On September 4, 2025, Hollow Knight: Silksong was released 2394 days after it was announced. During those 6 years, 6 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days, fans of the first game were beyond excited, hoping for an improved experience. Silksong was released on Mac, Linux, Windows, Nintendo Switch 1, Nintendo Switch 2, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.Hollow Knight: Silksong is a sequel to the critically acclaimed 2D side-scroller video game, Hollow Knight, which was originally released on February 24, 2017. As of August 2025, Hollow Knight has sold 15 million copies across all platforms it was released on. Although its success was slow, it eventually picked up momentum, and is now considered by many to be one of the greatest video games of all time.The developers have made it clear that Silksong is a game that has had years of effort put into it. According to the press info sheet that was provided to us through their website, the game features a whole new world to explore, a revamped movement/combat system, and over 200 new enemies the player has to engage in combat with. The developers have also made sure that players are aware of a new soundtrack composed by Christopher Larkin, and was composed specifically to fit the vibe of the game.
Following the release, Silksong received overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. Players and critics alike praised Silksong’s gameplay, story, and overall quality-of-life changes/improvements from the original Hollow Knight game. After some time scrolling on social media to see how people were reacting to the game’s release, I noticed a lot of people repeating the same basic idea: The game is underpriced, it has lots of content for such a cheap price. However, the release hype was short-lived. The ratings started to decrease from “overwhelmingly positive” to “mostly positive.” Most of the negative reviews talk about how the difficulty makes the game hard to enjoy, and some issues with the game, such as poor/inaccurate translations for other languages.After asking myself the question: “I wonder what people at our school think of this game?” My curiosity was piqued. I reached out to Seth Bridgeford, who’s had some experience with Silksong.
Bridgeford also described what separates Silksong from other games of its genre. “I think a major part of it is well designed sound and audio, all the music is really well done and fits the atmosphere of the game well,” said Bridgeford. “Every level is filled with small details that really shows how much heart and thought is put into the game.”
After hearing about all the hype, and a severe case of FOMO, I decided to experience the game firsthand. A close friend of mine allowed me to play the game on their computer. After the game booted up, I was greeted with a short cutscene, followed by the protagonist, Hornet, appearing in a heavily forested area. As I walked through a tunnel to a more open part of the forest, I noticed a few caterpillar-looking creatures that seemed really cute. I made the horrible decision to walk up to them, as Hornet made contact with the caterpillars, they turned out to be hostile. I learned from that mistake and walked away with one less health point.I reached a larger room, in what seemed like a maze. As I walked further into the room, I noticed platforms that I had to jump on to reach a tall area. I thought it was going to be simple and easy, considering I used to be really skilled at Super Mario Brothers. Similarly to the caterpillar incident, it didn’t go as I expected. I forgot one simple fact that applies to almost all video games: Even if a few platforms pop up, you can’t rely on your experience from other video games, because the characters move differently, and game mechanics differ. After wandering aimlessly throughout the forest, and having to respawn numerous times, I gave the controller back to my friend to let them continue the playthrough.Overall, my experience playing the game was something I will not forget for a while. So to answer the question “Is Silksong worth playing,” I would say that it depends on the genre of video games you enjoy playing. But if you’re someone who’s looking to get into the Metroidvania genre of video games, or are already a fan of the genre, I’d give it a “buy”. Silksong’s challenging gameplay combined with an easy learning curve makes it an enjoyable experience that’ll keep someone entertained for hours.
As Silksong aims to recreate and improve on the experience of Hollow Knight, we hope to see Silksong recreate the success of its predecessor. While it has had its issues, there seems to be more positivity than negativity. I even enjoyed the game, and I’ve never played a game similar to it before. In conclusion, I would 100% definitely tell my friends and family that Silksong is an entertaining game worth experiencing.
