Razor Needle and Instant Response
I check the jump and the strike first thing in any 2D action game. If the startup lags or the recovery sticks to the floor like syrup, the whole experience rots. Silksong does not rot. Hornet feels light, aggressive, and instantly obedient on a game controller. You press the attack button, the needle comes out clean, and the recovery cuts off the instant you touch dirt or vault off an insect carapace.
Her downward strike angles differently than the down-slash in the original Hollow Knight. You dive forward on a diagonal slant, and the hitbox connects with real bite. Striking a shield or a hard carapace bounces Hornet up and back into the air, resetting her options immediately. That quick rebound changes how you space encounters. You cannot just float above a target and bounce on its skull indefinitely without thinking about trajectory. Miss the timing, and you land directly into an enemy swing.
Climbing Pharloom's Vertical Gauntlets
The kingdom of Pharloom runs tall instead of deep. You start down in mossy grottos and spend hours clawing upward toward gilded cities and misted moors, heading for the shining citadel at the summit. The vertical layout demands constant wall-grabs and ledge-vaults. Hornet grabs ledges naturally, pulling herself over lip edges without getting hung up on uneven terrain geometry.
That agility is necessary because basic enemies do not sit around waiting for their turn. Team Cherry packed this land with over 200 enemy types, and even the flying pests in the early caverns bait your jump arcs. Some hold jagged lances, others spit thread or fling projectiles that force you to sprint underneath them. Distinct audio cues keep telegraphs readable, giving you just enough warning before a creature lunges from offscreen.
Tools, Traps, and Boss Encounters
Hornet crafts her own gear on this pilgrimage. Instead of relying solely on spells, you put together tools, traps, and mechanisms to throw into the fray. Setting a spike trap on a narrow ledge and baiting an aggressive brawler into it gives you room to breathe and heal. Healing also requires full commitment to silk resource management, tying your survival directly to how frequently you land clean needle strikes on hostile targets.
The boss design showcases that pressure at its best. There are over 40 bosses spread across the climb, and each duel tests your defensive discipline. Bosses leave narrow punish windows between their multi-hit strings. You cannot greedily mash strikes and trade damage. You have to weave around sweeping blade arcs, slip behind the recovery animation, land two slashes, and clear out before the counterattack clips your mask. Christopher Larkin's orchestral score pumps driving strings through these fights, matching the frantic tempo without drowning out impact sounds.
Brutal Difficulty and Steel Soul
The game is demanding, and it occasionally verges on mean. Checkpoints can sit several brutal hazard rooms away from a boss door, forcing you to run the same gauntlet repeatedly while practicing a difficult encounter. Some fast-moving beasts have tiny hitboxes that are easy to whiff if your diagonal jump angle is off by a hair. When you misjudge a dive, you eat heavy punishment.
Conquering the main route unlocks Steel Soul mode for anyone looking to push their execution under permadeath rules. At twenty dollars on Steam, the package is packed with content, tight technical combat, and zero bloat. It demands strict execution and gives you the exact tools required to deliver it.
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The needle combat feels fantastic and responsive. Dying hurts with those spaced-out checkpoints, but it really pushes you to learn the fights. Hope Team Cherry tweaks the bench placement a bit later, but I'm having a blast right now anyway.
Hey d4rk_pr1nc3, that spinning blade boss gave me trouble too! But once you get the rhythm down it feels great. I actually started waking up at 4am to practice before work lol. Keep going, you'll get it. The game is worth the frustration.
crumpet, the pogo isn't clunky. The startup is longer than the original Hollow Knight but it's consistent. You have to adjust your thumb angle. I had the same issue in my first hours. Once you get it, it never drops.
No spoilers but the ending really wrecked me. In a good way. Team Cherry knows how to pull heartstrings.
The needle combat feels fantastic and responsive. Dying hurts with those spaced-out checkpoints, but it really pushes you to learn the fights. Hope Team Cherry tweaks the bench placement a bit later, but I'm having a blast right now anyway.
tbh the combat is crisp but those runbacks make me wanna throw my controller lol. still a solid game tho. score feels right.
Is the needle sharp enough to thread a narrative? Is it sharp enough to knit armor? Asking for a friend. Anyway, solid combat once you get the angle down.
was so hyped for this... the music is incredible as expected... but those checkpoint placements are killing my vibe... its like they want you to suffer... still a good game but man...
@tpr84The long runbacks suck, sure, but honestly I don't hate them that much. Trudging back through empty rooms after dying makes beating the boss feel way more earned. Christopher Larkin's music carrying the whole walk definitely helps too. Don't drop it yet, the boss fights are worth the hike.
Thats a good tip, flint! It takes practice but once you get the angle it feels smooth. Keep trying everyone, youll get there. Dont give up.
19.99 is decent if you get heaps of hours out of it. But if it's under 20 hours thats a bit steep for me. What's the average playtime to finish it?
Does this have a real ending or is it one of those games that tries to be a second job with endless grinding? I'm allergic to dailies and battle passes now.
@prego_tonyIt has a proper ending. No live service, no grinding. You can beat it at your own pace.
@Vancevance says no live service... but still 20 bucks is 20 bucks... have to think about cost per hour... if its under 15 hours thats rough... might wait for a sale.. heard the game is good though...
tbh the music is great but the runbacks to the bosses are getting old fast lol.
great review! tbh the diagonal pogo feels clunky and i died like 20 times just trying to cross a simple gap lol. hope they fix the hit detection on that soon.
@crumpetHonestly the diagonal pogo just takes some getting used to. It feels brutal at first and your thumbstick spacing has to be dead on, but once you stop treating it like the first game it starts clicking. Demanding for sure, just not broken.
@crumpetThe diagonal pogo is deliberate. The input window is tight but consistent. Once you adjust your thumb angle it won't drop you. Try practicing on the wide gaps first.
@Vancevance u say its consistent but i swear the timing varies. tried on both controller and kb/m, same issue. it is definitely more than just the angle.
@crumpetcrumpet, the pogo isn't clunky. The startup is longer than the original Hollow Knight but it's consistent. You have to adjust your thumb angle. I had the same issue in my first hours. Once you get it, it never drops.
honestly just good to chill out with (after a rough shift anyway). im still stuck on that one boss near the start (the one with the spinning blades, i think) but im not really in a rush (mostly because my cat keeps sitting on the keyboard while im trying to focus on the platforming segments, which happens way more often than i care to admit when i just want to game for an hour).
@d4rk_pr1nc3Hey d4rk_pr1nc3, that spinning blade boss gave me trouble too! But once you get the rhythm down it feels great. I actually started waking up at 4am to practice before work lol. Keep going, you'll get it. The game is worth the frustration.
Pharloom looks amazing, but man, wandering around these empty rooms between fights just makes the whole place feel depressing. Christopher Larkin completely cooked with the orchestral music here too, makes just walking through the halls hit so much harder. Really contrasts with how hectic and loud the needle combat gets the second an enemy actually jumps you.
@Elena Reads CodicesThe environments look stunning. Is the lighting dynamic? I saw some reflections on Hornet's needle that seemed to react to the environment. Also, is the pogo angle affected by the camera angle? It feels like the hitbox shifts slightly near walls. Curious if anyone else noticed.