Hollow Knight: Silksong review: A flawed masterpiece

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Reviewing Hollow Knight: Silksong was uniquely difficult for me in two ways. First, the game itself is incredibly challenging – it really pushed my skills and patience with its tough levels, frustrating bosses, and demanding challenges. Second, it forced me to rethink my entire approach to writing reviews.

Writing a good game review involves balancing how well the game is made with how much the reviewer personally enjoys it. While all reviews are based on opinion, a reviewer should still try to be fair. Just because a game isn’t for someone doesn’t mean it’s bad. For instance, I don’t love first-person shooters, but that wouldn’t make it right to give a game like *Battlefield 6* a very low score. Even if a game isn’t my preferred style, I can still appreciate its good qualities and why others might enjoy it.

Let’s talk about *Silksong*. From what everyone says, it’s an amazing game. This review is different because it comes after the game has been out for a while and people have already shared their thoughts. And those thoughts are overwhelmingly positive – the gameplay, the world, the art, the music, everything is fantastic. But did *I* enjoy playing *Hollow Knight: Silksong*? Honestly, I had fun with it at times, but not consistently.

Was Hollow Knight: Silksong Fun?

I usually can’t use guides when I’m reviewing a game early, so I’m glad this wasn’t a pre-release copy. *Hollow Knight: Silksong* features a beautiful, incredibly detailed world that you’ll want to discover. However, it’s easy to get turned around or stuck on whether a challenge is necessary to complete the game. While the game generally feels fair with its rewards, when you’re trying to finish quickly, those optional bosses and difficult platforming sections can really eat into your time.

If I had to sum up my experience with *Hollow Knight: Silksong* in one word, it would be ‘stressful.’ I went into the game expecting a challenge, but I quickly realized it was much harder than I anticipated. I thought I’d adjust after a little practice, but that never happened. Every obstacle felt like a major roadblock, consistently slowing down my progress – sometimes for hours. This leads me to what I think is the game’s biggest problem.

Look, I still think *Silksong* is a fantastic game, but I’m realizing it just doesn’t quite click with *me*. It really demands your full focus, and honestly, after a long day at work, I don’t have the time to really master it. I’m not naturally gifted at super fast-paced action games anyway, so I know I’m going to hit some walls. It’s a great game, just not a great fit for my playstyle and schedule.

PROS:

  1. A cast of unforgettable characters and enemies;
  2. movement and action flow seamlessly;
  3. brilliantly designed world woven into the overarching themes.

CONS:

  1. Unforgiving boss fights, platforming, and challenge rooms;
  2. frustratingly long run-backs that weaken the appreciation of everything else;
  3. punishing environmental hazards.

Highs & Lows

Look, I know I’ve been critical, but *Hollow Knight: Silksong* definitely had its awesome parts too. It felt a lot like riding a roller coaster – incredible highs, but you gotta deal with some frustrating lows to get there. Two bosses really stand out to me as examples of this. They caused a bit of a stir when the game first came out, actually – Team Cherry ended up patching them pretty quickly after release. I’m talking about Moorwing and Sister Splinter, those two were a bit of a rollercoaster themselves!

Act 1 features two boss fights, and my experiences with them were drastically different. Both were incredibly frustrating, but Moorwing was especially difficult. I spent two full days repeatedly trying—and failing—to beat him. I eventually spoke with Garmond, an ally who can help, and discovered that he and his horse were surprisingly resilient. Garmond could actually defeat Moorwing on his own if left to fight! However, I still couldn’t manage to win the fight myself. Finally, I essentially gave up and found a safe spot that Moorwing couldn’t reach. I then let Garmond slowly defeat the boss while I watched. It was a really low point in the game for me, and I still feel bad about how I had to win.

Sister Splinter was another tough boss, and this time I didn’t have Garmond to help me out. The real difficulty came from the minions she summoned – there was just too much happening at once! It was hard to manage both them, the boss herself, and the dangerous obstacles she created. Then, almost by chance, I used my Silkspear and had a breakthrough. I usually try to save my silk for healing, but I realized that a well-placed Silkspear could eliminate two minions *and* clear the thorns on the ground at the same time. It was a game-changer! After that, I only needed a few more attempts to beat Sister Splinter, and it was a fantastic feeling to finally progress without relying on a cheesy tactic, like I did with Moorwing.

Hollow Knight: Silksong creates a rollercoaster of emotions. It has incredibly rewarding moments that make the difficult challenges feel worthwhile, but those are often followed by frustrating lows that make you want to give up. I rarely finish games these days unless it’s for work, and honestly, if I hadn’t been reviewing Silksong, I probably would have stopped playing a long time ago. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of the game itself – there’s plenty to enjoy – but the combination of intense difficulty and occasional frustration ultimately led me to put it down, at least personally.

Impeccable Design

There’s so much to appreciate about *Silksong*. The characters are incredibly well-designed, from the protagonist Hornet to the charming singing creature, Sherma. I especially remember getting caught humming Shakra’s song and feeling a thrill whenever I heard it faintly in a new part of the game. A good design, in my opinion, passes the ‘silhouette test’ – even just seeing the outlines of the enemies, you can instantly recognize them and know how to fight them, which is really remarkable considering how diverse they are.

The different areas, or biomes, in the game are also well-designed. While they all feel like they belong in the same world, each one is distinct thanks to its unique colors, enemies, and atmosphere. I really enjoyed exploring these areas when I had a moment to breathe, and I could easily lose myself in the world for hours if the game wasn’t so challenging. I briefly wished I’d played on PC so I could use mods to make it easier, especially after starting my review on the Switch 2, but that wouldn’t have given me an accurate impression of the game as it is.

One of the best things about *Hollow Knight: Silksong* is how fluid and satisfying the movement feels. There are moments where you get completely into a rhythm as Hornet, effortlessly gliding through areas. While this often happens during repeated attempts at a difficult boss, it does make those long and risky journeys back to the boss fight a little more fun.

Final Thoughts

Reviewing *Hollow Knight: Silksong* has been a tough assignment, both in terms of playing the game and writing about it. I really appreciate my editors’ understanding while I worked through it. This project forced me to carefully consider not only the game’s quality, but also my own review process.

I get why some players believe the difficulty in *Silksong* is intentional – that it fits the game’s story about a dangerous journey to the Citadel, meant to feel overwhelming. It’s a strong idea, and the game’s atmosphere consistently supports this feeling. However, I don’t think difficulty is the *only* way to convey that message. If a game isn’t enjoyable, that’s a problem.

Okay, so *Hollow Knight: Silksong* is seriously good, but man, it can be *brutal*. Sometimes it felt less fun and more like a test of endurance with those super-tough challenges and environments. And honestly, when a boss fight takes ages and then getting back to where you were takes forever, it gets a little repetitive. It’s a flawed masterpiece, for sure. I can see why some people would call it one of the best games ever, and I appreciate the quality is definitely there. But I’ll be real, there were times I really had to force myself to keep going – it’s just relentlessly difficult!

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2025-10-15 10:04