After years of waiting, meme-ing, and second-guessing every showcase season, Hollow Knight: Silksong is back in the spotlight—and early write-ups are framing it as the kind of follow-up that doesn’t just meet expectations, but weaponizes them. The long-anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight has been described in blunt terms: punishing, precise, and impossible to ignore.
### Seven Years of Anticipation
Silksong was first revealed in 2019 (after Hollow Knight’s 2017 breakout turned Team Cherry into indie royalty), and its road since then has been defined by long stretches of quiet. That silence turned the game into a running gag across communities, but it also raised the stakes: players weren’t just hoping for “more Hollow Knight,” they wanted a sequel that justified the wait.
### A Familiar World, A Different Lead
Instead of returning as the Knight, Silksong puts players in control of Hornet, the needle-wielding warrior who stole the show in the original. The shift matters—Hornet’s speed and movement-focused combat naturally push encounters toward aggression and reaction time, suggesting a different rhythm than Hollow Knight’s measured, exploratory crawl.
### Unforgiving, Unmissable Metroidvania
The most consistent takeaway from early impressions is how uncompromising Silksong feels. It’s reportedly demanding in the ways the best Metroidvanias are: tight enemy patterns, meaningful failure, and progression that’s earned rather than handed out. In other words, this doesn’t sound like a sequel designed to soften the edges for newcomers—it’s aimed at players who want mastery.
### Why This Matters
Silksong’s return is more than a single release moment—it’s a reminder of how far “indie” has come as a prestige category. Team Cherry is now competing in the same attention economy as AAA studios, and the expectation is quality on arrival, not “good for a small team.” If Silksong really is uncompromising excellence, it could set the tone for what players demand from top-tier indies in 2025 and beyond.
Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/after-seven-years-well-spent-hollow-knight-silksong-is-unforgiving-unmissable-excellence