Hollow Knight: Silksong is the sequel to Hollow Knight that we’ve been waiting four years for. We’ve seen bits and pieces of the game since its announcement in 2019, but haven’t had any hard details on when it’s coming out.
Originally planned as DLC, Silksong follows up the first game with a shift in perspective and an upward journey through the kingdom of Pharloom. We’ll learn more about the dreary world through the eyes of Hornet, the new playable character, and get access to a bunch of new tools to work our way to the top of the kingdom.
Team Cherry has been tight-lipped about the game for the last few years, but that hasn’t stopped fans from obsessing over every detail that’s available. Hollow Knight introduced a rich world that people want to pick apart. Hopefully we’ll learn more about it soon.
Potentially very soon.
Silksong may appear at Summer Game Fest
On June 5, Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley tweeted the following: “There’s nothing like the feeling of seeing a good world premiere arrive in your inbox.”
That statement could be about any of the games showing up at Summer Game Fest, of course; but then Hollow Knight Silksong marketing rep Matthew Griffin responded.
No, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll see Silksong at Summer Game Fest on Thursday. But it’s certainly seeming a lot more likely, all of a sudden.
Release date
Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn’t currently have a release date. All we know is that the game is deep into development.
We asked Team Cherry co-director William Pellen for an update on the game’s progress, and he said, “We’re still working steadily on it, and we’re all looking forward to sharing more about it once we get closer to release.”
A leak from Nvidia GeForce Now (opens in new tab), which has retroactively proven to have held fairly accurate information, put a February 2022 date on the game. While that seems unlikely without a recent announcement and no acknowledgment from the developer, it might suggest that the game is close to release.
When will we hear more about Hollow Knight: Silksong?
In the past, Hollow Knight: Silksong news has come from both the developer itself and E3. With E3 2022 in flux, it’s likely we’ll see news from Team Cherry when it’s ready to share some. Alternatively, we could hear about the game at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest.
What’s new?
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a sequel to Hollow Knight, 2017’s side-scrolling action RPG. Some have called it a Souls-like for its challenging boss fights and how you recover items from the spot you died. Silksong carries those ideas forward, but with some specific changes to the way the original game worked.
- You play as Hornet instead of The Knight from Hollow Knight. Hornet has a lot more movement abilities like dashing and sprinting, and she can heal faster than The Knight. And she talks!
- Hornet uses silk instead of Souls to heal and use abilities. When you die, you’ll drop a bundle of silk and have to destroy it when you return to replenish your supply.
- Hornet uses tools, like bombs and a spiked ball, instead of charms. You can craft tools too.
- The game follows Hornet as they ascend the kingdom of Pharloom, in contrast to The Knight descending Hallownest.
- Silksong introduces two new currencies: Shell Shards and Rosaries. Shell Shards are used to repair and craft tools. Rosaries are used to buy goods. Both are earned from caches and killing enemies, although Rosaries can be lost on death unless you put them on a string.
- Silksong will have a quest system divided into four categories: Gather, Wayfarer, Hunt, and Grand Hunt. You can pick quests up from NPCs and track their progress via notice boards.
Trailers and gameplay videos
Check out Hollow Knight: Silksong’s debut trailer
The debut trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong still sells it best. It opens on Hornet and immediately bursts into action. It’s both familiar and new as you see Hornet dash toward enemies and thwack them apart. There’s even what looks like a grappling hook tool too.
At the edges of the screen you can see pathways that lead to other areas and ledges that climb further up into the kingdom. It’s a barrage of new enemies and bosses to fight. One boss battle looks like it takes place on a bed of flowers with the sun shining down, which could be a bit of a nod to the final fight in Sekiro and Bloodborne.
There are also a slew of new characters to meet, all with their own little vocal traits that have become somewhat iconic for Hollow Knight NPCs. They’ll all be scattered in the world and in the new towns you can visit to resupply and rest as you explore Pharloom.
If you want to see full-on gameplay, you can check out the Nintendo video that features 20 minutes of Hollow Knight: Silksong (opens in new tab). It covers everything from the intro to the first boss, and you can get a good look at some of the new abilities that Hornet has.
What else?
What kind of game is Hollow Knight: Silksong?
Like Hollow Knight, Silksong is a side-scrolling action game. You’ll face over 150 different types of enemies and many bosses. The game functions sort of like a Metroidvania game, where you’ll poke around in a large map, pick up items and upgrades, and find secret passages.
Hollow Knight: Silksong will likely be fairly difficult compared to other games in the genre. Hollow Knight received many comparisons to the Dark Souls series for its punishing bosses, encounters, and death mechanic. The game gives you a lot of tools, like Souls or Silk, to heal yourself and attack enemies, but it still largely relies on quick reflexes and clever platforming.
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s soundtrack brings back the original composer
Christopher Larkin will return as a composer for Hollow Knight: Silksong after working on the original game. Larkin released a couple previews of the game’s soundtrack, which are filled with triumphant strings and gloomy piano—a perfect fit for the game’s atmosphere.