Hollow Knight: Silksong Review
Our Verdict
Hollow Knight: Silksong was worth every year of the wait — a faster, more aggressive, and unmistakably masterful metroidvania that may well be the genre's new high-water mark.
Combat: Faster, Sharper, Wonderful
Silksong's combat is a generational leap. Hornet's needle is shorter and faster than the Knight's nail, and silk-powered abilities create a kinetic rhythm of aerial pogos, parries, and dashes that feels completely distinct. The skill ceiling is towering — late-game bosses demand constant motion and tool use — while the floor remains accessible thanks to forgiving silk-healing mechanics and gradual difficulty curves.
Art Direction and Music
Pharloom is unforgettable. The hand-drawn art surpasses the first game's already-stunning aesthetic, and Christopher Larkin's expanded score is one of the best in modern gaming. Boss themes in the Citadel and the mid-game ruins are instant classics. Audio design throughout — ambient hums, distant choirs, silk threads snapping — is masterful.
Boss Design and World
Over 30 bosses, with at least a dozen that rank among the genre's finest. The verticality of Pharloom makes exploration feel different from Hallownest's lateral sprawl — you climb upward, and every elevation reveals new ecological and architectural ideas. Hidden areas are dense and rewarding, and the late-game's true ending sequence is unforgettable.
Pacing and Length
The main path runs 40-50 hours; completionists will push past 80. Mid-game pacing briefly slows around the silk-cathedral sequence, but the late-game payoff more than recovers. Nothing of this scale could land without a few rough edges, but Team Cherry's polish is extraordinary.
Verdict
Silksong meets every impossible expectation and then some. It is the new gold standard for the genre and likely the Game of the Year frontrunner of 2026.
Pros & Cons
- Faster, sharper combat that surpasses the original
- Pharloom is gorgeous, distinct, and densely designed
- Christopher Larkin's soundtrack is generational
- 30+ bosses with a dozen all-time greats
- Worth every year of the wait — a masterpiece
- Mid-game pacing briefly drags around the silk-cathedral act
- Tool crafting can be overwhelming in the first 10 hours
- Difficulty spikes harder than Hollow Knight at points
- Switch performance, while improved, still trails other platforms
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