After nearly a decade of speculation, delays, and endless online chatter, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally landed in players’ hands on September 4, 2025. For a game originally conceived as DLC back in 2017, it’s hard to overstate just how long this journey has been—not just for Team Cherry, but for the community that’s kept the hype alive. Eight and a half years in the making, Silksong had to live up to impossible expectations.
But video games aren’t judged by development timelines—they’re judged by how they play. Does Hornet’s agility redefine the metroidvania experience? Are the bosses punishing yet fair? Is the world as hauntingly beautiful as Hallownest, or does it offer something entirely new? These are the questions that fans, critics, and everyday players alike have been wrestling with since release.
Instead of one reviewer’s perspective, this article pulls together 42 different voices—players and writers who have actually put time into Silksong, sharing their unfiltered impressions. From glowing praise to difficult criticisms, these quotes offer a mosaic of how Silksong is landing with the people who matter most: those who play it.
RegrettableWaffle (Reddit): “Yes. It’s a bonafide 10/10.”reddit.com
MikeyTheShavenApe (Reddit): “It’s okay. The metroidvania side of the game was cool, but the soulslike mechanics when you die made me drop it.”reddit.com
Anonymous Reddit User (r/Silksong): “Beautiful Metroidvania, no fake args or cake pictures, crazy good combat system and a really nice story with well written characters. I recommend this to everyone who liked Hollow Knight.”reddit.com
DrClockNebula (Reddit – first impressions): “Playability looks promising. It’s amazing how you can feel they worked greatly so the movements on the ‘enemy’ Hornet in HK became playable right now. I know I have to unlock everything still, but you can already feel it’s gonna be FAST-paced.”reddit.com
DrClockNebula (Reddit – first impressions): “Surprised about how many charm slots there are. Of course we all expected to have more, but wow, it’s almost double. Hyped.”reddit.com
DrClockNebula (Reddit – first impressions): “I couldn’t beat the first mini boss, which means that difficulty level is well tuned (IMO). The music is really promising – I’ve heard like 3 different songs, but Christopher Larkin is so good, man.”reddit.com
DrClockNebula (Reddit – first impressions): “The first town is already more alive than Dirtmouth. I’m eager to see how all these characters evolve as you develop. I have a feeling there will be more characters now.”reddit.com
Seivardian (Blue’s News comment): “The first game is really good, with the biggest flaw being no difficulty options. It can be punishingly hard, with parts that I will never get to see. I need to retry it with mods to see what I think.”bluesnews.com
Phirestar (Steam Community forum): “Hornet operates at a faster pace and has fewer recovery frames, so it’s a given that boss fights are going to be more challenging in Silksong compared to Hollow Knight – that’s simply just the nature of the game’s design.”steamcommunity.com
Melodia (Steam Community forum): *“If a game mechanic by default makes things harder, then it’s a bad game mechanic. That isn’t to say the above is correct though, as it’s not. Obviously enemies can be balanced around said faster pace and fewer recovery frames. If the game is harder it’s most likely because the devs are ***, not because of the general game design.”steamcommunity.com
vexe00 (Steam Community forum): “Difficulty is not what matters at all. I’d prefer it if the devs focus on making them fun to fight instead.”steamcommunity.com
DaylightDemon (Steam Community forum): “I also don’t feel Hollow Knight needs to press any further into soulslike territory. I feel like the learning curve and final difficulty in the final DLC are close to perfect. Almost everyone can beat the base game, the majority can beat the true ending, and few really want to put up with all the content – and that’s how it should be, IMO. If you make the base game as hard as the hardcore crowd could handle, that’s going to push away players. And I say that as somebody who enjoys playing soulslikes.”steamcommunity.com
ROMhaiku (Nintendo Life comment): “I’m definitely looking forward to it, but my biggest concern is that it’ll end up being too long. There’s this trend now where developers feel a sequel has to be bigger, longer, and more drawn-out to match the hype, but often it’s the tighter, perfectly paced games — like the original — that appeal more to me (as a time-poor moany adult).”nintendolife.com
ShieldHero (Nintendo Life comment): “Nice look at this exciting game coming out in 2030! Jokes aside, here’s hoping Silksong delivers after all this wait!”nintendolife.com
gizmoisthebestcat1 (Steam user review): “This game’s bosses make me want to peel my skin and eat it while throwing myself into gasoline and lighting it on fire. Would recommend 10/10.”steamcommunity.com
BMo (Steam user review): “However, I’m glad I gave this game a chance, because the gameplay quickly became much more entertaining, showcasing its beautiful art style, difficult (yet fair and rewarding) bosses, an amazing soundtrack, and fun and…interesting characters (to say the least). Oh, and despite how often I got lost exploring and trying to find something to do, I grew to appreciate and understand why people like this aspect of the game, since it gave me more of a chance to admire and observe the different environments/areas of the game.”steamcommunity.com
chickenboo (Blue’s News comment): “Agreed, I got as far as the sewers and gave up, it was just annoyingly difficult and it didn’t help that your sword is so short, it has no reach. Elden Ring was more accessible than this one. I don’t think these Metroidvania games are for me. I enjoyed Ori but that is a very approachable and downright easy game in comparison.”bluesnews.com
Jamie Hore (PCGamesN): “In short, Hollow Knight: Silksong feels exactly like we hoped it would. Beautiful yet brutal. Charming yet challenging. It doesn’t seem like a massive departure from the original, but with a few tweaked and rebalanced techniques, it still freshens up the formula. If you wanted something radically different in the gameplay department, then maybe the eight-year wait won’t feel as worth it. For those who just want more adventures with Hornet, Silksong will not disappoint.”pcgamesn.com
Jamie Hore (PCGamesN): “Navigating falling rocks, rank-and-file grub enemies, and the Moss Mother’s initially hard-to-read swooping attacks required me to absolutely lock in. I avoided any deaths, but there were some incredibly close calls there. Given this encounter comes early in Silksong, I imagine later bosses won’t go quite so easy on us. For now, though, this first big bad makes for a frenetic battle that wakes you up from serene exploration with a slap around the face.”pcgamesn.com
Josh West (GamesRadar): “Walking the Moss Grotto felt like a gentle reintroduction – simple platforming challenges and combat encounters through a lush, leafy environment. It’s here where I’m able to get a real feel for Hornet’s more agile moveset, made up of sharp lunges and diagonal thrusts as she weaves around incoming projectiles. The parry window seems sharper, more intuitive. A mid-boss encounter with the Moss Mother left me feeling untouchable, as if muscle memory alone would be enough to keep me safe from harm.”gamesradar.com
Josh West (GamesRadar): “If I’ve gleaned anything from my time with Hollow Knight: Silksong it’s that while Hornet may have a more agile moveset, movement speed is still grounded; aggression is rewarded, and indecision punished. And the hundreds of new enemies flooding through this new world have more versatile offensive and defensive patterns to match everything that you do.”gamesradar.com
Alberto Garrido (Gamereactor): “You realise that Hornet’s move set is much more varied and precise than the empty Knight’s from the first game. In the second demo – much more difficult and in a part, say, halfway through the game – we already have many more abilities unlocked, and we can encounter a much harder and challenging boss. We have at our disposal several things, for example an attack with Hornet’s needle thread. We also have several types of Dash.”gamereactor.eu
Alberto Garrido (Gamereactor): “As I say, this build seems very solid. We didn’t see problems of framerate either playing in portable mode on Nintendo Switch 2 or in the Dock of the console. It seems that everything works as it should.”gamereactor.eu
Alberto Garrido (Gamereactor): “Another of the great points that Silksong seems to highlight in comparison with Hollow Knight is that the scenarios are much more alive. Not only because there are more enemies or characters in the background – I mean that everything seems to be animated, from the breezes in the grass to Hornet’s footsteps when she steps on the mossy ground. There are also elements when breaking, for example, some fire flowers in the second part of the demo that are explosive – in fact some enemies throw them, and if you manage to hit them in the air, you can return them and do a lot of damage because they are explosive.”gamereactor.eu
Alberto Garrido (Gamereactor): “In the first demo, which is an introduction in a wooded area full of vegetation, the first thing that jumps out is that there are a ton of destructible elements on the map. I’m not just referring to the typical objects that you destroy and they drop shrapnel or coins like in the first installment – here it’s a process of immersion in this new land through which Hornet moves. At the beginning, of course, we don’t have abilities unlocked, but we do have a first encounter with a boss called Mother Moth (or Moss Mother), without too many problems.”gamereactor.eu
RegrettableWaffle (Reddit): “I’m not even huge on the genre and I fell in love with it.”reddit.com
Xbox Wire (Official X account): “The years of waiting were worth it – we’ve played Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it feels like a worthy successor to the indie classic.”x.com
♛ Schultheiß (Steam forums): “Team Cherry has done it again. Silksong builds on the brilliance of its predecessor with stunning visuals, a mesmerizing soundtrack, and Hornet’s agile, unique playstyle. The world feels fresh, with challenging boss fights, rewarding exploration, and intricate level design that keeps you hooked.”steamcommunity.com
♛ Schultheiß (Steam forums): “However, some mechanics could use better in-game explanations, and the lack of online resources makes certain moments more frustrating. A few lingering issues from Hollow Knight, like tedious backtracking and difficulty spikes, remain. Despite these minor gripes, Silksong is shaping up to be a masterpiece. An absolute must-play.”steamcommunity.com
The Verge (expert opinion via BestTopProducts): “Silksong is a masterpiece of design and atmosphere, and a worthy successor to the original.”besttopproducts.co.uk
Best Top Products (overview review): “The highly anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight, Silksong offers a beautifully crafted world, challenging gameplay, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Players take on the role of Hornet in a new adventure filled with mystery and danger.”besttopproducts.co.uk
Wesley LeBlanc (Game Informer): “My favorite thing about the demo at this point is the sound design and score. Hornet whips around levels, and attacks sound crisp; defeating bugs causes them to explode into insect guts, and gross sounds accompany each death. All of this is wrapped up in an excellent score (so far) that’s violin-heavy and sounds like something I should be listening to in a grand European theater while dressed in 18th-century attire. I can’t wait to hear more of Silksong’s soundscape.”gameinformer.com
Wesley LeBlanc (Game Informer): “Team Cherry created, by all accounts, an excellent Metroidvania in 2017’s Hollow Knight. If what I played today is any indication, Silksong will follow in its steps – I really enjoyed what I played. But the demo was far too short to make any statement more grand than that. It’s more Hollow Knight, with a faster protagonist. I’m excited to see if the game will break out to become more than that when it launches later this year.”gameinformer.com
Wesley LeBlanc (Game Informer): “Hornet has a quick mantle move that makes climbing and platforming through this mossy grotto a breeze. She’s quick, and her movement speed parleys nicely into her combative quickness.”gameinformer.com
Wesley LeBlanc (Game Informer): “Immediately, Hornet is much faster than the first game’s protagonist, with A (on the Xbox controller) serving as jump and X serving as attack. Her attacks are fast and wide, and there’s a small delay in between each attack that feels prime for combos using abilities I imagine appear later in the game. By pressing B, Hornet can Bind, which heals all of her health. You can’t just spam Bind, though – it uses a bar that recharges over time and by defeating enemies.”gameinformer.com
Горбяк (VGTimes user): “It seems to me that Silksong will disappoint a lot of people, at least due to a huge expectation time, and as you know, too much expectations lead to disappointment...”vgtimes.com
Vlad198 (VGTimes user): “As soon as I saw that Silksong was coming out soon, I was overjoyed like crazy, so I’m looking forward to this game and will hope that it will be as perfect in my opinion as the original HOLLOW KNIGHT.”vgtimes.com
Skaiven (VGTimes user): “Stylistics, musical accompaniment, lore, balance, atmosphere, dynamism – all these are the things for which the first part fell in love and gained fans. Actually, I hope that the second part will be an order of magnitude higher, the mechanics will be improved, new ones will be introduced, the game will not lose any strong aspects and will not gain weak ones.”vgtimes.com
Andrew Highton (Insider Gaming): “Within seconds, it felt like Hollow Knight... It’s just breathtaking with stuff happening off-screen, and each mini-scene boasts a rich palette of shades and colors. I’ve played mechanically functional titles that looked dull and washed out, whereas Silksong’s verdict is in its name: Silky.”insider-gaming.com
Andrew Highton (Insider Gaming): “I quickly familiarize myself with the controls, and I’m met with a gradually building enemy rush of increasing difficulty. Miraculously, I prevail and feel smug — this is likely an encounter you’re not supposed to face until a handful of hours in. I land precise attacks with Hornet and quickly work out the enemy’s attack patterns. Doubt turns to confidence, and I’m ready to take on whatever boss this side of the demo possesses.”insider-gaming.com
Andrew Highton (Insider Gaming): “I’ll cut to the chase: I die multiple times, and my demo session ends abruptly. I could not match the pace of Lace, and like many Hollow Knight bosses, her attack patterns aren’t ludicrously difficult and staggered like in various Soulslikes, but you’ll spam buttons and flail more than a medieval weapon. Each death brought me closer to a winning effort, and with a few more goes, I think I would’ve overcome the character’s might. But that’s the hook, right? Hollow Knight bosses don’t drag on for 5–10 minutes, but you still feel satiated in your hunger for victory, and you keep going. Ultimately, I walked away from my Silksong preview with a smile.”insider-gaming.com
Wesley LeBlanc (Game Informer): “Now separated from my time playing Silksong by an hour, I’m mostly just excited the game is real and playable. I don’t know if it will live up to the years of hype – I wonder if it’s even possible, no matter how good the game might turn out to be. At this point, I’m not convinced it’s the second coming of Metroidvanias YouTube chat logs think it might be, but that’s also an unfair expectation to place on Silksong. Team Cherry…(has) an excellent Metroidvania in Hollow Knight, and if what I played today is any indication, Silksong will follow in its steps – I really enjoyed what I played.”gameinformer.com
After all the years of waiting, Hollow Knight: Silksong has arrived—and the consensus is as varied as the players themselves. Some find it a masterpiece of design and atmosphere, while others wrestle with its difficulty spikes or wonder whether any game could live up to nearly nine years of anticipation. What’s clear, though, is that Silksong isn’t just a sequel—it’s a phenomenon, and it’s finally real.