REVIEW
8.8· Great
Hollow Knight: Silksong PS5 Review – A Tougher, Sharper Climb
Hollow Knight: Silksong on PS5 is a confident sequel that meaningfully evolves the original’s Metroidvania formula around Hornet’s speed and flexibility.
Hollow Knight: Silksong arrives on PS5 with the burden of being the one everyone waited for, and the good news is that it mostly earns that weight. Team Cherry swaps the original’s quiet descent for a more purposeful ascent, putting Hornet centre-stage as she’s dragged into a new kingdom and forced to climb through it, fighting, scavenging, and unpicking its mysteries. What stands out early is intent: Silksong is not simply “more Hollow Knight”, it’s a sequel that re-tools movement, loadouts, and progression around speed and improvisation. The flip-side is that its harsher edges are more pronounced too, especially when the game leans into friction as a form of difficulty.
Silksong also introduces a more layered economy. One currency drives buying and upgrades, while another supports crafting and consumable-style tools, giving you bursts of utility when you prepare properly. The concept is strong, it creates interesting decisions about how stocked you want to be before tackling a risky route, but it can also feel stingy when losses stack up and the game nudges you into farming rather than exploring.
Difficulty is the headline talking point, and it’s not exaggerated. There are no difficulty options, and Silksong sets a higher baseline than its predecessor, with more intricate platforming and more aggressive combat demands. The best bosses are exceptional tests of pattern learning and nerve, but the game’s weaker moments often come from repetition: long run-backs, resource drain, and stretches where challenge turns into attrition.
Importantly, Silksong keeps spoilers at arm’s length. You can follow the central premise without knowing every detail of the first game, but returning players will spot thematic echoes and a familiar commitment to lore that is discovered rather than explained.
Game Snapshot
| Developer/Publisher | Team Cherry |
| Release Date | 04 September 2025 |
| Platforms | PS5, PS4 |
| Price | £15.99/$19.99 |
| Rating | PEGI 7 (Fear, Mild Violence) | ESRB E10+ (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood) |
| Genre | Metroidvania, 2D action-adventure platformer |
| Length | 20 to 25 hours (main story) and 27 to 30 hours (story + side content) |
| Install Size | ~2.5 GB (PS5)
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Presentation and World Design
Silksong’s most immediate triumph is how confidently it builds a new identity without abandoning the series’ signature silhouette. The hand-drawn look is crisp and expressive, with animation that sells Hornet’s athleticism in everything from quick pivots to needle-forward lunges. Background layers do a lot of heavy lifting; rooms often feel like spaces you’re passing through, not flat arenas you’re trapped inside, and that sense of depth feeds the game’s “keep climbing” rhythm. World design is where the PS5 experience shines, not through raw spectacle, but through readability and atmosphere. Pharloom’s regions are framed as distinct biomes and cultures, and the best stretches reward curiosity with smart shortcuts, new traversal routes, and small visual stories that hint at what this kingdom values and fears. Audio is similarly purposeful. It’s not just mood-setting music and insectile ambience, it’s pacing control, giving you breathers in settlements and ratcheting tension in boss corridors. When Silksong is working at full tilt, it feels like a complete package: art, sound, and level layout pushing you towards “one more room” even when you know you should bank your progress first.Gameplay and Combat
Silksong’s core loop is familiar on paper, explore, map, unlock mobility, defeat bosses, but Hornet changes the texture of almost every interaction. She’s faster and more agile than the Knight, and the game leans into that by asking for sharper positioning and more committed movement. Combat becomes less about holding ground and more about flowing through space, using height and angles to stay safe while keeping pressure on enemies. The big mechanical win is loadout expression. Rather than a single “best” setup, Silksong encourages you to shape Hornet through systems that modify how her needle attacks behave and how equipment slots are arranged. That flexibility matters because encounters demand different answers: tight rooms full of threats, long boss patterns, wave-style challenges, and platforming sequences that punish sloppy timing.
Silksong also introduces a more layered economy. One currency drives buying and upgrades, while another supports crafting and consumable-style tools, giving you bursts of utility when you prepare properly. The concept is strong, it creates interesting decisions about how stocked you want to be before tackling a risky route, but it can also feel stingy when losses stack up and the game nudges you into farming rather than exploring.
Difficulty is the headline talking point, and it’s not exaggerated. There are no difficulty options, and Silksong sets a higher baseline than its predecessor, with more intricate platforming and more aggressive combat demands. The best bosses are exceptional tests of pattern learning and nerve, but the game’s weaker moments often come from repetition: long run-backs, resource drain, and stretches where challenge turns into attrition.
Story and Characters
Silksong is more direct than Hollow Knight, without abandoning the series’ fondness for implication. Hornet is captured and taken to Pharloom, then forced into an upward pilgrimage that frames the story as both escape and investigation. That structure helps momentum, you are always working towards a “higher” answer, and it gives the game a clearer through-line than the original’s dreamlike drift. Hornet herself is a stronger anchor than the silent Knight, not because the game becomes chatty, but because it can now place relationships and motivations on-screen rather than purely in the margins. Side characters and settlement encounters serve as pressure valves between dangerous zones, and the best narrative beats arrive through world context: what people barter for, what they worship, what they’re willing to risk for one more step towards the Citadel.
Importantly, Silksong keeps spoilers at arm’s length. You can follow the central premise without knowing every detail of the first game, but returning players will spot thematic echoes and a familiar commitment to lore that is discovered rather than explained.
Value and Longevity
At £15.99/$19.99, Silksong is priced like a “small” game and plays like anything but. Even if you focus on the main path, the likely 20 to 25-hour runtime is meaty, and side content can push you closer to the 30-hour mark without needing completionist obsession. Replay value depends on how much you enjoy mastery. The build systems and optional challenges support multiple approaches, but it’s still a demanding game, so replays tend to be “because you want to get better”, not “because it’s cosy”. For players who do click with its rhythm, there’s also a clear sense that Team Cherry is committed post-launch: Patch work has been active, and a free expansion, Sea of Sorrow, has been announced for 2026 with new areas, bosses, and tools.Technical Notes
On PS5, Silksong is positioned as a straightforward single-player title with offline play, Remote Play support, and DualSense vibration. PlayStation’s listing also highlights accessibility features such as basic control options and the ability to disable vibration, motion controls, and trigger effects. Team Cherry’s post-launch support has included meaningful “under the hood” work, including upgraded controller support via Unity’s Input System and a substantial localisation update (including a new Simplified Chinese translation), alongside broad bug-fix passes. Install size is reported at around 2.5 GB on PS5, which is refreshingly light for how substantial the game feels.Final Word
Hollow Knight: Silksong on PS5 is the rare sequel that feels both faithful and forward-looking. It keeps the labyrinthine exploration and razor-edged boss design people wanted, then rebuilds the experience around Hornet’s speed, flexibility, and more expressive loadouts. At its best, it’s an absorbing climb through a beautifully realised world, full of smart routes and hard-won progress. The caveat is simple: it expects patience, and it is not shy about making you earn momentum. If you enjoy demanding Metroidvanias with real mechanical bite, Silksong is a standout.
FAQ
Is Hollow Knight: Silksong difficult on PS5?
Yes, it’s a challenging game, and notably there are no difficulty options. Expect demanding platforming, aggressive enemies, and bosses that reward pattern learning and calm execution. The upside is that Hornet’s movement gives you more ways to outplay threats than brute-force them. If you enjoyed the original’s tougher late-game content, Silksong’s baseline will feel familiar, just sharper.
How long is Silksong on PS5?
Most estimates put the main story at roughly 20 to 25 hours, with story plus side content closer to 27 to 30 hours, depending on how thoroughly you explore and how much time bosses take. Completionist runs can stretch far beyond that, but the “typical” experience is already substantial, especially given the price point.
Do you need to play Hollow Knight before Silksong?
Not strictly. Silksong has a clearer central premise and a more directed structure, so newcomers can follow the main arc. That said, playing Hollow Knight first helps you appreciate returning themes, lore references, and why Hornet matters to the wider setting. If you bounce off the original’s opacity, Silksong is still a viable entry point, just a tougher one.
How does Silksong run on PS5, and what PS5 features does it support?
PlayStation lists offline play, Remote Play, and DualSense vibration support. It also flags accessibility options including basic control settings and the ability to disable vibration, motion controls, and trigger effects. Post-launch patches have addressed controller support and bug fixes across platforms, which is reassuring if you’re jumping in well after launch.
Is there DLC or an expansion planned?
Yes. Team Cherry has announced a free expansion called Sea of Sorrow for 2026, described as adding new areas, bosses, tools, and more. Details are intentionally limited for now, but it’s positioned as the first major content expansion, and it should meaningfully extend the game’s longevity for players who want another reason to dive back in.
8.8
Great
SpawningPoint Verdict
Review summary
Hollow Knight: Silksong on PS5 is a confident sequel that meaningfully evolves the original’s Metroidvania formula around Hornet’s speed and flexibility. Its hand-drawn presentation and atmospheric world design remain series highlights, while combat and build systems add more ways to tailor your approach. The main drawback is friction: the game is unapologetically demanding, with no difficulty options and occasional stretches where repetition outweighs exhilaration. Value is excellent at £15.99 / $19.99, and post-launch support looks strong, with active patching and a free 2026 expansion, Sea of Sorrow, already announced.
