Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong is an upcoming video game developed and published by Team Cherry for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It was announced on 14 February 2019 as a sequel to the 2017 game Hollow Knight, featuring the Hollow Knight boss character Hornet as the player character.
Gameplay
Hollow Knight: Silksong gameplay is set to be similar to the previous Hollow Knight title, featuring 2D platforming and combat. Some changes are made from the original, such as the player character moving with a more acrobatic flair or healing themselves instantly. Sidequests will also be part of the game, and include a journal to keep track of them. This includes a quest system divided into four categories titled Gather, Wayfarer, Hunt, and Grand Hunt, which are provided by the non-playable characters within the game.
Team Cherry stated the game to be very large, featuring at least 165 new enemies and over 100 different checkpoints ("benches") throughout the game world, as opposed to only 41 in Hollow Knight.
Silksong will have an additional difficulty mode with permanent death called "Silk Soul" mode, akin to the "Steel Soul" mode found in Hollow Knight. It will feature more differences from the base game than "Steel Soul mode" did in Hollow Knight.
Premise
Hornet is captured and taken to the unknown kingdom of Pharloom, which is said to be "haunted by Silk and Song", and must climb to the top to reach a shining citadel.
Development
Hollow Knight: Silksong was announced on 14 February 2019 in a trailer and with a developer diary video sharing more information about the game. Since announcement, per GameSpot, "updates have been sporadic and infrequent".
Originally, Hornet was planned as a second playable character to be included in a downloadable content (DLC) pack for Hollow Knight, funded as a stretch goal in the game's Kickstarter campaign. Eventually, due to the increased scope of the project Team Cherry decided to expand the DLC to a full sequel. While in the process, Team Cherry revealed some of the character animations for Hornet and Steel Assassin Sharpe, a villain from the game.
The developers released an update about the game in March 2019, sharing descriptions and images of characters who will appear in Silksong. They thanked the game's fans for supporting them regarding the announcement of the sequel.
In December 2019, Team Cherry released a preview of the game's soundtrack, composed by Christopher Larkin, as well as an update on the total number of enemies developed, with a focus on a trio, described as "members of a scholarly suite."
An article in PC Gamer from February 2022 showcased Team Cherry co-director William Pellen stating that the game was still in development despite the lack of updates since December 2019 and said that more details would be revealed as the game got closer to its release.
A new trailer for the game was revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, revealing that the game would be released on Xbox Game Pass at launch, with the game being available through the service for PC and Xbox Series X/S. While no release date was announced, the Xbox Twitter account stated in a tweet that the game would be available within the next twelve months, implying they expected a release by 12 June 2023. Team Cherry marketing and publishing representative Matthew Griffin declared on 10 May 2023 that the game was delayed, stating "We had planned to release in the first half of 2023, but development is still continuing."
In September 2022, Sony confirmed in a tweet that the game would also come to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Reception
In May 2022, Hollow Knight: Silksong won a "Most Anticipated Game" award from Unity. In response, Team Cherry thanked the community for their support and said "It can't be too much longer, surely!"
References
External links
Upcoming video games
Fantasy video games
Indie games
Linux games
MacOS games
Platformers
Nintendo Switch games
Single-player video games
Video games about insects
Video games developed in Australia
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games scored by Christopher Larkin (composer)
Video game sequels
Windows games
Xbox Series X and Series S games