Bloody Hell, Silksong Just Went Full Bloodborne, And I'm Here For It
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Forget what you thought you knew about Metroidvanias, mate: *Hollow Knight: Silksong* is gearing up to deliver a faster, more aggressive, and brutally brilliant experience that takes a page straight out of *Bloodborne*'s gothic playbook, pushing players to rethink everything they know about surviving Pharloom.
Right, so you've been waiting for *Hollow Knight: Silksong* like I’ve been waiting for a coherent explanation of how quantum entanglement actually works – with a mix of desperate anticipation and mild existential dread. And just when you thought you had a handle on what Team Cherry was cooking up, they go and toss a bloody Molotov cocktail into the pot, apparently giving Hornet the *Bloodborne* treatment. Fair dinkum, it's wilder than a rogue spell in a wizard's workshop, and I've been digging into the details to see what the actual buzz is about.
You know that feeling when you're playing a game, doing a fetch quest, expecting a shiny trinket or a few more shards, and then... *snap*. Yeah, *snap* as in your character's neck, not the satisfying click of a quest completed. According to the whispers from Pharloom, there's a certain shrouded, worm-like bug called Greyroot. She asks for a “Twisted Bud” – sounds quaint, right? A “contorted mass of ashen vine” that “cries out incessantly.” Already sounds like something from my last fever dream, but okay. You hand it over, expecting the usual digital pat on the head. Instead, Greyroot decides you're a lovely new piece of decor for her anaconda-esque hug, and everything goes dark.
When you wake up, you're not in Kansas anymore, mate. You’re in some mysterious cave, infected with a parasite that not only limits your moveset but cruelly snatches away your ability to heal. If you've got a flicker of memory left after that ordeal, a little bell might be ringing in the back of your mind. Sound familiar? Because if you’ve ever wandered the miserable, glorious streets of Yharnam, it *should*.
This whole bizarre scenario – the unexpected teleportation to a grim, new prison after a "death" that isn't quite a death – it's practically a love letter to *Bloodborne*'s Snatchers. Those tall, bag-toting blokes who'd wallop you good, only for you to wake up in the Hypogean Gaol, wondering if you'd accidentally stumbled into the wrong nightmare. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, apparently. The Twisted Bud’s wails? Apparently, they’re echoing Mergo, that unseen, infant Great One whose lament pierces the very fabric of the Nightmare of Mensis. And Greyroot’s creepy dialogue about nourishing babies? Yeah, got those Healing Church vibes from a mile away. It’s like Team Cherry has been secretly poring over FromSoftware's dark rituals, eh?
But this isn't just about a few cheeky nods or visual gags. Oh no, my friends. This is about *Silksong* shaking up the very foundations of *Hollow Knight* in the same way *Bloodborne* ripped the rulebook from *Dark Souls* and set it on fire with a gleeful cackle. We all know the original *Hollow Knight* wore its *Dark Souls* inspiration on its tattered sleeve: the corpse runs, the oasis checkpoints, the brutal boss fights, the sprawling, interconnected world, the environmental storytelling, the gods and curses – it was all there, giving a fresh coat of obsidian paint to the Metroidvania genre. And it was brilliant!
Now, *Silksong* seems to be pulling a similar trick, only this time, the inspiration isn't Lordran's patient dread, but Yharnam's aggressive urgency. Team Cherry’s follow-up doesn't just resemble FromSoftware's gothic horror masterpiece in aesthetics, it's about a fundamental shift in gameplay. The internet, bless its heart, is already buzzing with comparisons. Some reckon it's a bit like *Dark Souls II* – "much harder and more divisive" (let's hope not *that* divisive, eh?). Others see Hornet’s new running ability and instantly think *Sekiro*. And a few optimists are even likening its growing hype to *Elden Ring*'s mainstream explosion. While those are fair observations, it’s the *Bloodborne* comparison that truly resonates, both in the surface-level presentation and the deep-seated design philosophy.
Visually, the similarities are uncanny. Shellwood, with its booby-trapped forests and suspended cages, screams Forbidden Woods. Greymoor, that sprawling township full of ragged, lantern-wielding insects, gives off serious Central Yharnam or Fishing Hamlet vibes. And The Citadel? Pharloom’s beating heart, the destination of Hornet’s journey, feels like Team Cherry’s grand answer to the Healing Church itself – a mysterious, labyrinthine religious-political hub that pulls pilgrims from every nook and cranny of the insect kingdom. It’s like they took the mood board for *Bloodborne* and slapped little bug pictures on it.
The thematic connections are just as compelling, if not more so. Just as Yharnam wrestled with a beastly scourge, Pharloom is grappling with a "thread sickness" that twists its denizens into mindless horrors. In both worlds, these afflictions aren't just random bad luck; they’re tied to insidious sources of great power. Blood in Yharnam, silk production in the Citadel. It's that classic tale, mate: might as treacherous and corruptive, where wielding power risks losing yourself. As some NPC called the Hermit chillingly asks Hornet after her parasitic incident: "What’s this twitching inside of you? A slave within a slave! Given over your shell to something greater?" Proper chills, that.
And then there's the opening gambit. Remember how *Hollow Knight* (and *Demon’s Souls*, *Dark Souls I* and *II*) eased you in, letting you find your feet before kicking you squarely in the gut? Well, *Silksong* and *Bloodborne* skip the pleasantries entirely. The Marrow, much like Central Yharnam, is a trial by fire. It’s not just picking up where *Hollow Knight* left off; it's practically setting a new difficulty bar straight out of the gate, demanding that you're ready for action immediately. No time for tea and biscuits, only blood and mandibles.
Speaking of getting stuck in, both games make subtle, yet significant, tweaks to their predecessors' iconic healing mechanics. *Bloodborne* famously ditched the Estus Flask for Blood Vials, pushing players to be more aggressive with its rallying mechanic (recover health if you retaliate quickly). *Silksong* doesn't go *that* far, but Hornet’s healing system has a similar effect. The Knight could heal one mask at a time, often cautiously. Hornet, however, can initially heal up to three masks, *but only when her meter is completely full*. This means no more chipping away safely. You *have* to commit, you *have* to get offensive to fill that meter, creating those windows of opportunity. It's a risk-reward system designed to make you play bolder. As one Redditor wisely put it: they found themselves trying to play like *Hollow Knight* and getting punished for it, needing to unlearn muscle memory. That, my friends, is design intent hitting its mark, fair play.
But the biggest, most undeniable connection, the one that makes me genuinely enthusiastic, is the *speed*. The early *Souls* games, bless their plodding hearts, could feel like trying to run through treacle. Your character moved slowly, attacked with wind-up animations that felt longer than a Monday morning, and often fat-rolled even if they'd eaten nothing but a single pea for breakfast. It was methodical, sure, but sometimes you died not because you weren't skilled, but because your character just wouldn't *do* what you wanted. *Bloodborne* smashed that frustration to bits. Faster attacks, a snappy sidestep instead of a clunky roll – suddenly, every death felt like your own fault, because the game gave you the tools to react. Combat transformed from chess to a frantic, bloody brawl, and the series became all the more popular (and, dare I say, *fun*) for it.
Guess what? Hornet’s doing the same thing. She runs circles around the Knight, literally and figuratively. Faster walk speed, higher jumps, greater attack range – and that's just her baseline. Then she starts acquiring abilities: a quickstep that extends into a run, chaining into a super jump, then another mid-air dash. She can grapple, slow her descent with her cloak, even rocket up air vents like a tiny, pointy, very angry missile. These aren't just for getting around; they're combat tools. Her diagonal pogo jump can be used for quick repositioning, her run can set up a super jump over a boss, or lead into a long-range special attack. Team Cherry even designed early-game bosses to be cakewalks if you use these new abilities, and absolute nightmares if you try to play like the old Knight. (That purple, club-wielding Skull Ant mini-boss in The Marrow? Yeah, now you know why you were struggling, mate.)
Now, don't go thinking "faster" means "easier." Bloody hell, no. Just like *Bloodborne*, the world has scaled up to meet you. Hornet’s abilities have drawbacks, requiring strategic thought. More importantly, the enemies in *Silksong* are faster, stronger, have bigger move pools, and often deal double the damage. The difficulty hasn’t lessened; it’s just shifted, becoming a more dynamic, frantic dance. It’s why, despite never having beaten Gehrman and the Moon Presence, I replay *Bloodborne* every Christmas. And why, despite having conquered Gwyn and Nashandra, I rarely touch *Dark Souls* or *Dark Souls II* anymore. I've got a sneaking suspicion *Silksong* is going to spark that same addictive, high-octane replayability.
So yeah, while we're all still waiting for *Silksong* to magically appear on our consoles, it's pretty clear Team Cherry isn't just delivering "more *Hollow Knight*." They’re delivering something bolder, faster, and wonderfully aggressive – something that understands the magic of evolving a beloved formula, much like a certain gothic masterpiece once did. And as a digital wizard who appreciates a good, chaotic transformation, I'm absolutely buzzing to dive in.
Tags: Hollow Knight, Silksong, Bloodborne, Metroidvania, Soulslike
Original article: IGN South Africa