When is the Hollow Knight Silksong Release Date? Silksong is the long-awaited sequel to 2017’s immensely popular Hollow Knight. We also don’t use the phrase “long-awaited” lightly, as it’s been over four years since the game was announced. It looks like our prayers to the Pale King have finally been answered, and the Hollow Knight Silksong release date may be closer than we think.
Like its predecessor, Hollow Knight Silksong is a 2D platformer that uses a non-linear progression system. Set in an underground kingdom populated by insects, the focus is on exploration and combat. We can expect to discover dark caves and ancient citadels, fight their fiery occupants, and grow your skills and gear. Hopefully, it’ll be one of the best PC games of 2023. In the meantime, here’s everything we know about the Hollow Knight Silksong release date, including gameplay and trailers.
Hollow Knight Silksong Release Date Speculation
There is currently no official release date for Hollow Knight Silksong, but there are strong indications that it will arrive within the next six months. It will be released on PC via Steam, as well as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S.
Hollow Knight Silksong was first announced in February 2019, about two years after its predecessor was released. It was originally intended as Hollow Knight DLC, but was quickly turned into a standalone sequel. A few months after the announcement, development studio Team Cherry said they wouldn’t give a release date until they were sure the game lived up to the original Hollow Knight.
After three terribly quiet years, it seemed like the time had finally come in June 2022. As part of the Xbox and Bethesda Games showcase, the developers promised a release within 12 months, a promise that Xbox later reaffirmed to fans in Blood. In other words, Hollow Knight Silksong release date should be expected somewhere in the first half of 2023.
Is Hollow Knight Silksong on Game Pass?
Residents of Hallownest, rejoice: Hollow Knight Silksong is coming to Xbox Game Pass. Additionally, the standalone game will be available for download on “day one,” meaning Game Pass fans will have access to it on its release date and will likely be able to preload it as well.
Hollow Knight Silksong Trailers
The Hollow Knight Silksong trailer features the game’s protagonist, an insect named Hornet, as she escapes from captivity. Showcasing Hornet’s nimble needle skills, the trailer reveals a variety of colorful scenes, all set in an all-new realm. It seems this mysterious underground realm is teeming with creatures, with quaint towns with lovable NPCs and dark corners inhabited by deadly enemies.
The most recent Game Pass trailer is a bit shorter, but shows off even more gameplay mechanics and enemy types, with the rising lava scene, in particular, looking pretty heated.
Game and Story of Hollow Knight Silksong
As seen in the Hollow Knight Silksong trailers, this time we’ll be playing as Hornet instead of Knight. Fans of the series will recognize Hornet as the protective princess of Hollownest, one of the main characters from the original Hollow Knight game. The official Hollow Knight Silksong website confirms that Hornet is in an unknown realm at the start of the game, after which he must fight his way to the top.
There are a large number of new enemies in Hollow Knight Silksong. Over 150 new enemies, to be exact, and many of them are powerful bosses. No problem for our brave hero, who can count on a trusty needle weapon, acrobatic combat moves and the occasional respawn. We were also promised a variety of new items and tools, including a Pimp Bomb.
Just like in the first Hollow Knight game, Hornet must hit opponents to get Soul. You can use this soul to heal your shells (HP) in a move called Bind. Unlike the Knight’s Focus ability, Hornet’s Link is much faster, especially since he can piece together multiple projectiles at once. In contrast, Bind uses the full Soul stack, making it more difficult to plan ahead.
As explained on another developer blog, the world mapping process is similar to the original Hollow Knight. You’ll dive headfirst into an uncharted area without any guidance, and as you progress you’ll gain access to maps and markers. While exploring, Hornet can take quests from friendly NPCs or on bulletin boards.
Perhaps the biggest change in this Hollow Knight sequel is that the protagonist has a voice. That’s right, no more silent heroes in Hollow Knight Silksong. Prepare for Hornet’s sarcastic comments as you jump, crawl, and smash your way through the insect kingdom.
Hollow Knight Silksong News
PC gamers will be able to play Hollow Knight Silksong through Steam, GOG, the Humble Store, and Game Pass from day one. In addition to PC, Silksong will also be released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Those in the mood for even more games should check out Nintendo’s Treehouse game from E3 2019, which may have teased mentor Hornet. Unless you prefer to avoid spoilers, the early fights give a good impression of Hornet’s fighting style and the type of enemies he can encounter. No, it does not reveal all 150+ of them.
In December 2019, Hollow Knight Silksong score composer Christopher Larkin shared the first two samples of the soundtrack. The tracks, called Lace and Bonebottom, are free to download.
That’s all we know about Hollow Knight Silksong for now. It looks like we’ll have to be patient a little longer, and maybe play another great Hollow Knight-like Metroidvania game in the meantime.