For years, anticipation has swirled around Team Cherry’s follow-up to their beloved indie hit, and on September 4, 2025, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally burst onto the scene—immediately leaving an indelible mark on the gaming world. Within hours of release, the game’s popularity was so overwhelming that it temporarily crashed major online stores, including Steam and Nintendo’s eShop, as reported by 80 Level. Nearly a week later, the excitement hasn’t waned: Silksong continues to peak at over 450,000 concurrent players on Steam daily, cementing its status as one of the year’s most significant launches.
But what’s driving this fervor? According to critics and fans alike, Silksong isn’t just a worthy successor to the original—it’s a bold evolution, both technically and creatively. As Screen Rant notes, the game’s world is constructed using a clever parallax effect: multiple visual layers are arranged along a real Z-axis, giving the illusion of three-dimensional depth in what appears to be a two-dimensional space. This approach, showcased by developer demos and highlighted by Twitter user sammwy, reveals that “many 2D games are actually 3D, but they only use two of the three available axes. Sometimes this third axis can be used to create layered visual depth effects.” Even the main menu employs this layered technique, a testament to Team Cherry’s meticulous design philosophy.
Of course, technical wizardry is only part of the story. At the heart of Silksong is Hornet, the agile new protagonist whose expanded move set—including floating descents and diagonal pogo attacks—redefines how players traverse and engage with the world. As described by Game Rant, Hornet’s “array of locomotion mechanics… put the original protagonist to shame,” allowing for a gameplay experience that is both faster and more customizable. The game’s level design is denser and less meandering than its predecessor, making exploration not just rewarding but genuinely fun. “With mastery of Hornet’s mechanics, anything feels possible,” one reviewer enthused, highlighting the thrill of overcoming tough platforming challenges and intense boss fights.
Yet, for all its polish, Silksong doesn’t pull its punches. Difficulty is a recurring theme in both player reviews and critical assessments. From the halfway point onward, the game ramps up the challenge, with many enemies dealing two masks of damage per hit—a stark contrast to the original, where such punishing blows were reserved for the toughest foes. “At some point in Silksong, it felt like most major enemies were doing two masks worth of damage,” a reviewer observed. This deliberate design choice has proven polarizing, but it also keeps players on their toes, making even routine encounters feel meaningful and dangerous.
Another facet that’s sparking debate is the game’s economy. In Silksong, rosary beads serve as the primary currency, and their scarcity is a constant source of tension. As detailed by Game Rant, “rosaries are absurdly difficult to earn and hang onto when so much of the sequel demands that you are either inadvertently jeopardizing or deliberately spending them.” Players lose both Silk and rosaries upon death, a mechanic borrowed from Soulslike games but one that some argue is at odds with the exploratory spirit of the Metroidvania genre. The frustration is compounded by the high prices charged by in-game vendors—simple keys can cost 500 or even 650 rosaries, and even basic benches (which function as save points) may require 15 rosaries to unlock. For many, this means constantly feeling “grossly indebted… at every waking moment in Pharloom,” the game’s haunting new setting.
There are, however, ways to mitigate the pain of loss. Players can convert rosary beads into rosary strings—inventory items that can’t be lost on death—but this comes at a steep price: strings containing 60 rosaries cost 80 to create, a “punitive taxation” that not everyone is willing to accept. Some have found solace in farming specific enemy-rich sections, like the Choral Chambers, while others resort to using Silkeaters, consumable items that help retrieve lost cocoons after death. Still, the consensus is clear: the rosary bead economy is tough, and it shapes every decision players make as they navigate the labyrinthine world of Pharloom.
Despite these challenges, the game’s reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Silksong made a splash on OpenCritic, becoming the only game with all 100s at the time of launch—a feat that underscores its critical acclaim. On Metacritic, it boasts a robust user score of 8.8, while Steam’s rating sits at 76% positive. The lower Steam score, 80 Level notes, is largely attributed to mass downvotes from Chinese players dissatisfied with the quality of the localization, rather than the gameplay itself.
What’s perhaps most impressive is how Silksong manages to balance its myriad systems and challenges with a sense of discovery and freedom. The game’s structure encourages players to experiment with different loadouts, tools, and crests (customizable upgrades), leading to a highly personalized experience. “Every single person I talked to about the game after finishing it had a different favorite loadout,” one reviewer remarked. This diversity of playstyles, combined with the game’s rich mechanical puzzles and hauntingly beautiful environments, keeps players coming back for more—even after rolling credits. As one fan put it, “Even after finishing the ‘standard’ ending, I feel like I have so much more to do, like there’s an entire game left I need to finish.”
It’s no wonder, then, that Silksong has inspired a passionate community of explorers, theorists, and artists. The game’s depth, both literal and figurative, invites endless exploration—not just of its sprawling map, but of its intricate systems and hidden secrets. Whether you’re marveling at the technical artistry of its layered world, grappling with its punishing economy, or simply savoring the thrill of discovery, Hollow Knight: Silksong stands as a testament to what a sequel can achieve when it dares to push boundaries.
As the dust begins to settle on its blockbuster launch, one thing is clear: Team Cherry’s latest opus isn’t just a follow-up—it’s a new benchmark for the genre, and a journey that players will be unpacking, layer by layer, for years to come.
