescom 2025, studying that there have been mere days away from enjoying a much-awaited sequel to Group Cherry’s beloved platformer that took the world by storm in 2017. In the event you haven’t had the prospect to play it, know that its recognition is earned, with the sport’s setting, fight, world-building, and general expertise proving to be fairly refreshing and really attention-grabbing to its gamers.
The adventures of an insectoid warrior in a land devastated by an unknown epidemic received over many gamers, myself included, with its charming tackle a desolate world. With a world that stored increasing in each path, and rather a lot to find and do inside its confines, Hole Knight rapidly caught my consideration, and barely misplaced it because of its charming visible model and wonderful fight design.
Nonetheless, with eight years of little to no updates about its sequel regardless of a variety of hype, Group Cherry’s latest shadow drop of Hole Knight: Silksong’s launch date has me very excited for what’s shaping as much as be one other success story for the studio. From what I’ve seen of its gameplay, Silksong might very effectively take the combat to a few of this yr’s finest titles, too.
As a recreation that was initially meant to be a DLC chapter in Hole Knight, whose measurement and scope elevated to make it a sequel, the hype surrounding Silksong is clearly justified. However what makes it so particular compared to its predecessor?
Let’s discover out!
Acquainted However Recent
One of many first causes that involves thoughts is the sport’s selection of protagonist. By selecting Hornet because the central character of the sport’s new setting, Group Cherry has cleverly tied its two video games collectively in a manner that may permit returning gamers to really feel a way of continuity, whereas newcomers might be curious to know what makes Hornet such a vital a part of the franchise.
As the previous Princess, her martial abilities are past query to anybody who confronted her within the first recreation. Her origins are as compelling as her motivations, and will probably be attention-grabbing to see how her journey is taken ahead within the new recreation as she takes on no matter threats are in her manner.
Her skills additionally make her the right selection for exploring a bigger, extra advanced world. I’m very curious to see if we’re going to uncover extra about her previous and her relationship with characters from the primary recreation with whom she has deep ties to.
However Hornet’s just one a part of the equation in relation to what has me satisfied that Silksong goes to steal the present in 2025.
New Fights to Face
Hole Knight’s wonderful fight mechanics have been made even higher by the enemies its gamers have been utilizing them in opposition to. There was a staggering selection in a few of enemies that the Knight confronted down within the first recreation, and a few actually artistic enemy designs that pushed my abilities to the restrict, because of their intelligent designs and intuitive use of the surroundings throughout these epic battles.
Silksong appears poised to cleverly construct on that key power, and it’s a choice that would spell out superb information for the upcoming title. Pharloom is ready to accommodate extra enemy varieties, bosses, and benches for Hornet to find, unfold out over a world that can be considerably bigger than the one which got here earlier than it.
It’s a sequel the place ambition has been rigorously balanced in opposition to insightful explorations of all the pieces that was nice concerning the earlier title, and Group Cherry’s wonderful designs and visible model are positive to maintain issues very partaking in significant methods.
Hornet’s velocity and agility, showcased in gameplay demos, already level in the direction of a extra refined, offense-based fight loop that encourages an aggressive method much more than the unique recreation. With particular mechanics being tweaked to encourage a extra method from its gamers, Silksong has the potential to overhaul its predecessor in ways in which even essentially the most diehard Hole Knight fan may not have anticipated.
However the core design philosophies that made exploring Hole Knight 1 such a deal with proceed to underline the brand new recreation. Merely tweaking the best way they’re executed this time round makes me consider that Hole Knight: Silksong might very effectively be the end result of a journey that Group Cherry began almost eight years in the past.
However wait. There’s extra.
Balancing Continuity and Change
But one more reason for why I’m completely stoked to play Silksong is the way wherein Group Cherry has tweaked its techniques to current a extra refined expertise.
Take the brand new Rosaries, for instance. Changing Geo from the earlier recreation, you acquire them from defeated enemies solely to lose them within the occasion of your defeat. That’s now a reasonably previous manner of punishing defeats that has discovered its footing in lots of nice titles at the moment. However Group Cherry has added a twist to that specific story, including in a mechanic wherein utilizing a string to tie your Rosaries collectively prevents you from shedding them once you die.
By itself, that may look like a reasonably uninspired technique to entice gamers who fear that their abilities could not allow them to benefit from the expertise in its entirety. However when you think about the bigger world and improved enemy roster, it’s a change that signifies a extra balanced method to character development, presenting a problem whereas additionally mitigating a variety of the frustration that would come up from having to redo tough segments in a world that’s as giant as Pharloom.
It’s equally seemingly that the Soul mechanic from the primary recreation stays untouched, which is nice since dealing with the Shade enemy was fairly entertaining and can proceed to be within the new recreation. As soon as once more, it’s a good way to mix the previous and new, with Group Cherry enjoying to its franchise’s strengths whereas mitigating potential weaknesses.
The Shell Shards are one other intriguing addition. They’re slated to be improve mats for use on crests and instruments, which is perhaps Silksong’s model of the equippable perks that we bought to see within the first recreation. Group Cherry has made these things craftable now, and if my guesses are appropriate, that would give gamers a variety of management over their construct.
If the sport permits repeccing by way of the usage of Shell Shards, it might imply that Hole Knight: Silksong might function a construct selection that places the 2017 title on its again foot, permitting gamers to have extra methods to adapt to any given state of affairs. That’s one other win when factoring within the new enemy varieties and managers, a lot of which could want a respec or two earlier than you get it proper.
All of that has me fairly excited for Silksong, and one of the best half about my optimism for the title is that I’m not alone.
A Group of Followers
The significance of Hole Knight’s success can’t be overstated when analyzing the hype surrounding Silksong within the lengthy run-up to its launch. With that being mentioned, the sport has obtained a variety of optimistic consideration each time it made a public look, with E3 2019 being an amazing instance.
Reactions to a playable demo of the sport echoed most of the sentiments that I’ve expressed right here, with a variety of reward directed in the direction of the way wherein the sport improved on what got here earlier than it in significant ways in which immediately impacted how the expertise felt to its gamers.
It was arguably why the sport obtained the Most Anticipated Sport on the 2021 version of the Unity Awards, and is maybe why it obtained related suggestions to E3 2019 at Gamescom 2025. It’s evident that Group Cherry has used the intervening years so as to add polish to an already refined expertise, making Silksong a possible benchmark in visible and graphics high quality along with a strong gameplay loop.
With the sport sitting on the wishlists of round 4.8 million customers on Steam, it’s clear that it has garnered a variety of hype amongst gamers as effectively. And with a $20 price ticket, making it all of the extra accessible, it’s clear that Group Cherry has taken a really complete take a look at the worth proposition they goal to ship with Hole Knight: Silksong.
Contemplating that the sport goes to be greater than the unique title, and maybe take longer to beat, together with a number of endings doubtlessly making a return, Silksong goes to be fairly the entertainer at a value level that will completely justify its presence amongst 2025’s best hits.
Whereas I’m all the time cautious round video games that generate this a lot hype previous to their launch, I feel it’s protected to say that Silksong might recapture the magic of its predecessor and construct on it in ways in which make the brand new title all of the extra particular. We’ll have to attend and see if all of the fuss was value it, however I simply know that it’s going to be fairly the entertainer, and maybe the best performer of the yr.
Word: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially characterize the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a company.
