Hollow Knight Silksong review in progress: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times"

Even before anybody hit the title screen for Hollow Knight: Silksong, this sequel was already a phenomenon. Following up its surprise indie mega hit, Team Cherry has kept a lot of details about Silksong under wraps throughout its lengthy development. Fans of the first game – myself included – have been in a fervor, desperate for mere crumbs. So now, with the full game released, is it living up to the fever pitch hype levels? Several hours into the game I'm happy to report: yes. Silksong isn't without some wrinkles in the fabric, building on its predecessors' challenges in a way that may overwhelm newcomers, but so far I'm having a blast mastering its dangerous world.

Narratively, though, you don't need to have played the original Hollow Knight to get on board with Hollow Knight: Silksong (though there are some thematic parallels). Captured by mysterious robed figures and transported to the insect kingdom of Pharloom and its Citadel, Hornet – a mini-boss and enigmatic NPC from the original – manages to escape. Falling to the depths of Pharloom, with only her trusty needle and a fraction of her power remaining, she must ascend back up to its seat of power to unravel the strange curse that seems to rob the land's pilgrims of their minds, while discovering how it may be connected to the silk she spins herself.

Living up to the buzz

Falling down immediately inverts the Hollow Knight premise that had the titular knight plumbing depths, instead having Hornet focus on working her way up to the heights of the kingdom – and areas have increased verticality to match. Still Metroidvania in style, Hornet jumps through screens, mopping up enemies, and tackling bosses, all while unlocking new powers that allow her to strike out in new directions.

The shift to include more verticality is a nice touch, though it does mean a few times early on I do plummet quite far down after a mistimed leap here and there, making me repeat more than the original game did in its opening hours. Thankfully, though, Hornet is a lot more mobile than The Knight anyway, meaning getting back up is less of a problem.

Even from the start, Hornet's jump is noticeably lighter and easier to control, and she can mantle ledges when approaching from the side so she's less likely to miss platforms and can cross great distances. Tap jump again, and she can even jump while mantling to spin higher into the air, throwing herself up whole sequences with ease. Once again featuring plenty of Metroid-style vertical shafts, the extra mobility is definitely appreciated. Early on, a sprint skill dials this up even further, meaning I can blitz through screens in a way The Knight's little dachshund-like beetle legs could never.

Plenty in Hollow Knight: Silksong feels like it overlaps neatly with the original game. The map system that has you on the backfoot in each new area before you find the relevant merchant; the shop's wares in starting town Bone Bottom; the fast travel and benches that serve as rest checkpoints. Returning players will have a good sense of where they are with the game.

But, even with those familiar foundations, Hollow Knight: Silksong strikes out in new directions. Sometimes literally, as the structure also feels different, less sprawling. But most of it simply comes down to Hornet herself, and how getting my spindly mandibles on the controller to finally play as her feels so different, which is reflected in how Silksong is designed around her too. For the most part it's a thrill to get a new Hollow Knight that also feels a little different – but it's not always perfect, either.

It's the deceptively modest diagonal dive attack that makes Hollow Knight: Silksong stand out the most from its predecessor, and may delight and unsettle veterans in equal measure. Whereas in the first game The Knight's downward strike was, pogo-like, right beneath him; Hornet divebombs ahead diagonally like a missile.

Last time around, as you got used to the rhythm, you could keep combos going almost endlessly, which could flatten some encounters. Here, the forward momentum makes this tougher to pull off, while simultaneously emphasizing Hornet's momentum. It's a nerf of sorts that comes with its own bonuses, Hornet flipping over enemy heads as she scores a hit with it, bouncing back into the air to reposition – in some cases outright evading huge boss swings. It's extremely satisfying to chain, really carrying across the sense that Hornet is spinning a web of pain around her foes. In scraps, it's a well judged change.

So far, though, its use in platforming has me less convinced. Just like in the first game, striking below the character can be as important for clearing jumping gauntlets as well as combat clashes. With the route I'm on, Hollow Knight: Silksong has been quick to introduce sequences of flower buds designed for you to pogo off in sequence, many with thorny hazards should you miss.

Clearly laid out with the diagonal jump in mind, even this many hours in I still feel like I'm frequently overshooting or undershooting the dive attack in lengthier sequences, without the chance to readjust after Hornet confidently tears past her intended target. It's just not an issue I had with the pogo jumps in the first game, and being precise with these diagonal attacks for jumping challenges can just end up irritating – it's not quite reliable enough.

Little annoyances like this can add up. Dark Souls styled in structure despite being in two-dimensions, Hornet's currency is lost on death, needing to be recollected from the point-of-perishment – if you can make it back from the bench checkpoint without dying once again. Most of these benches are well placed not to frustrate in Silksong, but one instance forced me to run back through several rooms of mandatory divebomb pogo jumping to make it back to an ant-based combat arena challenge.

It's not a particularly tough gauntlet on paper, but Silksong's very pretty new effects can sometimes overwhelm readability, and as an ally dashed about aiding Hornet, all the chaos made it easy to lose track of the action and get snuffed out – forced to do the pogo jumps once again. Not really challenging by the time I made it through, but just a bit grating. It also feels like there's been a bit of an over-reliance on these gauntlet rooms so far.

Bugging out

Enemies also feel much more aggressive in general, rising to meet the increased skill ceiling of Hornet's acrobatic moves. Sometimes this is a thrill, as you learn which enemies will try to batter you in which way – this crawling pilgrim, for instance, will hurl themselves through strikes to try to grasp at Hornet, while this other one will constantly dash away while spewing green bile.

At other times, it can simply feel like hordes of flying enemies magnetize to Hornet constantly and, without things like platforms becoming particularly wider, maneuverability on narrow ascents can feel like a bit of a headache when dealing with them. It was a bit of an issue in the first game too, and Silksong making these enemies have even more of a vendetta against Hornet exacerbates it.

For the most part boss fights have been well-pitched several hours into the game. These intimidating encounters are fun to learn, often sporting simple but flashy movesets you need to deal with while unearthing the optimal moments to bonk them on the noggin until they die. Even so, I'm a little perplexed that so many of them seem to have moves, even early on, that take out two of Hornet's life pips. It's sure to frustrate newer players who might feel they can't catch a break in fights that are otherwise fun to master.

Still, so far I've enjoyed my time exploring Pharloom immensely. I love meeting the strange residents of this world who sometimes ask Hornet to help 'grant wishes' as a sidequest. I've not made too many choices to strike out in certain directions other than through one of two doors I found with which I could use a single-use key – then ending up lost and scared in strange mechanical depths that are beautiful and off-putting in equal measure.

I'm also really into turning over each new charm-like upgrade I find to affix to my crest for bonuses, figuring out what kind of buffs I want – a whole new system that allows for some buildcrafting that I feel like I've still barely touched on. Hollow Knight: Silksong makes me feel like I'm playing Hollow Knight for the first time again, something simply 'more Hollow Knight' wouldn't have made possible. Hornet's adventure through Pharloom feels new and exciting, and I'm going to wrap this up right here rather than dive further into my notes for one simple reason: I want to play more.

Looking for something else? Check out our best Metroidvania games list!