Silksong: A Critical Review of the Highly Anticipated Sequel

After an extended period of anticipation, 'Hollow Knight: Silksong' has finally arrived, garnering significant attention from those who have immersed themselves in its world. While the game is positioned to be a strong contender for Game of the Year discussions, mirroring the buzz around 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33', its reception isn't universally positive, especially for players who didn't fully connect with its predecessor. This review explores whether 'Silksong' successfully addresses the issues some players had with 'Hollow Knight', or if it merely reinforces existing reservations, particularly concerning its design choices and gameplay mechanics.

My initial experience with 'Hollow Knight' was a blend of admiration for its artistic presentation and frustration with its blend of inspirations. Although the visual style and overall atmosphere were captivating, the integration of different gameplay elements, particularly those reminiscent of 'Dark Souls', felt somewhat disjointed. This led me to approach 'Silksong' with a degree of skepticism, pondering whether a second attempt at the series would truly convert me into a devotee. The early hours of 'Silksong' offered a glimmer of hope. The expanded color palette and diverse biomes presented an even more appealing visual landscape. Moreover, the game initially felt more aligned with a traditional Metroidvania experience, with boss encounters that leaned closer to the style of 'Metroid Dread' rather than heavily emphasizing 'Dark Souls' influences. This shift allowed for a greater appreciation of the game's combat system, which prioritizes understanding enemy attack patterns and precise movement over intricate skill execution. Notably, the boss battles, while engaging, didn't present the overwhelming difficulty often associated with the genre, leading to a more accessible combat experience for some players.

However, as I ventured deeper into 'Silksong', around the 10-hour mark, certain lingering annoyances from 'Hollow Knight' began to resurface. The most prominent of these was the implementation of a 'corpse run' system. Similar to Soulslike games, players lose their accumulated currency upon defeat and must retrieve it from their death location before another demise, or it's permanently lost. This mechanic, a point of contention in the original game, often discouraged exploration due to the frequent possibility of death, even in previously traversed areas. For a genre where exploration is paramount, this risk-reward system felt at odds with the inherent joy of discovery and getting lost in the game world. Despite some mechanisms to mitigate currency loss, the challenge was particularly pronounced when entering new, uncharted biomes. The struggle to locate map vendors while accumulating currency, coupled with the inevitable deaths far from checkpoints, often resulted in a frustrating cycle of corpse retrieval without the guidance of a map, effectively trapping the player in a repetitive loop until they could successfully recover their lost items.

Beyond the 'corpse run' mechanic, other gameplay elements in 'Silksong' proved to be sources of frustration. The platforming sections, in particular, often presented significant hurdles, largely due to Hornet's distinctive diagonal dash technique. Consistently performing precise bounces off environmental elements like flowers and bells remained challenging, especially when simultaneously fending off aggressive enemies. This issue was compounded by the 'corpse run' system, transforming certain platforming choke points into prolonged obstacles if a death occurred mid-sequence. A prime example of this was the arduous journey to the Last Judge boss in Act 1. While the boss fight itself was reasonable, requiring only practice to learn its patterns, the lengthy and enemy-laden platforming gauntlet leading up to it became a monotonous and irritating chore. This constant repetition, stripped of any meaningful challenge, served only to exacerbate frustration rather than enhance the gameplay experience.

These experiences shed light on a broader criticism of the series: the incorporation of mechanics from other games without always serving a clear purpose. The 'corpse run' is one example, but boss runbacks are another. In many Soulslike games, the journey back to a boss offers a moment to regroup, strategize, and even adjust character builds. 'Elden Ring', for instance, provides extensive customization options that allow players to adapt to difficult encounters. However, 'Silksong' offers limited tools, meaning strategies for each fight are often fixed. Consequently, these lengthy returns become mere time sinks that can heighten frustration. Similarly, arena battles, a common feature in 2D action games, often feel out of place in 'Silksong'. While such encounters can be dynamic and creative in games like 'Shinobi: Art of Vengeance', allowing players to experiment with diverse attack options, 'Silksong's' more limited combat toolkit transforms these arenas into endurance tests focused on evasion and incremental damage. Late-game arenas, in particular, tend to drag on, creating artificial difficulty spikes without adding significant depth or engagement.

Despite these criticisms, my overall enjoyment of 'Silksong' slightly surpasses that of 'Hollow Knight'. Each new boss encounter provides a satisfying challenge to master, and the game's underlying mystery compels continued exploration, even if backtracking can be cumbersome. However, 'Silksong' has yet to leave the profound impression that other Metroidvanias released this year, such as 'Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist' or 'Blade Chimera', have. These titles, though lacking the massive hype surrounding 'Silksong', delivered equally compelling experiences. This perhaps explains why a segment of players remains unenthused by 'Silksong's' high profile; for those deeply immersed in the thriving Metroidvania genre, 'Silksong' might feel less groundbreaking. While it offers a highly polished iteration of established mechanics, it lacks the bold experimental spirit seen in games like 'Animal Well', 'Laika: Aged Through Blood', or 'Shadow Labyrinth'. Therefore, if 'Silksong's' formula doesn't resonate with your desires for a Metroidvania, you are not alone, and there are numerous other exceptional titles available to satisfy that craving.