Hollow Knight Silksong Review
Hollow Knight: Silksong
A highly anticipated, atmospheric Metroidvania sequel featuring fluid combat, hand-drawn art, and challenging, non-linear exploration.
How This Score Is Calculated
- Sources analysed: 6 reviews
- Sentiment-only: 6 sources (weighted 1.0×)
- Split: 5 Positive · 1 Mixed · 0 Negative
- Raw weighted average: 8.5
- Consensus bonus +0.3: 83% sources agreed
- Final score: 8.8/10 (clamped, rounded to 1 decimal)
- Most reviewed featureCombat (4/6)
- Most praisedArt/Graphics
- Most criticisedDifficulty/Punishing nature
- Reviewer consensus levelHigh
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a monumental sequel that successfully evolves the atmospheric, labyrinthine world of its predecessor. Reviewers praise its fluid, acrobatic combat and stunning hand-drawn art, noting that it justifies its long development cycle. While it is undeniably more punishing and difficult than the original, it remains a must-play for fans of the Metroidvania genre.
🔧 Key Specifications
- Platforms: PC (Intel/Apple Silicon), Consoles, Game Pass
- Visual Style: Hand-drawn 2D
- Gameplay Focus: Non-linear exploration, platforming, combat
- Control Recommendation: Game controller (highly recommended)
💲 Price Range
R185 (referenced in review data)
📊 What Reviewers Say — Feature by Feature
3 features evaluated across 6 sources.
👍 Key Strengths
- Gorgeous hand-drawn art design
- Fluid, rewarding acrobatic combat
- Deep, labyrinthine world exploration
- Competitive, accessible pricing
👎 Key Weaknesses
- High difficulty can be punishing
- Hostile design elements feel irritating
- Requires a game controller
- Frustrating save system
💰 Value for Money Analysis
Reviewers widely consider the game a massive bargain for the amount of content provided, especially given the seven-year wait. The R185 price point is frequently cited as a 'can't go wrong' value proposition.
2 of 6 sources commented on price or value.
⚡ Where Reviewers Disagreed
The following areas saw meaningful disagreement across sources.
- Difficulty Design: 3 sources praised the challenge as rewarding, while 2 sources felt the design could be overly punishing or irritating.
🎯 Who This Product Is For
Reviewer recommendations for different target audiences and use cases.
🛠️ Best Use Cases
- Long-term ExplorationThe labyrinthine, secrets-filled world rewards players who enjoy deep, non-linear discovery.Great
- High-Skill CombatPerfect for players who enjoy twitchy, acrobatic combat and challenging boss encounters.Great
- Casual PlayThe game is generally considered too daunting and unforgiving for casual, low-stress play sessions.Poor
🔀 Alternatives Mentioned by Reviewers
Maximise this list. Include EVERY single competitor, rival, or alternative product mentioned in any of the source reviews. Do not omit any. More alternatives and longer lists are better.
- Constance — A paint-powered Metroidvania described as a more approachable, 'wonderful' alternative for those who find the difficulty of Silksong too daunting. It features a strong story about mental health and a more balanced, albeit formulaic, design.
- Metroid Dread — Mentioned as a genre comparison; reviewers suggest it is less enjoyable than the experience offered by Silksong.
- Possessor(s) — Cited as another genre contemporary that is less compelling than Silksong for those seeking a premium Metroidvania experience.
Alternatives sourced exclusively from reviewer mentions.
🛒 Buyer's Guide
✅ Buy This If…
- You love challenging, atmospheric Metroidvanias.
- You appreciate hand-drawn art and fluid combat.
- You have a game controller available for play.
❌ Skip This If…
- You prefer relaxing, low-difficulty experiences.
- You get frustrated by punishing save systems and high-skill requirements.
⚠️ Things to Check Before Buying
- Ensure you have a controller, as keyboard/mouse play is not ideal.
- Be aware that there are no tutorials, so the initial learning curve is steep.
📈 Sentiment Trends Over Time
Reviews span from late 2025. The following changes were detected:
- Expectation Management — Initial reports noted a lack of pre-launch review codes, but post-release reception confirms the high quality of the final product.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a masterful Metroidvania that successfully builds upon its predecessor's legacy. While its punishing difficulty and lack of tutorials make it a steep climb for casual players, its atmospheric beauty and fluid combat are peerless. It is an essential purchase for genre fans looking for a rewarding challenge.
Top Alternative: Constance — Choose this instead if you find Silksong too daunting and prefer a more approachable, story-driven Metroidvania.
Reviewer Perspectives & Source Breakdown
Hollow Knight: Silksong Developer Won’t Send Out Early Review Codes - ga...
Team Cherry will not distribute early review codes for Hollow Knight: Silksong to ensure fairness for Kickstarter backers and manage their small team's limited resources. Consequently, players should not expect professional reviews until after the game's official release.
Pros
- Available on Game Pass day one
- Multi-platform release across consoles and PC
Cons
- No pre-launch reviews available
- Limited distribution support due to small developer team
Constance review: "If Hollow Knight: Silksong seems too daunting, this w...
Constance is a beautiful, charming, and filler-free Metroidvania that balances challenging platforming with engaging boss fights. While it follows the genre formula closely, its emotional story and approachable design make it a highly enjoyable experience.
Pros
- Beautifully designed platforming action
- Strong, meaningful story about mental health
- Enjoyable and well-crafted boss fights
Cons
- Metroidvania formula feels very well-worn
- Later platforming sections may be too difficult for some
constance review if hollow knight silksong seems too daunting this wonde...
Constance is a beautiful and enjoyable Metroidvania that doesn't outstay its welcome. Filler free, the game instead throws plenty of well-designed and enjoyable boss fights at you, interspersed with tight, challenging platforming action. It follows the formula too closely to make it remarkable, but what it does it does with charm and flair. And the ending is a 'chef's kiss' moment.
Pros
- Beautifully designed platforming action
- A strong story about mental health, perfectly told
- Enjoyable boss fights
Cons
- The Metroidvania template is very well worn now
- Later platforming sections could be too hard for some
hollow knight silksong switch 2 review brutally beautiful ProsCons...
Sure, Hollow Knight: Silksong is difficult. But that shouldn't stop you from digging into one of the most highly anticipated metroidvanias of all time. And at R185, you can't really go wrong, even if the game's vibrant levels, unforgiving bosses, and non-linear story aren't really for you. Was it worth the nearly seven year wait? Without a doubt.
hollow knight silksong review a gaming sequel that lives up to the hype ...
It’s been almost a decade in the making, but Silksong is a worthy successor to the classic Hollow Knight. The platform-jumping action can be frustrating at times, but there are few arcade games available for the Mac that can match the atmospheric world and fluid combat of Silksong.
Pros
- Superb, hand-drawn graphics
- Challenging combat
- Competitive price
- Supports Intel Macs, Apple Silicon
Cons
- Works best with a game controller
- Frustrating Save system
- A tutorial would help newcomers
hollow knight silksong review worth the wait and then some this isnt jus...
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a near perfect followup to its justifiably revered predecessor. Unfurling from its cocoon, this Metroidvania has evolved on just about everything I loved about the original. With a gorgeous, labyrinthine world full of secrets, and twitchy acrobatic controls, Silksong can be rewarding when it's not being overly punishing. It's a bit tougher out the gate than last time around – but Silksong has been worth the wait. Check Amazon
Pros
- Hornet's scope of abilities are fun to play with
- Absolutely gorgeous art design
- World is rewarding to explore
Cons
- Aggressive enemies sometimes feel like magnets
- Diagonal jump can be a little rough
- Hostile design elements can be irritating rather than challenging