Hollow Knight: Silksongis the highly anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight, the beloved indie metroidvania known for its haunting world, fluid platforming, and deep lore. This time, you must take control of Hornet, the agile princess-protector of Hallownest, as she navigates a strange new kingdom filled with danger and mystery.
With the return of stunning hand-drawn visuals and precise, challenging gameplay, Silksong promises to build on everything that made the original a masterpiece. WhileHollow Knightset an incredibly high bar, a few smart changes in Silksong could elevate it even further and truly make it one of the greatest games in the genre.
10Improve Gameplay Across All Platforms
Hollow Knight was clearly born on PC… and every other platform kinda feels like a port. The Switch version especially got the short end of the nail: longer load times, dropped frames, occasional crashes, and controls stickier than a shrumal ogre’s handshake. Pulling off precise platforming or reacting to surprise enemies? Good luck.
Silksong is set to release on Linux, Windows, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
With Silksong’s multi-platform launch, there’s real hope that Team Cherry gives each version the polish it deserves. A little extra QA could go a long way toward ensuring Switch andXbox Handheld playersaren’t stuck in a slideshow while everyone else enjoys buttery-smooth bug battles.
9Better Rewards For The Most Difficult Challenges
Hollow Knight is famously difficult, so much so that there aremods just to help players finish it. And while conquering the brutally challenging Pantheon of Hallownest is an impressive feat, the in-game rewards feel a bit… underwhelming, even with the final, lore-heavy cutscene.
Silksong has a chance to make high-difficulty content feel more worthwhile by offering tangible, interactive rewards. A new weapon, a flashy cosmetic, or even the ability to change the background music would go a long way. If we’re going to cry, rage, and possibly sacrifice a controller to beat the hardest bosses, the least we deserve is a shiny new trinket, or a battle theme that makes us feel like the bug queen we truly are.
8Interact With NPCs
The denizens of Hallownest are fascinating: quirky, mysterious, and full of personality. But given such detailed designs, their dialogue is disappointingly shallow. Most NPCs only have a handful of lines that rarely evolve, even as the story progresses.
Once you obtain the Dream Nail in Hollow Knight, you are able to hear NPCs' inner dialogue.
It’s a missed opportunity. More interactive conversations, branching dialogue, or evolving responses based on your actions could have deepened the world. Imagine if your choices changed how certain characters treated you or if they dropped hints about hidden paths and secrets as your bond with them grew. Hallownest feels alive… but its people don’t always get the chance to show it.
7Bench Yourself Before Boss Fights
The benches in Hollow Knight are literal lifesavers, serving as your respawn point, your rest stop, and your moment of peace before everything tries to kill you again. It’s a clever, organic system that fits perfectly within the world of Hallownest.
That said, as charming as it is to reflect on your mortality while hoofing it back to a boss room for the tenth time, the long treks after each death can wear thin, especially when the difficulty spikes like a vengeful Mantis. Silksong could improve this by placing benches (or their equivalent) right outside boss chambers. It wouldn’t make the game easier… just less frustrating. Because when you’re about to face a nightmare with wings and ten phases, the last thing you need is a scenic detour through spike alley.
6Additional Side Quests
Despite Hollow Knight’s vast, twisting world and non-linear storytelling, it’s surprisingly light on side quests. That’s a missed opportunity; side quests are great for teaching mechanics, expanding lore, building character arcs, and, let’s be honest, distracting us from getting wrecked by whatever boss lurks three rooms over.
Given how tough the main game is, many players aren’t rushing back for another playthrough,even with the allure of multiple endings. Adding more side quests into Silksong (and better yet, hiding them in the darkest corners of the map) would make replayability more alluring and make exploration even more rewarding. Because if we’re going to suffer through a gauntlet of spike pits and angry beetles, we might as well get a quirky bug NPC and a cool new charm out of it.
5Cosmetic Options
Character customization has been a staple in gaming for decades. From equipping flashy armor sets to putting a sombrero on Noctis during a dramatic cutscene (RIP immersion), cosmetic options add charm, humor, and a personal touch to gameplay.
Hollow Knight’s minimalist art style doesn’t leave much room for giant feathered hats, but Silksong has the opportunity to expand in subtle, stylish ways. Imagine unlocking different exoskeleton colors for Hornet by completing challenges or hidden quests, or adding visual effects to your nail, like glowing runes, trailing sparks, or even a tiny buzzing soundtrack of victory. These little touches wouldn’t break the tone, but they’d give players a reason to strut their stuff in style while exploring the new kingdom.
4Unique Weapons
At its core, Hollow Knight is a technical platformer thatpays tribute to the classics, where success relies more on memorizing attack patterns and playing defense than going full button-mash barbarian. That style suited The Knight’s quiet, stoic demeanor just fine. But with Hornet stepping into the spotlight, it might be time to shake things up a bit.
You are able to upgrade your Nail in Hollow Knight, but the mechanics stay the same and only the damage is increased.
Instead of relying on a handful of basic moves, Hornet’s arsenal of nails and tools could each come with unique abilities. Imagine needing to swap weapons not just because it looks cool, but because your needle just isn’t cutting it (literally). You’d still need to study your enemies, of course, but now you’d also need to master your own toolkit.
3Parry Attacks
Adding more unique weapons would be great, but introducing a parry system could be a real game-changer for Silksong. In Hollow Knight, your only real defensive options are jumping, dashing, or desperately flailing in the opposite direction. But imagine being able to meet an incoming attack head-on with a perfectly timed parry, not only avoiding damage but setting yourself up for a slick counterattack.
This one small mechanic could dramatically deepen combat. And as you progress, you could level up your parry to deflect projectiles, stagger enemies, or even launch into a flashy combo. It would add a layer of strategy and style to every encounter. Not to mention, nothing says “bug royalty” like swatting away an enemy’s attack and striking back with flair.
2Flesh Out The Bosses
The bosses in Hollow Knight are iconic, with unique battle patterns and designs that fit naturally into the world of Hallownest. But despite their memorable gameplay, many of them lack clear narrative context. Aside from a few exceptions, like Hornet, most bosses exist purely as obstacles, with little explanation for their presence or motivations.
For Silksong, more narrative depth would add emotional weight to these encounters. It doesn’t need to be heavy-handed, but brief lore hints in environmental storytelling or dialogue would go a long way. That way, defeating a boss wouldn’t just feel like overcoming a challenge, but like closing a chapter in a larger, interconnected story.
1Protagonist Development
Hollow Knight focuses on world-building and exploration,leaving the story scatteredacross journal entries and NPC dialogue. This subtle approach even extends to the protagonist; The Knight remains silent and unchanged throughout the journey, which fits the game’s somber, mysterious tone.
However, with Hornet taking the lead in Silksong, it would be great to see some actual character development. Hornet already has a voice, a personality, and a backstory, so watching her grow as the story unfolds would add emotional weight to the experience. Seeing the world affect her, not just physically, but emotionally or mentally, would make the journey feel more personal. After all, what’s the point of surviving a bug-infested kingdom if it doesn’t change you a little?
