After years of silence the bells ring clear as Team Cherry finally releases ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’

By Madison Dyer

After seven years of waiting, several false release dates and thousands of internet memes, indie game developer Team Cherry finally released “Hollow Knight: Silksong.”

The first installment, “Hollow Knight.” released in 2017, and quickly became a favorite among indie gamers. The adventure-driven platformer features an elegant score, recognizable artwork and an intriguing story. Players guide an adorable little bug across the expansive world of Hallownest, on a journey to save the dilapidated land from further destruction. As the game progresses, players can uncover deeply woven lore, connecting events to political schemes, the desires of divine entities and terrible tragedy. Players are also at liberty to ignore all that extra reading and stick to traversing platforms while smacking enemies with an increasingly deadly weapon. 

Team Cherry, the game developers, originally intended for “Silksong” to be a DLC for “Hollow Knight,” similar to “The Grimm Troupe” and “Godmaster.” The idea became so involved, however, that they decided to turn it into its own game, featuring one of the opponents of the original: Hornet. She is a fan favorite character, so it is no surprise that the “Silksong” announcement filled the audience with excitement.

Unfortunately, that excitement quickly dissolved as the publishers repeatedly postponed the game. For years, starting after the first announcement in 2019, the “Hollow Knight” community coped by creating memes to mock their seemingly endless waiting. Fortunately, that wait was not in vain. Seven years of hard work went into crafting a beautiful sequel to an already beautiful game. Team Cherry did not pridefully release something and expect success just because their first installment was received so incredibly well. They toiled over their craft, putting forth an artful creation, equally deep and unique as the original. 

In many follow-up games which allow players to operate a previous opponent, the mechanics are often incredibly disappointing. Often, half the feats the character can do as an enemy are not available for the player to use. With “Silksong,” that is not the case. Hornet’s actions and abilities are nearly an exact match between installments. Players can utilize all sorts of interesting tools to experience the joys of destroying their enemies in the same way Hornet destroyed them on their first playthrough of “Hollow Knight,” with additional interesting mechanics. It is a completely different operation than the Knight, the player character of the preceding game, but not necessarily more or less difficult. Hornet is generally more acrobatic than her predecessor, but Team Cherry showed incredible creativity, providing a highly customizable system that allows players to adapt her to their preferred gaming style.

Though “Silksong” is a sequel to “Hollow Knight,” playing through the first game is not necessary in order to enjoy the second. The stories are independent from one another, and they are even set on two completely different maps. There are a few interesting lore threads between the two, but they do not distract from the individual worth. 

The game begins with Hornet escaping a cage after being transported to a new, distant land: Pharloom. She tasks herself with uncovering the reason behind her kidnapping by ascending to the citadel to demand answers from the leadership. Along the way, she discovers that the whole area has been oppressed by a mind-numbing trance which takes control of the pilgrims who journey to the citadel out of religious zeal. The mystery and mysticism of the situation generates plenty of intrigue and matches the mood of the first “Hollow Knight” game.

Both games deal with fallen kingdom ruins and some affliction of the mind, and both share direct ties to religious themes. The lands of both Hallownest and Pharloom are heavily affected by their deities. The bugs are often disappointed by their gods and leaders, who tend to be corrupt and lead their followers to ruin. 

The reasons behind this are, of course, detailed and obscure. Anyone interested can either explore the vast wealth of knowledge gathered by fans and posted across the internet, or they can dive into the games themselves. Players who enjoyed “Hollow Knight” will undoubtedly appreciate its sequel, whether for the detailed art, expert storytelling, or technical combat. It is neither a pathetic cash grab nor a small addition that anyone can breeze through in a few hours. Team Cherry did not put off the release for nothing; they spent those long years creating a masterpiece.

“Hollow Knight: Silksong” is available for PC, Xbox, Playstation, and the Nintendo Switch.

Madison Dyer is a Sophomore Professional Writing and Information Design student, who grew up nearby Cedarville University. She likes to draw, play guitar and engage in general shenanigans.

Images courtesy of Team Cherry.