In the depths of the citadel’s underworks lies a bug by the name of Loam. Loam is a faithful, hardworking member of his kingdom, running day-in and day-out on his treadmill, powering the cogwork machines of the castle at the peak of Pharloom, where Silksong takes place.
After a long day of running, an automated chute spits out a meager helping of rosary beads, which barely gives him enough to buy rest on a nearby bench for a few minutes before getting back to work. When approached, he exclaims, “Forgive me, thems above, for me unworthy of hope! Of course me work is not done! Harder, harder! Me must work harder!” Even more tragic than Loam’s endless servitude to the kingdom is the fact that his work is completely meaningless, since the kingdom above is long-dead.
After my 58-hour playthrough to 100% completion, I can confidently say that environmental storytelling is Silksong’s greatest strength. What I have just described is only one optional tale, tucked away behind a hidden wall in one area of Hollow Knight: Silksong, the long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed Hollow Knight. Players spend much of the game discovering this world’s story, as does the player’s character, Hornet. Never in a video game have I encountered a world where so much is said with so few words.
What they’ve done here is really hard to do in a video game, but that didn’t stop Silksong’s developers, Team Cherry, from asking the player to slow down and drink in the story of these haunted lands. Like in Loam’s story, every detail is meticulously and intentionally placed. It is beautifully interconnected in a way that allows the player to form a picture of the kingdom’s history without having to be told what it all means.
At the start of the game, someone kidnaps Hornet and takes her to Pharloom, where she has no knowledge of her location. Very early on, players meet a settlement of pilgrims, who seek to climb to the holy citadel at the top of the kingdom to join the high-class religious bugs who control it. Although Hornet is not a pilgrim, she must endure the exact same journey they are forced to go through, while learning about Pharloom from them. Not only is this strong thematically, but it ties directly into the player experience. The early game is very challenging, no more obvious than in its economy.
Pharloom’s currency is rosary beads, which are extremely difficult to find. The game challenges the player as if you are one of these impoverished pilgrims, and when you come out on top, you feel the same accomplishment they do, without realizing you have been strung along for their journey. Silksong embeds this style of storytelling extremely well, communicating it effectively — even to players who are just here to stab stuff and couldn’t care less about the narrative.
Aside from the story, there is a lot of debate that Silksong is “too challenging,” but I disagree. To call this game “too difficult” is to miss the point entirely. The game is brutal because the world is brutal. The Bilewater area is a horrible area to play through because it is a toxic wasteland, which only its denizens have learned to survive in. You are not welcome here, and you must fight for every inch. That may dissuade some people, but I think it makes it so much more compelling to experience.
Although Hornet is an outsider, she is extremely powerful in this universe, and is one of the only people who can save Pharloom. Her nature as a silk-magic weaver and highly skilled hunter gives her a ton of options to approach combat. The strength in Silksong’s combat model is its learning loop, which I liken to climbing a mountain.
Every boss and even some of the basic enemies have extensive movesets that rival Hornet’s own flexibility in combat. They feel impossibly challenging at first, but it is rewarding to finally defeat one after dozens of attempts. By the endgame, you learn to play by Silksong’s rules, whether by will or by force. For Hornet to drop the bar, “I’ve found that those who call themselves a God can rarely match the title,” she needs the prowess to prove it.
Silksong somehow exceeded the colossal expectations that it set and will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest indie games of all time. This $20 video game about bugs crashed the biggest digital marketplaces, and it runs on just about anything. Its vast and rich world, colored by its exceptional and challenging combat, is something you absolutely need to experience for yourself.
