The gaming world was rocked on September 4 by the release of “Hollow Knight: Silksong.” The sequel to “Hollow Knight” has been highly anticipated since it was announced in early 2019. The game broke the record for the most wishlisted game on Steam, with over five million people saving the game to their wishlists. The steam store crashed followingthe influx of buyers on the site.
“Silksong” was first planned to be additional content for “Hollow Knight,” adding an additional playable character, but it developed into its own game. The eight-year gap between the game releases is because of the small team working to make the game as best as it can be.
Now with the game finally being released to eager fans, the important question now is whether “Silksong” is good.
I spoke with sophomore Matthew Buss ‘28, an avid gamer who has played 700 hours of “Hollow Knight.” He was able to purchase “Silksong” on day one and in 18 hours of gameplay, completed the game.
When asked what his thoughts are about “Silksong,” he said “It’s very enjoyable, it has so much to explore,” and “in quality ‘Silksong’ is a game that is pretty consistent throughout the entirety of all the content.” This game has a lot of the artistry that made the first so well-loved and has further layers of complexity. It has new visually interesting and beautiful map areas and lots of captivating bosses, enemies and NPCs.
Many of the distinctions between the games come from the more intricate play features. Exploring the map and discovering secrets is harder since there are less indicators of what to find. Some boss fights are more challenging as well since their patterns are harder to follow.
Buss also commented that “Hollow Knight” felt slightly less gimmicky compared to this new version. It’s these aspects that he was concerned about for non-veterans. The hype surrounding “Silksong’s” release was so massive it attracted new players to the now franchise, who may be starting by playing the sequel first. The new aspects may not give the best picture of the games as a whole, seeing as “Hollow Knight” had more straight forward elements.
“Silksong” has started with a bang, and the passage of time will tell us if it resonates as strongly and as long lasting as “Hollow Knight.”
