Hollow Knight: Silksong takes everything that made the original Hollow Knight legendary and elevates it even further.

Playing as Hornet feels fast, fluid, and incredibly satisfying. Combat is sharper, movement is more agile, and every encounter feels like a true test of skill. The new world is rich with mystery, danger, and that beautifully melancholic atmosphere Team Cherry is known for.

The art direction is stunning, enemy and boss designs are creative and challenging, and the soundtrack perfectly enhances every moment of exploration and combat.

Silksong isn’t just a sequel — it feels like a true evolution of the Metroidvania genre.

Shawwwwwww!
Adinoooooooo!
Karma!

The game is challenging and unforgiving at times, but every victory feels earned and the experience is absolutely worth it.

Rating:10/10

absolute shaw

Silksong is among most captivating, gorgeous, breathtaking pieces of art in digital form... That is completely dragged down by absurd, masochistic levels of difficulty. It really pains me to do so, but i just cannot recommend it. I truly wish neutral rating was possible, as game is definitely extraordinary in many aspects, but ultimately failed to create enjoyable, accessible experience.
Silksong starts really well (Act 1 was amazing and truly worth playing) but quickly ramps up in difficulty. To some extend You may overcome with upgrades/new skills/learning, however at certain point its simply not enough - Difficulty never stops to ramp up, You will come across more and more frustrating platforming/traps (Mount Fay, Bilewater say hello) Add to this insane fragility of the Hornet (You start with being able to tank 3 hits, this tops with like 5 at the END GAME) "But healing is OP-" Yeah, but You need to charge it with combat (So risk even further damage when You are already in need of healing) and in platforming is usually not even available (As there is nothing to hit and charge it up) There are other annoyances thrown at You, like overabundance of flying enemies, vision cut to nearly zero in certain areas to ENSURE You will fall into traps or enemies... Eventually You are left with "git gud" and hours upon hours of failed attempts.
First Hollow Knight was much, MUCH better balanced - all hardcore zones were "detached" from the main game, put as optional challenge for bragging rights (Path of Pain, Pantheon) And core game was considerably less punishing, especially with 2 damage hits being much rarer. It was not free of frustrating moments, but i didnt struggle with it as much, progress was smoother, i was feeling much more comfortable. I finished the game bruised, slightly traumatised but happy - In SS im trying to unlock act 3 and im already feeling burned out and demotivated. This is my core issue with Silksong - Team Cherry shown in original Hollow Knight that they CAN balance difficulty well, casuals/less skilled players like me could just skip certain most hardcore aspects of the game. In Silksong You have much less freedom like that without skipping whole zones/lots of content (including various endings) or features.
I dont understand why Silksong needs to be so hardcore when it got other phenomenal aspects to rely on - There are numerous top tier metroidvania/souls like that either lets players adjust difficulty outright in options (Dead Cells, Hades) or unlock upgrades/grind enough to overcome the block (Elden Ring is best example, certain unlocks like summons lets You "cheese" the game to enjoy the exploration if You wish) Accessibility doesnt "cheapen" the game, as shown in many "GOTY material" titles. Even previous Hollow Knight from the same devs was better in this regard. Its a shame Team Cherry decided to follow this path, i truly hope they may reconsider this approach in the future.