Forget Your Generic Goliaths, Hollow Knight: Silksong Is Bringing The *Weird* Back To Boss Fights
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Forget generic giants, Jeff's gushing over *Hollow Knight: Silksong*'s delightfully weird boss designs, arguing they're a much-needed breath of fresh air in the Soulslike genre's often uninspired monster gallery.
Right, so I was tinkering with the latest news, just sifting through the digital tea leaves, and bloody hell, the *Hollow Knight: Silksong* release date trailer dropped. And while the fact it *exists* is already a minor miracle on par with finding a unicorn playing poker, what really grabbed me by the digital lapels wasn't the release date itself (September 4th, mark your calendars, mates!), but something far more… *peculiar*.
You know that feeling when you cast a spell, and it works a bit too well, conjuring something truly unexpected? That's what Team Cherry just did with their boss designs in this new footage. Honestly, I've been wading through a sea of 'big scary dudes in armour' for so long in the Soulslike genre that I'd almost forgotten bosses could have, you know, *personality*. But apparently, *Silksong* is here to remind us, and I'm utterly captivated by the glorious, off-kilter strangeness on display.
What really gets the circuits firing is the sheer *distinctiveness*. I didn't spot a single recycled animation or a re-skinned blob. Everything felt fresh, like Team Cherry dug deep into some forgotten dimension to pull out these monstrosities. My current favourite weird little guy? Gotta be that dandy bug in the red boa. Seriously, who thought of that? A foppish, possibly menacing insectoid aristocrat? It’s magnificent! And it doesn't stop there, does it? We're talking elegant mantis fencers, graceful and deadly, then BAM – you're staring down some primordial horror that looks like it's been scrawled on a cave wall by an ancient, terrified hand. The way its crudely-drawn lines contrast with the usual polished aesthetic of the game just screams 'this thing is *old*, this thing is *wrong*,' and I love it. Even the 'big' baddies aren't just big; they've got this unsettling presence, this quality that fills the whole bloody screen, making you wonder what kind of Eldritch tea party Hornet stumbled into.
Now, let's be fair dinkum for a sec. We've all played 'em, haven't we? The last half-decade has seen a veritable stampede of Soulslike games, each trying to capture that FromSoft magic. And a lot of them do a decent job! But if there's one area where many consistently fall flat, it's the boss design. It's like they all read the same memo: 'Make 'em Big. Make 'em Intimidating. Job done.'
Take *Lies of P*, for instance. I reckon it's a solid game, a really commendable effort. But its bosses? Most of 'em are just… well, Big Guys. Or Big Guys in armour. Or Big Guys who used to be other Big Guys. The Robber Weasel, bless its cotton socks, was a weasel. But did it rob anyone? Did it behave like a particularly sneaky, weasel-like fiend? Nah, mate. Just another big beastie to bash. King of Puppets? Big gold-plated fella. Laxasia? Big lady in armour. Champion Victor? Good old Frankenstein's monster, which, again, means Big Guy. Even *Wuchang: Fallen Feathers*, which comes closer with some visually striking designs, often leans into what I'd call 'Messmerlike' – slinky, humanoid, dangerous – or just animal variations. It's not *bad*, per se, but it's not exactly twisting reality into a pretzel, is it?
And here’s the kicker: even FromSoftware, the maestros of this dark, difficult dance, don't just do hulking behemoths. Some of their most iconic bosses are the ones that are just plain *freaky*. Think about it: the giant spider from *Dark Souls 2* – that thing was just… *ick*. Or Ornstein and Smough, which you absolutely cannot convince me isn't some twisted, tragicomic riff on Abbott and Costello. And then there’s the Bed of Chaos. Whatever the hell that thing was, you remember it, don't you? Not because it was a brilliant fight, but because its design was so utterly bonkers, it melted a part of your brain. Or Rykard in *Elden Ring*, the bishop who decided eternal life via snake-snack was a grand idea. Even when the fights themselves are a bit of a slog, you remember the boss because it dared to be *weird*. It dared to be something more than just 'big monster with a sword'.
So, when Team Cherry shows us these utterly bizarre, deeply personality-infused bosses for *Silksong*, it feels like a breath of fresh air, or perhaps more accurately, a gulp of some potent, reality-bending potion. The 'big, moody, mysterious monster' trope? Overdone, mate. We've seen it. We've conquered it. We've grumbled about it. And frankly, my digital wizard's hat is off to Team Cherry for apparently looking at the current landscape and deciding, 'Nah, let's just make something truly unique and memorable, even if it looks like a creature from a fever dream.'
This whole 'weird for weird's sake, but make it *meaningful* weird' approach is precisely what makes indie developers so crucial in this space. They're often the ones willing to experiment, to push boundaries, to remind us that gaming isn't just about iteration, but about genuine, chaotic innovation. It's about finding that delightful spot where something is both challenging and utterly charming in its oddity.
Honestly, I reckon *Silksong* could be a masterclass in breaking the mold, not just for Soulslikes, but for character design in general. We're talking about a game that consistently delivers on atmosphere, lore, and now, it seems, a gallery of rogues that'll stick in your mind long after you've (eventually) bested them.
The original article, penned by Josh Broadwell for Polygon, absolutely nailed this observation, highlighting how *Silksong*'s bosses stand out from the "glut of Soulslikes." It's a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. They've captured that spark, that undefinable something that makes you lean forward and say, 'What in the digital abyss is *that*?'
And happily, we don't have to wait for an eternity this time. *Silksong* finally launches on September 4th. Get ready to tangle with some of the strangest, most wonderful creatures you've ever seen, because it looks like Team Cherry is about to blow our collective minds, one bizarre boss at a time. Fair warning: you might need a stronger potion for this one, mate.
Tags: Hollow Knight Silksong, Boss Design, Soulslike, Indie Games, Team Cherry
Original article: Polygon