It Will Only Hurt for the First 30 Hours. A Review of the Metroidvania Hollow Knight: Silksong

It Ignites Nicely

When it comes to Silksong, the first thing people talk about is the difficulty. The game has just been released, and its challenges have already become legendary. After spending more than 40 hours completing it, I can confidently say that the game is not difficult — it is uncompromisingly brutal. Every element in it is designed so that the player cannot relax and always remains at least a little tense.

As an example, consider one location that is not required to complete the main story. Everything is perfect in it: a large number of platforms and spikes, a swarm of flying enemies, aborigines crawling out of the walls who attack and immediately hide, a rich collection of deadly traps, larva-infested water that deprives you of the ability to heal, and a hidden save point that opens after defeating waves of enemies and a boss.

There are plenty of such "cozy" places on the map. At the beginning, you can stumble upon a local factory that punishes the inattentive traveler with fire and lava. To avoid getting burned or blown up, you have to constantly monitor your surroundings. In contrast to the "hot spot" are the icy lands. If you stand in the cold for too long, your health starts to decline rapidly. Providing burning, frostbite, and poisoning as the main course, the game has prepared cursed lands inhabited by ghosts for dessert. Just because it can.

None of these places are particularly difficult. You just need to die again and again until you learn everything that can be used against you. And upon returning, the past trials no longer seem so difficult.

The Beginning of the Long-Awaited Hunt

In Hollow Knight: Silksong, you have to control a beetle named Hornet. This character played a significant role in the first part. There, she twice tested the combat skills of the main character and saved his life. In one of the endings, she even sacrifices herself for the common good.

The game begins with the main character being beaten and imprisoned in a cage by mysterious fanatics. Hornet awaits a terrible fate, but thanks to outside help, she manages to free herself. Thus, Hornet finds herself in Pharloom — a kingdom inhabited by intelligent beetles.

The main difference of Hornet is her ability to participate in dialogues. If the Knight from the first part was meaningfully silent, then Hornet starts conversations and answers questions. During communication, she shows herself as a kind and noble person, always ready to help others.

Unlike Hallownest, Pharloom has many more living and intelligent beetles. Many pilgrims have gathered at the foot of the kingdom to make a dangerous ascent to the top of the citadel. The pilgrims believe that they will find happiness and safety there. The main character also seeks to reach the top, but her goal is to fight her pursuers.

Travelers are threatened not only by predators and traps lurking in the wilderness, but also by the plague that has befallen the kingdom. Many pilgrims have been bound by silk, which has turned them into mindless killers. Some can still be saved with quality beatings, but in most cases, deliverance comes only with death.

Interaction with significant characters has undergone changes. In Hollow Knight, the player witnessed unfolding events thanks to the presence of a silent protagonist. This approach made the stories of the beetles who retained their sanity more memorable. Even after a break in the playthrough, it is easy to remember them:

Meetings in Hollow Knight: Silksong are more episodic in nature. Some characters remain in their usual place and help the heroine in every possible way. Others participate in the ascent. They are guided by their own goals and in some cases take part in battles.

I especially remember the little pilgrim. This is a sincere character who sincerely rejoices in the simplest things. And his song is extremely memorable — you start humming it every now and then.

The Huntress's Arsenal

If the Knight is a simple and powerful fighter, then Hornet is a larger and more agile individual. As befits a huntress, she has to be more careful in battle and patiently wait for the moment to attack. Over time, she will learn to dash, soar, cling to walls, and double jump — a standard set of skills for a Metroidvania.

Silk is used to use abilities, which is produced under Hornet's shell when attacking enemies. Silk is needed for healing and activating abilities. If in the first part healing restored one life at a time, now it restores three at once. But this pleasure consumes the entire resource. But only one ability is active, and you can only change it during rest.

The lack of abilities is compensated by the arsenal of tools. Hornet is able to carry a small supply of throwing objects or traps that deal significant damage in battles. The creation of traps requires shell fragments that fall from defeated enemies.

Most tools and useful items are bought for beads. This resource is more valuable and only drops from certain opponents. After death, you lose all the beads, and if you don't break the cocoon left after death, they will disappear forever. At least you don't have to put up with a decrease in the maximum energy reserve. Beads can be saved by turning them into rosaries, but you have to pay for this pleasure.

The main difference between the Knight and Hornet is in the amulets. In Hollow Knight, the player had access to a set of slots where amulets that enhanced attack or gave various bonuses were placed. It was possible to expand the slot to put more than necessary there, but such a slot had a bad effect on health.

In hidden locations, you can learn signs. The method of attack and various bonuses depend on the sign. At the beginning, Hornet dives diagonally when attacking downwards, which forces you to solve geometric problems when passing platforming sections. Mastering the Reaper sign allows you to attack under yourself, which makes it easier to bounce off objects, enemies, and spikes.

Each sign has a limited set of slots in which tools and amulets are placed. The number of slots can be expanded with medallions. But medallions are difficult to get, so you have to be content with a small number of builds.

At a certain point, Hornet will learn to play her needle. The game will tell you that this tool should be used to open certain doors. However, the song of silk also affects beetles, making them sing and pour out their souls. It even touches the strings of those who have long since passed away! In fact, this is an analogue of the Knight's dream nail.

The Hunt Will Be Long

As in Hollow Knight, exploring the territory in Silksong is associated with many difficulties. The lack of a map complicates the exploration of new locations. You have to carefully and cautiously examine every corner until you find a cartographer. Fortunately, her hummed melody helps in the search.

In addition to the cartographer, you also have to look for places to rest. An important object is also a fast travel point. It is inhabited by a friendly riding woodlouse, which will gladly take Hornet to any open point in the world. In most cases, you will have to pay for both a place to rest and a fast travel point.

There are a huge number of secrets located in the locations, which are fraught with additional resources and dangers. Often, secrets lead to new locations, which fills the soul with a gloomy premonition. And when you realize the total array of territory available for exploration, you fall into a melancholic state.

Competent design allows you to cope with many difficulties. Observing horse-like beetles shows that walking on coals does not cause instant damage. I also started jumping on coals and thanks to this I was able to move on.

In your free time from exploration, you can occupy yourself with completing tasks. They can be obtained from encountered characters or from the bulletin board. In most cases, they are associated with donating resources or exterminating opponents for their savings or body parts. Sometimes Hornet is offered to go hunting — then you need to follow the trail of prey to find it.

Completing tasks is associated with the transformation of the environment. One of them was the donation of fragments for the construction of a new bridge. The bridge was built, and I immediately destroyed it — simply because I didn't believe that the game would allow me to do this.

A Remarkably Disgusting Prey

For the most part, opponents play a similar role to their counterparts from Hollow Knight, but in battle they are much more disgusting. Were there beetles in Hollow Knight that peacefully crawled along the walls? Now they can roll or release spikes. If primitive aspids used to torment players, now their role is played by much thicker and more mobile "pigeons".

Enemies constantly present unpleasant surprises. In fiery locations, you have to dodge lava-spewing slugs or workers whose bombs disorient with their brightness. Opponents love to use dirty tricks and attack from the most unexpected positions. At one moment you feel safe, and at another you realize that your pursuer is able to get anywhere.

There are many bosses in the game, and they boast a variety. There are strongmen who attack over a large area. And there are small and nimble ones who are able to parry blows. The battle with them resembles a beautiful dance. Bosses have a small number of attacks that you need to dodge and look for a window for your own attack. The task is complicated by the minimal interval between strikes, which forces you to constantly move.

So, the final boss of the first act has only four techniques: a jump strike, a censer spin, a censer throw, and a ram. After the tenth death, you get used to them, and victory becomes guaranteed.

It seems that the developers were inspired by the Metroidvania Nine Sols. In Nine Sols, you often have to overcome an obstacle course to fight the boss. The situation is similar in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Let's say Hornet needs to get to the arena with a giant fly. On the way to it is an island with a trap, in which you fall almost every time and get hit on the forehead by an ant sitting nearby. The same is true with the final boss of the first act: on the way to him lies a passage with spikes, where one very unpleasant fly lives. And even if you avoid it perfectly, the path will still take more than a minute. Because of this, you start to lose your rhythm!

Dangerous Beauty

If you forget for a while about all the suffering that you have to endure when exploring locations, then you begin to notice their beauty. Each location in the game is unique, and competent design contributes to its study — over time, you will learn to navigate the area.

The wild lands and residential premises are breathtaking. Team Cherry has once again created a unique world in which you believe that it is inhabited by intelligent beetles. In rare moments of silence and tranquility, it is pleasant to just stop and enjoy the views. And the magnificent music makes the atmosphere even richer.

Diagnosis

It is clear to the naked eye that the creation of Hollow Knight: Silksong really took many years. The developers managed not only to polish each section, but also to make the sensations from the playthrough unique. Now you are playing not as a straightforward Knight, but as an experienced huntress. Playing as her comes down to patiently waiting for the moment, deadly attacks, and the use of cunning traps.

The game is not afraid to flex its muscles. It forces you to pay attention to the environment and treat the enemy with respect. Every step can turn into a deadly trap, every enemy can be a ticket to the point of rebirth. The player will not be allowed to turn off the brain and go through the game on autopilot.

The developers themselves also flexed their muscles. For an excellent and well-optimized game, which will take dozens of hours to complete, they asked for a price tag of 710 rubles. And this is in the context of "increasingly expensive development", when the cost of more than 2000 rubles for a large project already seems normal. Team Cherry simply knows that their creation rises above the rest and will more than pay off eight years of work.

If Hollow Knight: Silksong is of interest, then it is better to buy it and start playing it now. Otherwise, the developers may repeat the Hollow Knight experience and give birth to free additions. And then you will have to deal with even more trials.

Pro:

Contra: