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The further into the year we get, the more we wonder if Hollow Knight: Silksong will make it's debut on stage soon. If you were making a list of the most-anticipated-yet-rarely-seen games, the Hollow Knight spinoff-turned-sequel has to be considered for the top. Ever since the first reveal back in 2019, we've only gotten to glimpse a few Silksong previews—and now we're crawling along with over a year since the last one.
While there's bundles of good bug content to look forward to with Silksong's new heroine and setting, Team Cherry is being quiet about when we'll actually get to see the next stage in the Metroidvania's metamorphosis. Plus, the Hollow Knight crowd is only getting more eager with time, though they didn't notice a joke release date. Here's everything we know about Hollow Knight: Silksong's new player character, abilities, mechanics, and locations.
When will Hollow Knight: Silksong release?
Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn't currently have a release date. We held hopes that Silksong would release in the first half of 2023 after it appeared at the Xbox & Bethesda showcase in June 2022. Silksong made an appearance at the June 2022 Xbox showcase, which had been by Microsoft as focusing on games releasing in the following 12 months. When fans of Twitter asked if that meant Silksong was coming in the next year, the Xbox Twitter account confirmed that it would.
Apparently, that was too hasty of a commitment. 2023's halfway mark passed without a new Silksong appearance, and Matthew Griffin, who does PR work for Team Cherry, announced on Twitter in May 2023 that Silksong wouldn't make the June 2023 deadline. "It's gotten quite big," Griffin said, "So we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can."
We ended 2023 without more news about Silksong, and we can only guess when we might see more from Team Cherry. It can't hurt to hope until we do. It's healthy if you call it manifesting.
Hollow Knight: Silksong trailers and gameplay videos
Here's Silksong's latest gameplay trailer from June 2022
It's not a release date, but it is a pretty stacked new trailer. There's quite a lot of intense combat here, some boss fights, and a lava escape section. All totally good for your little bug's blood pressure. The trailer also confirms that Silksong will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on launch day—whenever that happens to be.
Check out Hollow Knight: Silksong's debut trailer
The debut trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong still sells it best. It opens on Hornet and immediately bursts into action. It's a fresh take on the familiar, with Hornet dashing toward enemies and hack them apart. There's even what looks like a grappling hook tool.
At the edges of the screen you can see pathways leading to other areas and ledges climbing further up into the kingdom. As you'd expect, there are new enemies and bosses to fight. One boss battle looks like it takes place on a bed of flowers with the sun shining down, which could be a bit of a nod to the final fight in Sekiro and Bloodborne.
There are also a slew of new characters to meet, all with their own little vocal traits that have become somewhat iconic for Hollow Knight NPCs. They'll all be scattered in the world and in the new towns you can visit to resupply and rest as you explore Pharloom.
If you want to see full-on gameplay, you can check out the Nintendo video that features 20 minutes of Hollow Knight: Silksong. It covers everything from the intro to the first boss, and you can get a good look at some of the new abilities that Hornet has.
Hollow Knight: Silksong gameplay changes
What's different about Hollow Knight: Silksong's gameplay?
Like Hollow Knight, Silksong is a side-scrolling action game, with some easy Dark Souls comparisons in punishing bosses, encounters, and death mechanics. You'll face over 150 different types of enemies and many bosses as you explore Metroidvania-style across a large map.
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Silksong revamps Hollow Knight's formula with a suite of new mechanics and changes:
- You play as Hornet instead of The Knight from Hollow Knight. Hornet has a lot more movement abilities like dashing and sprinting, and she can heal faster than The Knight. And she talks!
- Hornet uses silk instead of Souls to heal and use abilities. When you die, you'll drop a bundle of silk and have to destroy it when you return to replenish your supply.
- Hornet uses tools, like bombs and a spiked ball, instead of charms. You can craft tools too.
- The game follows Hornet as she ascends through a new region: the kingdom of Pharloom.
- Silksong introduces two new currencies: Shell Shards and Rosaries. Shell Shards are used to repair and craft tools. Rosaries are used to buy goods. Both are earned from caches and killing enemies, although Rosaries can be lost on death unless you put them on a string.
- Silksong will have a quest system divided into four categories: Gather, Wayfarer, Hunt, and Grand Hunt. You can pick quests up from NPCs and track their progress via notice boards.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's soundtrack brings back the original composer
Christopher Larkin will return as a composer for Hollow Knight: Silksong after working on the original game. Larkin released a couple previews of the game's soundtrack, which are filled with triumphant strings and gloomy piano—a perfect fit for the game's atmosphere.
Tyler Colp
Associate Editor
Tyler has covered games, games culture, and hardware for over a decade before joining PC Gamer as Associate Editor. He's done in-depth reporting on communities and games as well as criticism for sites like Polygon, Wired, and Waypoint. He's interested in the weird and the fascinating when it comes to games, spending time probing for stories and talking to the people involved. Tyler loves sinking into games like Final Fantasy 14, Overwatch, and Dark Souls to see what makes them tick and pluck out the parts worth talking about. His goal is to talk about games the way they are: broken, beautiful, and bizarre.
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