Remember the teaser trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, wherein Venom Snake says, “Kept you waiting, huh?” Hornet should have pulled one of those in the release date trailer for Hollow Knight: Silksong because fans have infamously been drooling for this experience since that first trailer dropped in 2019.
After years of waiting, they can all finally play Hollow Knight: Silksong. So far, the community has been strong. As is the case with most sequels, fans can’t help but be compelled to compare the game to the original. What things does Hollow Knight: Silksong do better than the original game? This will focus purely on gameplay and no story content, so no spoilers will be added.
One of the biggest things fans will notice about Hollow Knight: Silksong right away is that Hornet’s downward attack is different. The Knight’s attack in Hollow Knight is a simple downward strike, which players used effectively to bounce repeatedly on enemies similar to games like DuckTakes and Shovel Knight. Hornet’s attack is diagonal, which makes players have to plan their moves out more, as there is a quick trajectory to the attack.
That said, players can find and equip new Crests in Hollow Knight: Silksong to change attack patterns, like the downward strike, if they want. For fans of the original downward strike system, there are Crests in Hollow Knight: Silksong that can change Hornet’s attack patterns. So, while initially the fan reaction may be negative, there are more ways to customize Hornet’s abilities than The Knight’s, which is an overall positive thing.
In one of the stranger differences, at least with the Switch versions, Hollow Knight has video recording blocked. Players can take screenshots, which appear in 720p even on the Switch 2, but video footage is not allowed. Anything goes in Hollow Knight: Silksong, as players can capture video or screenshots, which will appear in crisp 1080p, even when docked.
It’s great for facing bosses, as some players will want to mark their achievement with a video, especially with a near-death experience. For many, this won’t be a huge deal, but it is strange that there is a change here between the two Switch versions at least. Whether players like video capture or not, it should also be mentioned that the Switch 2 version of Hollow Knight: Silksong runs smoother than the launch version of Hollow Knight.
Beyond the differences with Switch, every system Hollow Knight: Silksong runs on showcases how much the art has changed. As a hand-drawn game, Hollow Knight is still a cut above the rest, but the designs are a bit darker and faded, even in the brighter areas. For example, when players first encounter Hornet in Hollow Knight, her cloak is not as bright and vibrant as it appears in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
If fans rewatch the Hollow Knight: Silksong announcement trailer and compare it to the release date trailer, they will see how the art and colors have changed over time. The coloration is just better in Hollow Knight: Silksong, along with the art style. Team Cherry, over these past years, seems to have gotten better with their designs, which isn’t just a graphical thing either, and showcases how talented the small indie studio is.
Both games have versions of accessories found in many RPGs. In Hollow Knight, players can collect Charms, which grant various boosts and abilities, and can be equipped at benches. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Trinkets have to be equipped at benches, too, but there is more of a catch. With the game’s Crest system, players can equip one blue Trinket, one yellow Trinket, and one Tool.
Crests can unlock new nodes via Memory Lockets in Hollow Knight: Silksong, which will give players access to two Trinkets of each color. It’s a bit more limiting of an accessory system in Hollow Knight: Silksong compared to Hollow Knight, but as was mentioned before with the downward strike, Crests do offer more customization options. It just takes some time getting used to.
The new region of Hollow Knight: Silksong is named Pharloom. Players will start in some ruins, before the game opens up in Bone Bottom and then The Marrow. While there is a bit of linear progression through these areas, everything is tied together neatly. The branching paths make more sense, and it will give players more opportunities to explore as they like. Hollow Knight wasn’t devoid of choice, but it’s just better designed in the sequel.
If one biome is too difficult, players can move on to something else. For example, two early examples include Hunter’s March and Deep Docks. Hunter’s March is very hard to master, especially with Hornet’s original downward slash, and the boss at the end is one of the hardest in Hollow Knight: Silksong, called the Savage Beastfly. Hunter’s March is almost entirely optional, with Deep Docks being more story-driven, and it is a more balanced area.
The best part of any Metroidvania is getting a new power. Combat boosts can be fun, but traversal abilities can really help with gameplay. Hollow Knight has some great ones like the Mothwing Cloak, which lets The Knight dash, and the Monarch Wings, which give The Knight the coveted double jump ability. Among all of these upgrades, none of them allows The Knight to run.
From the sequel’s start, Hornet is a faster character than The Knight, but only marginally. However, once players unlock Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Swift Step ability, players can dash on the ground, in the air, and even let Hornet run. It’s an early upgrade along with her ability to float like Princess Peach via her new attire, the Drifter’s Cloak. Both of these early upgrades make gameplay more engaging, and Hornet, as a character, is just better suited for intense combat and deep exploring.
September 4, 2025
Team Cherry
Team Cherry
Unity
Hollow Knight
Single-player
