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Silksong dropped out of nowhere for everyone. Both fans of Hollow Knight and newcomers alike flooded in to make the buy and began their journey. I did as well, so I’m certainly not excluded from this. I’m actually a bit of a cheater I suppose, since I did not play Hollow Knight first, but hey, I’m alright with that since I am now doing so. Anyway, enough of my rambling, let’s get into this Silksong review.
Story
You play as Hornet who wakes up after freeing herself from captivity. She starts her journey down below and must traverse upwards to find the answers as to why the Citadel wanted her to begin with. Along the way, you’ll hear the stories of bugs who have been pushed into poverty and despair before reaching, essentially what is, the capital of this land.
Gameplay
Silksong is a 2D side scrolling Metroidvania similar to in style (or basically exactly) like it’s predecessor, Hollow Knight. The gameplay consists of exploring different areas, rooms essentially, fighting off different enemies while also exploring for new items, routes and more. You start off with nothing but your needle and along the way, you’ll find and obtain items that will increase your speed, give you a dash, allow you to scale higher terrain and much more.
The biggest draw about Silksong is the difficulty. Now coming from someone who has not played Hollow Knight to full, this game definitely feels like a bump up. More bosses, harder hits and bigger strategies are needed to take them down. There are also optional bosses that can be either for fun, new items or can even serve as an alternate route to the same destination.
I mever got bored while playing but I did have to stop for a time being when I drew closer to the end of Act 2 due to an onslaught of enemies that were unavoidable for the story. All of this, while frustrating, made me a better game in my opinion. It pushed me to have faster reflexes, learn enemy patterns as much as I could and so stay sharp at all times.
Graphics
These were so wonderfully done and really enjoyable to look at. From the beautiful greens to the greys of destruction, the world of Pharloom comes to life by its art and design. It’s something I never got tired of seeing as I explored, ran, fought and survived in.
Soundtrack
I think this game just has one amazingly beautiful and haunting OST. It’s something that you can hum to, enjoy as you play or even sneaks into your head when you aren’t paying attention. It was a great soundtrack through and through, from start to finish.
Controls
These were very responsive and easy to learn. Throwing a few tricks as you play since they added new mechanisms to your arsenal. Very solid overall.
Replayability
When you consider all of the side quests, optional bosses, optional routes and multiple endings this game has, the game is very high in replay value. I could play again and choose a different route to to Act 2 and fight the boss I didn’t the first go around. There’s plenty of side quests to keep you busy and collectibles at that.
Scores
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 10/10
Controls: 9/10
Replayability: 9/10
Overall:
Conclusion
Silksong is one of those games that I’ll have on my mind for a while and may even revisit every now and again to look for alternate routes I didn’t go through the first time or just to enjoy the scenery. It tells an interesting story while also delivering fast but fairly challenging gameplay. If you haven’t played the sequel to that of Hollow Knight, it is greatly recommended.
I wrote some tips for beginning players of Silksong so check those out. Also be on lookout for a Hollow Knight review in the near future. If you don’t already own Hollow Knight, it’s available on the Switch, Switch 2, Xbox Series X, Playstation 4, Playstation 5 and Steam.
Until next time, happy gaming.
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