Hollow Knight Silksong: everything we know so far

Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally received an update as part of the Xbox and Bethesda Game Showcase at E3 2022. The game has been in development for a number of years now, following the smash-hit success of the original Hollow Knight. Although it was announced a few years ago, information on the title has been scarce until late.

While we still don’t have a concrete release date, here’s everything we know about Hollow Knight Silksong so far. 

Hollow Knight Silksong release date 

Hollow Knight Silksong screenshot

(Image credit: Team Cherry)

Xbox has narrowed the Hollow Knight: Silksong release date, and has confirmed that the long-awaited title will drop before June 2023. Everything featured in the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase June 2022 is set to drop in the next 12 months, and the gaming giant has since confirmed that, yes, that includes Hollow Knight: Silksong. 

That’s exactly what we said.June 12, 2022

See more

Hollow Knight Silksong platforms

Hollow Knight Silksong

(Image credit: Team Cherry)

With that loose release date, we also got confirmation of what platforms Hollow Knight: Silksong will launch on. It will be available on PC via Steam, GOG, and the Humble Store, alongside Nintendo Switch. 

Hollow Knight: Silksong will also be a Day One drop for Xbox Game Pass for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One.

Hollow Knight Silksong trailer 

Above you can watch the debut Hollow Knight: Silksong reveal trailer, which Team Cherry used to announce the game to the world for the very first time all the way back in February 2019.

The two-minute trailer began with Hornet’s kidnapping, showing her breaking free to explore lush meadows and dank underground passageways. The trailer showed there are new enemies to conquer, new bosses to fight, brand new friends to meet along the way, and new towns to explore, complete with NPC characters and their associated quests.

And now we have this second Hollow Knight: Silksong trailer to pour over. More gameplay sneak peeks, more bosses and bad guys, and more from our old pal Hornet – who’s been promoted from friend and foe of the original game to playable hero.

Hollow Knight Silksong gameplay

Hollow Knight Silksong screenshot

(Image credit: Team Cherry)

As for Hollow Knight: Silksong’s gameplay, initially the only footage we had to go off was from the debut trailer. Despite it being a pure introduction to the sequel, we actually did get to see plenty of clips of protagonist Hornet jumping into action, as she bounds and leaps over enemies with finesse. And now that’s been solidified and built upon by the more recent trailer, with everything looking incredibly fluid.

It’s clear then that Hollow Knight’s blend of platforming and 2D combat is returning for Silksong. In fact, Team Cherry looks to have made the platforming distinctly more acrobatic with Hornet than with the Knight in the original game: the new protagonist looks like a gymnast compared to the Knight, deftly flipping over huge enemies with ease. 

Healing also works differently in Silksong than in Hollow Knight. Instead of slowly refilling her health like the Knight did, Hornet can instantly heal three health nodes, and not only that, but she can also do this on the move. However, Hornet has a Silk metre, and healing three nodes of health immediately empties the bar.

Hollow Knight Silksong story

Hollow Knight Silksong screenshot

(Image credit: Team Cherry)

If you’ve played Hollow Knight, you’ll no doubt remember Hornet, who frequently got in the way of the player character, but ended up becoming their ally partway through. Hollow Knight: Silksong actually switches out protagonists, replacing the Knight with Hornet for this new adventure.

In this new game, Hornet finds herself kidnapped, and spirited away to a kingdom called Pharloom. Said to be “haunted by Silk and Song” according to developer Team Cherry themselves, Silksong’s basic plot puts Hornet right at the bottom of this new kingdom, and tasks her with ascending to the top of the kingdom and reaching a shining citadel to find out the truth behind her kidnapping.

Additionally, there’s also going to be side quests for Hornet to take on. These sound a lot more fleshed out than in the original Hollow Knight, as Silksong actually allows you to keep track of all your side quests in a journal. Perhaps this is an opportunity to tell more stories outside of the main plot of Silksong.

Hollow Knight Silksong development

Hollow Knight Silksong screenshot

(Image credit: Team Cherry)

Hollow: Knight: Silksong actually began development as another DLC chapter for the original Hollow Knight. Set to star Hornet, developer Team Cherry quickly realised the scope of the DLC was far bigger than they anticipated, so they actually carved out the space for a full-blown sequel starring Hornet instead.

Looking at the sequel now, it’s not hard to see why. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s debut trailer boasted of over 150 brand new enemies, including new bosses to fight in addition to this. In fact, there’s brand new features for the sequel, like the ability to craft weapons, tools, and traps from materials gathered off of fallen enemies.

If you liked the music of the original game, then we’ve got good news for you. Original composer Christopher Larkin has returned to collaborate with Team Cherry to score Hollow Knight: Silksong, which means the new adventure promises to have memorable tunes for punchy moments.


Love Hollow Knight? This best Metroidvania games list might tickle your fancy. 

About Fox

Check Also

I beat Baldurs Gate 3s hardest boss with a brilliant strategy and D&Ds most iconic spell

There are an awful lot of spells in D&D, and while Baldur’s Gate 3 features …

Leave a Reply