Replaying Hollow Knight and My Hopes for Silksong

Recently I began my second run through Hallownest on PS5 thanks to getting Hollow Knight from PS+. I had originally played on Switch and it became an instant classic for me. While I put many hours into the game originally, I actually never finished with the “true” ending so this new play through has me excited for a few reasons. First I get to enjoy receiving Trophies for my efforts, while I doubt I will go for a platinum, it will at least keep me on track a bit better than when I played on Switch. Second, playing with a traditional controller versus Joy-Cons is actually a fairly big difference that I really appreciate. Finally, I am HOPING to be playing the sequel to this game in 2021 (please please please!) and I would like to have a fresh frame of reference for when I get to jump into Silksong.

Replaying this game has made me remember that I have a severe disability when playing games like this…I have a terrible sense for direction. Hollow Knight has a map system and it even shows your location on the map, as long as you have found the cartographer in order to reveal the map and have a charm equipped so you can see your location on the map. Easily the second most annoying thing about this game is the map system. That being said…I also kind of like it. If Silksong does the same thing with some kind of new twist I don’t think I will be too upset.

As I said the map system is only the second most annoying thing, so what is the first? In my opinion I think there are too few Stag stations. I don’t mind having to unlock the Stag stations, but when I have to revisit an area later because I missed something and I end up having to run through half of an entire section of the map just to get something I missed it can be frustrating. It can really take me out of the action if I end up having to run around too much without any real action, especially in a game that makes me use up a precious charm slot just so I don’t get lost.

That is where my gripes with the game end. I love everything else about the game. The enemies in the game are fantastic. The bosses all get progressively more difficult as the game goes on of course, but they also have something that teaches you to play better. I beat a boss today that curls up into a ball and bounces towards you like a homing missile. It was intimidating as hell at first, but eventually I realized that because the boss was lighter than most of the other enemies he bounces back when you strike him. This allows you to hit the boss away from you and strike him again just before he would hit you again. I was pummeled a few times before realizing this. Most of the other bosses also have some kind of exploitable weakness to figure out, some more obvious than others, but once you catch on it not only makes that fight easier, it also teaches you how to approach other foes throughout the game in ways you may not have thought of otherwise.

Silksong has A LOT of things going for it that have me very excited, but also nervous. The combat looks incredible. Hornet is simply a badass character and fighting against her in Hollow Knight again makes me want to play as her even more. She seems far more acrobatic as a character and while I don’t hate how the Knight of the original game moves, Hornet just seems to be more fun! Plus the addition of having silk attached to her weapon should give her more range than anything the Knight had.

I am also looking forward to some new enemy types, not just their aesthetic differences (even though the game design is gorgeous), but I can’t wait to see how the enemies teach me to play the game in ways I wouldn’t have thought of.

We don’t have a release date for Silksong yet…I can’t wait to play…but I believe no matter how long the wait is it will be worth it!