Hollow Knight Silksong: Everything We Know

‘Hollow Knight’ first released in early 2017 is one of the true success stories of the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter. So many games get crowdfunded these days, it’s hard to keep track. However, very few of them manage to live up to what they promised, and the history of crowdfunded games is strewn with broken pledges and bitter disappointment.

On the other hand, ‘Hollow Knight’ captivated critics and gamers alike with its charming art style, tough as nails combat and platforming and creative boss battles. The game has sold nearly 3 million copies to date, and its success has engendered yet another sequel titled ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ with an all new protagonist, inside an all new world. Read on to find out everything we know about the upcoming ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’.

Hollow Knight Series Retrospective

The original ‘Hollow Knight’ released in February 2017 on the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over AU$ 57,000 in total. In the game, you played as a bug (who also happens to be a Knight) in the desolate insect kingdom of Hallownest. As you explore the depths of the town, you run into mindless creatures seized by a mysterious infection. You also run into the resident protector of the Hallownest ruins, a bug called Hornet.

Over the course of the journey, The Knight discovers what happened to the town and its inhabitants, as well the true nature of his own being. Depending on a few key actions the player may or may not take, ‘Hollow Knight’ features three distinct endings.

Two subsequent expansions – ‘The Grimm Troupe’ and ‘Godmaster’ added new subplots, bosses and two new endings to the game. The immense popularity of ‘Hollow Knight’ eventually led to dedicated releases on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Plot

In ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’, you play as Hornet, who we know as the princess protector of the ruins of Hallownest from the previous game. The sequel is also set in the entirely new insect kingdom of Pharloom. Pharloom is a haunted kingdom said to be ruled by “silk and song”. Hornet is brought to the kingdom by force, and she must now reach the shining citadel at the top of the city in order to unravel the real reason she was brought to Pharloom. While ‘Hollow Knight’ had you delve into the depths of the Earth, ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ will have you reaching for the skies.

The Steam page for ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ describes it as follows: “Discover a vast, haunted kingdom in Hollow Knight: Silksong! The sequel to the award-winning action-adventure. Explore, fight and survive as you ascend to the peak of a land ruled by silk and song.”

Since ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ is set in an entirely new world, it will feature many new enemy types – over 150 different types at launch. Of course, the game world will also be populated by plenty of friendly Non Playable Characters (NPCs) as well. This is especially pertinent because, in contrast with the first game, Hornet will be able to converse with NPCs in ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Gameplay

‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ is a Metroidvania action adventure game presented from a 2D side scrolling perspective. Just like its predecessor, the game features an easy to learn, but hard to master combat system, tricky platforming sections and a fairly steep learning curve. Your character this time, Hornet wields a needle to fight off enemies, along with a litany of silk based attacks. She also has her very own signature diagonal dive attack.

Since ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ is a Metroidvania, parts of the game world will be locked away from you until you acquire certain special items, weapons or abilities. Some of these can be procured by indulging the game’s quest system that will have you fulfill certain tasks for certain NPCs.

The game also features an all new crafting system that will allow players to craft various weapons and tools from materials found across the game world. The new crafting system could replace the Charm system from the original ‘Hollow Knight’. Another variation over the previous game is the new game’s health system, which uses silk instead of souls to replenish Hornet’s health. Hornet can also instantaneously heal several points of health while on the move, instead of having to stop and heal one mask at a time. This combined with Hornet’s enhanced movement capabilities that allow her to reach higher ledges make ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ a more fast paced and action oriented game than its predecessor.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Developers: Who Are The People Behind It?

‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ is being developed and published by Adelaide based Australian indie video game developer Team Cherry. ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ initially started out as a DLC expansion for the original game and was funded as a stretch goal the ‘Hollow Knight’ Kickstarter. In fact, all backers of the game on Kickstarter will get ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ for free on its launch.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Release Date: When And Where Can I Play It?

‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ was first announced earlier this year in February and does not have a concrete release date yet. If I had to hazard a guess, I could optimistically see the game releasing in October 2020 or later. Realistically though, a 2021 release seems much more likely. The game will launch on PC, macOS, Linux and the Nintendo Switch.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Trailer

You can watch the announcement trailer for ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’ right here:

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