Highlights
- Hollow Knight: Silksong will have a different player progression compared to its predecessor, with the game's journey taking players in the opposite direction, ascending rather than descending.
- Hornet's apparent upwards progression in Pharloom over the course of Silksong may reflect her ascension towards a throne.
- Silksong is likely to include content that was cut from the original Hollow Knight, such as enemies and areas from the farthest depths of Hallownest, suggesting that the sequel will explore ideas that the first game could not.
Though solid information about Hollow Knight: Silksong is still as uncertain as when the sequel was announced, it seems that player progression through the game will be directly opposite to that of its predecessor, Hollow Knight. During Team Cherry's initial Kickstarter campaign for Hollow Knight, it appeared that the physical scale of the game was a key factor, especially when considering that its loftier stretch goals teased an expansion to "The Abyss." Knowing now that this area would be at the furthest depths of a vast world, it's possible to look back in hindsight and recognize the ideas Team Cherry had in mind for Hollow Knight.
The attention to detail that was given to Hollow Knight has inevitably led many to anticipate the same for Hollow Knight: Silksong, meaning that what little is known so far about the upcoming sequel has been heavily scrutinized for potential clues about what players should expect from Silksong. Silksong's new kingdom, Pharloom, and its map system have not escaped this scrutiny thanks to the few details Team Cherry has so far revealed. It seems then that unlike Hollow Knight, which saw players descending into Hallownest's depths to unearth its tragic tale, Silksong will head in the opposite direction as a mirror to its predecessor.
It's Time for Hollow Knight: Silksong to Get the Ball Rolling
After a long period of silence from indie developer Team Cherry, Hollow Knight: Silksong needs to start showing signs of life.
Hollow Knight's Descent Versus Hollow Knight: Silksong's Ascent
Hollow Knight: Silksong May Go Where Hollow Knight Couldn't
Another of Hollow Knight's original stretch goals which it did meet was to provide a second playable character, though this was ultimately never implemented into the final game. Due to the ever-increasing scope of Hornet's plans as a second character during development, Team Cherry decided she would instead lead in a sequel. This is interesting, as it seems that many ideas for enemies, areas, and potentially even stories were cut from Hollow Knight to be used instead for Silksong. In particular, content from Hallownest's farthest area like Deepnest's Spiders, Weavers, and the Forest of Bones have been speculated to now be part of Silksong.
Given that Team Cherry had already gone to the lengths of creating four DLC expansions for Hollow Knight, the fact that Hornet's planned protagonist role exceeded becoming one more DLC suggests that her story wouldn't fit within the game's narrative. With the added context of content from areas of the game that were likely the last to be developed, much like The Abyss as per its unfulfilled stretch goal, it seems that Silksong will be exploring ideas that Hollow Knight could not. As a result, the two games' maps and the player's journey through these worlds seem to be antithetical to one another.
The Potential Theme of Ascension in Hollow Knight: Silksong
During a live demonstration of Hollow Knight: Silksong at E3 in 2019, Team Cherry commented that players would start the game at the bottom, with Hornet's journey seeing her progress upwards to the top. Though specific details about either weren't provided, it is a stark contrast to Hollow Knight's progression, which begins with players traveling downwards into Hallownest. Hollow Knight's overall themes and narratives surrounded descent, buried pasts, and inner darkness, and Silksong seems to invert this approach.
The physical progression upwards through Pharloom, unlike the descent into Hallownest, could relate to existing ideas around Hornet about her lineage as Herrah's daughter and her potential relationship with the Weavers, who allegedly all come from Pharloom. Hornet's literal ascension through the kingdom may parallel her ascension to the throne, something that may have been teased with lines from Pharloom's Folly and why Hornet was kidnapped at the start of the game. Ultimately, while Hollow Knight's progression reflects its story of descent into darkness and madness, Silksong mirrors this with Hornet's ascent to discover the secret truth in Pharloom.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Franchise
- Hollow Knight
- Platform(s)
- PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X , PC , macOS , Linux
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
- Team Cherry
- Genre(s)
- Metroidvania
