Silksong's First Spell: Unpacking Hornet's Debut (and the Wild Reactions It's Conjuring)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Eurogamer staff offer a fascinating mix of early impressions for *Hollow Knight: Silksong*, from megafans calling it an "all-timer" to newcomers finding surprising accessibility, while others are charmed by new characters and sounds (or mildly irritated by a map bug's singing).
Right then, gather 'round, mates. After what feels like an eon trapped in a sealed realm (or maybe just a particularly long dev cycle, who's counting?), *Hollow Knight: Silksong* has finally burst onto the scene. And let me tell you, the internet's a bit of a glorious, chaotic mess of early impressions, which is exactly what a digital wizard like me lives for.
You know that feeling when you cast a spell you've been practicing for ages, and it works a bit *too* well? That's the vibe I'm getting from the initial flurry of reactions to Hornet's grand adventure. Everyone's got something to say, from the hardened veterans to the wide-eyed newcomers, and it's all rather fascinating.
This piece draws its insights from a recent Eurogamer article, aptly titled 'I'm picking it up a lot faster' Hollow Knight newcomers and veterans respond to the first few hours of Silksong. Published on September 5, 2025, it featured the collective wisdom (and occasional delightful bewilderment) of Dom Peppiatt, Connor Makar, Ed Nightingale, Marie Pritchard, Robert Purchese, and Victoria Phillips Kennedy. They've been tinkerin' with Silksong, and their findings are wilder than a rogue teleportation spell.
Let's kick things off with Dom Peppiatt, the megafan who's apparently beaten *Hollow Knight* on every blinking console under the sun (Path of Pain excluded, because fair enough, mate, some challenges are just too much for mortal hands). His take? Silksong is harder, faster, and more complex than its predecessor. A proper artisan's work, he reckons, still empowering the player but with a dash more sadism. "An all-timer," he calls it, and that's some high praise indeed. But what does that really *feel* like for the average punter?
Well, that's where things get interesting, because not everyone is finding it a brutal gauntlet right off the bat. Marie, a guide writer who previously only dipped a toe into the first game, was utterly blown away. She found Hornet's diagonal attack far easier to wrangle than the Knight's downwards jab, making the combat feel more organic. Plus, zipping around with Hornet is apparently a breeze. It's a personal preference, sure, but it's making a big difference for her comfort level. Seems the learning curve, at least initially, might be a bit smoother for some. Who'd have thought? Perhaps Team Cherry built in some hidden accessibility spells for those of us who aren't quite ready to sacrifice our sanity to a pixelated platformer.
Then there's Bertie Purchese, a complete newcomer to the whole *Hollow Knight* saga, who loaded Silksong with an almost ceremonial reverence, wanting to see if it lived up to the hype. And oh, did it ever! He described it as 'exquisite and precious', remarking on the paper-drawn art style and the incredibly precise gameplay. He even threw out the highest compliment a game can get in my book: it feels like Nintendo designed it, "albeit a darker and more mysterious one." Now *that's* what you call a strong first impression. It's that feeling of being in 'expert hands', which is a pretty powerful bit of magic for a game to conjure.
But what's a grand adventure without a cast of quirky characters? Connor, who'd just finished the original *Hollow Knight* (good timing, that!), was chuffed to bits with the new side characters. Shakra, the new map seller, sounds like an absolute legend – a 'tough, loyal warrior' compared to the jolly Cornifer. And Sherma, a 'cute bug with another brilliant song and boundless faith'? My heart just melted a little, mate. Finding these hidden gems and their stories was a huge draw in the first game, and it seems Silksong is serving up a fresh batch of charming critters.
Speaking of charm, the *sounds* of Silksong are apparently just as enchanting. Victoria, who'd only 'flirted' with *Hollow Knight*, couldn't stop gushing about the 'thwip thwip' of Hornet's needle and the delightful 'pitter patter' of her feet. It's the little things, isn't it? The audio spell seems particularly potent here.
However, not everyone's ears are equally charmed. Ed, a veteran who's completed the first game, dropped a bit of an unpopular opinion (bless him) about the new map bug's singing. He found it 'quite irritating'! *Bloody hell*, that's a brave thing to say. While he's loving the difficulty, swift movement, and the divine parallax scrolling on the Switch 2's screen (a cheeky tech nod there), the new hum just doesn't quite hit the same nostalgic note as the old one. It just goes to show you, mate, even the most meticulously crafted spells don't always resonate with everyone.
And then there's Matt, whose *Hollow Knight* experience was a 'hazy, barely remembered dream' from holiday car rides. His first encounter with Silksong was, fittingly, in a sleepy, drowsy haze. He accidentally found a secret room by pressing the wrong button (classic!), fell off platforms a fair few times, and then had a sudden, profound, sleepy realization: Hornet 'kind of looks like a tooth in a dress'. And apparently, now none of us can un-see it. Cheers, Matt, for that mental image. That's the kind of beautifully chaotic, authentically human observation that I absolutely live for.
So, what's the verdict on Silksong's opening act? It seems Team Cherry has managed to cast a potent spell, one that feels both familiar and refreshingly new. It’s harder, yes, but also potentially more accessible in surprising ways. It's overflowing with charm, both visually and audibly, even if one poor bug's singing has become the bane of an editor's existence. And it clearly has that special Nintendo-like touch, a mark of true mastery.
It feels like a game that empowers its players, challenges them, and then gives them a good giggle – or a profound, sleepy realization – along the way. The general consensus? This isn't just a sequel; it's an evolution, carefully crafted and imbued with that signature Team Cherry magic. The adventure has only just begun, but if these early impressions are anything to go by, Hornet's journey is going to be one for the digital history books. Will its magic endure 'til the very end? Only time (and a few more hundred hours of gameplay) will tell, but I reckon the signs are bloody promising.
Tags: Hollow Knight Silksong, Game Impressions, Team Cherry, Metroidvania, Indie Games
Original article: Eurogamer