Hollow Knight: Silksong - Is Hornet's New Dance Really Going to Convert the Unbelievers? (Or Just Remind Us Why We Bounced, Mate?)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
*Hollow Knight: Silksong* is out and getting rave reviews, but for those who didn't quite click with the original, a deeper dive (and a Polygon article) reveals it might not convert you either, thanks to familiar frustrations like 'corpse runs' and less purposeful Soulslike mechanics. It's polished, but in a booming genre, it might just be more of the same, mate.
Right, so *Hollow Knight: Silksong* is finally out, and the internet's buzzing like a hive after a particularly potent mana surge. We're talking rave reviews, Game of the Year whispers, the whole bloody shebang. If you're a *Hollow Knight* true believer, fair play, you're probably already deep into Pharloom, having the time of your life, meticulously mapping out every hidden corner and perfecting your pogo-dashes.
But what if you, like me (and apparently, the clever folks over at Polygon), found yourself bouncing off the original like a poorly aimed fireball? You appreciated the art, the vibe, the sheer *craft* of it all, but something just... didn't click. Does *Silksong* have the magic to convert the skeptics, or is it destined to be a polished echo of what came before, leaving us feeling much the same? My gut – and a recent dive into some sharp analysis – reckons it's a bit more complicated than that, mate.
I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and the consensus seems to be that if you didn't love *Hollow Knight*, *Silksong* probably won't win you over either. This isn't a snarky dig, mind you; it's more of a curious observation, like watching a spell fizzle slightly when you expected fireworks. Giovanni Colantonio's insightful piece over at Polygon, which really got my gears turning, digs into this with a candour I appreciate.
Initially, it truly felt like *Silksong* might be the game to shift perspectives. The art, for one, is even more stunning this time around. Hornet's world feels richer, more diverse in its colour palette, pulling you into its mysterious biomes with renewed vigour. And early on, the game felt like a more straightforward Metroidvania, less weighed down by its *Dark Souls* inspirations. The boss fights in those opening hours, as Colantonio noted, were closer to the brisk, dance-like encounters of a *Metroid Dread*, focusing on minimalist combat and predictable, learnable patterns rather than brutal skill checks. For a while, I thought, "Bloody hell, they've done it! They've found the sweet spot!"
But then, around the 10-hour mark – almost as if a digital curse was triggered – those simmering pet peeves that nudged me away from the original began to boil over. First up, the "corpse run" system. Oh, the corpse run. Hornet, like a digital unfortunate, drops her precious rosaries on death. Fail to retrieve them before your next demise, and poof, gone forever. Now, I get it; it's a staple of the Soulslike genre, adding stakes and tension. But here, in a game that encourages sprawling, joyous exploration, it feels less like a purposeful challenge and more like a cruel joke from a mischievous imp.
It actively disincentivises curiosity. Imagine venturing into a new, unmapped biome, collecting a tidy sum of rosaries, feeling that explorer's high. You die – because, let's be fair, death is frequent. Now you're stuck, needing to retrieve your dropped loot, but you have no map! Do you risk exploring further to find a map seller, potentially losing your rosaries, or do you backtrack blindly into the known dangers? It's a catch-22 that snags your momentum and turns exploration, my absolute favourite part of Metroidvanias, into a stressful retrieval mission. It's like finding a map to a treasure, but it spontaneously combusts if you don't pick up the pieces of your previous attempt before moving on. What's the point, mate?
Then there's the platforming, particularly Hornet's diagonal dash. While incredibly cool when it works, consistently bouncing off flowers and bells, especially with angry beasties nipping at your heels, can be a proper pain. It's a high-skill movement that, when combined with the corpse run woes, creates frustrating choke points. Dying repeatedly during a complex platforming sequence, then having to re-do the entire trek *and* the platforming just to get your rosaries back? It feels less like a test of skill and more like a tedious endurance trial designed by a particularly grumpy wizard.
The journey to Act 1's big boss, the Last Judge, became a prime example of this. The fight itself? Totally reasonable. Learn a few patterns, dodge, heal – classic stuff. But the walk-up from the nearest bench to the boss arena is a gauntlet of annoying enemies and tricky platforming. It's not a *challenging* walk-up in an interesting way; it's just monotonous. Each death, each subsequent run, simply exacerbates the feeling of wasted time.
This led me to a bit of an epiphany, mirroring Colantonio's observations: both *Hollow Knight* games seem to incorporate elements from other genres without always making them feel entirely purposeful. In a traditional Soulslike like *Elden Ring*, a boss runback isn't just a punishment. It's a moment of calm, a chance to reflect, to tweak your build, to reconsider your strategy with a wealth of options. But in *Silksong*, your toolset is more limited, your strategies more defined. Those arduous walks lose their value; they just become an extra time sink that, ironically, often raises your blood pressure even more. It's like having to re-read the entire spellbook every time you miscast a simple cantrip.
Similarly, arena battles. Clearing waves of enemies in a confined space can be brilliant in games like *Shinobi: Art of Vengeance*, where you've got a vast arsenal of tools for creative improvisation. You become a digital ninja, chaining abilities, clearing rooms with flair. *Silksong*'s arenas, however, with Hornet's more basic attack and movement options, often devolve into endurance tests. Dodge, plink, dodge, plink. They drag on, past their climactic point, feeling like artificial challenge escalations rather than genuine tests of diverse skill.
The reward for successfully navigating these trials is, of course, that familiar rush of serotonin, the "I did it!" feeling that fuels many a Soulslike devotee. And fair enough, that's a powerful hook. But in a landscape positively brimming with games chasing that exact "fight a tough boss, see a cool world" experience, a distinct vibe only takes me so far these days.
So, despite these critiques, I'm still enjoying my time with *Silksong* a bit more than I did with its predecessor. Every new boss *is* a delight to master, and there's plenty of mystery keeping me digging around, even if backtracking is a proper pain. But it hasn't quite stuck with me in the same way that genuinely innovative Metroidvanias like *Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist* or *Blade Chimera* have this year. Or even the boldly experimental approaches of games like *Animal Well*, *Laika: Aged Through Blood*, or Bandai Namco's wonderfully strange *Shadow Labyrinth*.
Perhaps that's why there's a subset of players, like myself and the insightful author at Polygon, who just don't quite get the overwhelming hype. The deeper you are in the currently booming Metroidvania genre, the less *surprising* *Silksong* feels. It's a meticulously polished, undeniably well-made version of an established formula. But if that formula still doesn't quite brew the potion you're craving out of a Metroidvania, reckon you're not alone, mate. There are dozens of us – probably hundreds, if we're being honest – and there are plenty of other fantastic games out there to scratch that particular itch. Keep exploring!
Tags: Metroidvania, Hollow Knight, Silksong, Game Design, Opinion
Original article: Polygon