Infestation of the Mind: Silk Song and a look back on Hollow Knight
I, like many other fans of Hollow Knight, have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Silk Song from Team Cherry. Playing as your mysterious rival Hornet from the first masterfully crafted game and wielding your needle and thread feels like it would be a dream come true.
Sorry to disappoint, but through extensive internet sleuthing, no real news can be found about Silk Song’s release. The only sign of life recently has been a Steam page update consisting of new promotional images in September. This has been the case for the better part of a few years. The last post on Team Cherry’s X (formerly Twitter) was back on February 14th, 2019 promising a Valentine’s Day sneak peek. And then after that, there’s been delay after delay from people in the project. Somewhat recently Matthew Griffin (publisher at Team Cherry) in May this year said the team wouldn’t be making their first half of 2023 release date.
However, I don’t think it is entirely their fault. Recently Unity has made changes to the way Unity Engine is handled monetarily. As a smaller studio, I would imagine that these changes have affected Team Cherry, making their strewn-out development even more difficult. A lot of this could be speculation though, so let’s get to my point.
Hollow Knight is a masterfully crafted game that deserves a replay if you are anticipating Silk Song. There is a reason so many people long for Silk Song, and it’s because Hollow Knight was so beloved when it was released.
Immediately Hollow Knight grabs you with its mesmerizing, delicate, and passionate soundtrack pulling you under, into the realm of hallownest. I still listen to the soundtrack sometimes on Spotify to this day. The atmosphere there is dark and sad, accompanied by the lamenting piano and strings when you first enter Dirtmouth, where few citizens remain. The music from each of the many many biomes in this game does such a great job of painting an emotional image of the area, submerging you in the world. Greenpath has some wonder and whimsy to introduce you to the first vibrancy you see after fighting beetles in the dark. The City of Tears is led by a dream-like harp that mirrors the rain falling around you and angelic vocals as you climb the spires of the wondrous abandoned city.
Character and boss themes also give a good essence to their look and fighting style. The first encounter with Hornet is a surprise duel, needle against the nail, the music is tense and feels as if the three musketeers must be fighting for their lives. You can picture each dodge and parry in your mind flowing with the stressful undulating strings.
The story of Hollow Knight is very unique. It does follow the Souls-like way of storytelling, so you can get as little or as much as you want from that department. Either you just kill all the bad guys on the way to the big bad guy, or you can indulge in some of the dialogue and environmental storytelling to see the more interesting picture. You’ll find that Hallownest was once a much happier place with structure and society. Now all that lies in rubble and you can find out why on your travels. Every corner can offer secrets that have both an effect on gameplay and the story. Maybe you’ll find someone who has something to say or maybe you’ve found a charm from old Hallownest that can change the way you play. Unique storytelling can make a narrative quite interesting and gives players a nice freedom to take in what they want.
The gameplay of Hollow Knight is also one of its strongest aspects. It is simply a Metroidvania, but it refines the mechanics so that it’s a beacon of what the genre can be. Areas can be large and expansive or tight and claustrophobic. Unreachable paths become apparent and your quest to find the necessary ability drives you forward to explore further.
The knight himself controls so responsively. Inputs are immediate and sharp control over your character in the air and on the ground making for amazing and satisfying dodges against enemies. Oftentimes when a game is difficult, some of that can be manufactured and not truly based on the player’s lack of skill. Things like modern shooters making enemies into bullet sponges instead of making more interesting modifiers or mechanics. Hollow Knight’s difficulty comes from learning the choreography of the game. Manufacture your charms to play how you like, you can go all in on soul and cast big damage spells or go for extra health and quick healing if you’re prone to get hit. It’s about timing your dodges, nail hits, and skills between the openings like a deadly dance with your enemy.
All the bosses are unique too, based on certain insect species and then the added flair of cool medieval armor and weapons. You can encounter beetle knights clad in heavy armor, agile mantis spearmen, and even moth sorcerers. With so much variety and creativity it doesn’t get old.
The many great individual parts of this game come together to make something so enjoyable, unlike a lot of video games I’ve played. Team Cherry caught lightning in a bottle with Hollow Knight. I think that it can strike twice given how amazing the first game was too. Silk Song’s delay has probably been the result of a team that wants to make a good game and I appreciate that. If you need something to do while you wait though… play Hollow Knight.
