Hollow Knight: Silksong has big shoes to fill. Developer Team Cherry hit the mark in almost every aspect of its franchise premiere, with Hollow Knight's mysterious atmosphere and rich lore proving an instant hit. The game's reputation was partially driven by the endless possibilities of its exploration-heavy map, featuring hidden rooms and items that benefit core elements of the Hollow Knight experience. Off the back of the first title's success, it's only natural for Pharloom's map in Silksong to contain even more secrets than Hallownest.
Hallownest's expansive catacombs were one of the most immersive 2D Metroidvania kingdoms yet created, featuring countless paths to explore and secrets to unravel that could take upwards of dozens hours to fully complete. Hollow Knight's brilliance is not simply owed to its length, as Team Cherry tied seemingly every drawing, animation, sound, and secret into its rich lore. The impact of Hollow Knight's comprehensive development was clear to see, as the depth of Hallownest's caves proved a source of delight for players with plenty of replay value. With Hollow Knight: Silksong on the way, despite silence regarding a release date so far, the developer should introduce even more secrets to discover in its new release.
A Focus on More Secrets Would Enhance Silksong's Pharloom
Despite featuring an interconnected world, Hollow Knight's secret-dominated gameplay takes cues from the legendary Super Mario World, with Team Cherry modernizing the hidden paths, alternate exits, and secret areas featured in that Nintendo game. Hallownest's map added a few tweaks, engaging players with the search for valuable items such as Charms and Geo, as well as the prospect of challenges like boss battles. Among the selection of hidden bosses and secrets tucked away in dark corners are the notorious White Defender, the mysterious God Tamer, the elusive Godseeker Memory Room, and The Eternal Ordeal.
The sheer number of secrets on offer in Hollow Knight made it a hot topic upon release in 2017, and the trend should continue in subsequent installments of the franchise. For Silksong, Team Cherry is taking players to the kingdom of Pharloom on another exploratory journey that follows the tale of Hornet, daughter of the Pale King and the protector of Hallownest, who first appeared in the original game as an enemy of the Knight.
As Silksong's lore unfolds, players can expect to come across a wide range of secrets following in the footsteps of its predecessor. However, despite secrets being used exhaustively in Hallownest, Pharloom can employ even more. With a larger map and new gameplay mechanics set to grace Silksong, players will want to delve as deep as possible into the mysteries of the new kingdom. Hidden areas, secret bosses, and unique NPCs were major contributing factors to Hollow Knight's success, and Team Cherry has a tough task on its hands to one-up these elements.
Hollow Knight contained what many considered an extensive list of secrets, so some might question the need to add even more. However, high replay value is a must for games to have a long shelf life, and there is no such thing as too many options in today's landscape. The Elder Scrolls 5's seemingly endless quests enabled it to maintain a substantial player base after over a decade of dominance. Extra secret passages, hidden rooms, and NPC quirks would be a bonus for Silksong's gameplay, so Team Cherry should look to include as many as possible.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
