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Subscribe from just £3 Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£9.99Subscribe now PS5 State of Play Ghost of Yotei Battlefield 6 New Games for 2025 Don't miss these Action Games I finally finished Silksong 100%, so now I'm positive: I like Hollow Knight more Action Games Silksong is way harder than Hollow Knight, and my theory is that Team Cherry became evil masterminds without even realizing it Action Games Dread it, run from it, Hollow Knight: Silksong gets hit by the difficulty discourse as players can't decide if they should "git gud" or acknowledge "legitimate issues" Team Cherry has with the Metroidvania Action Games I've played 100s of hours of Soulslikes, and I think Hollow Knight Silksong is harder than Elden Ring – but what makes games difficult anyway? Action Games Hollow Knight Silksong review: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times" Action Games Fans say Team Cherry was wrong and Silksong is actually "noticeably harder" than Hollow Knight, with movement and bosses pummeling you from the Metroidvania's first hour Action Games Hollow Knight: Silksong has been out for 120 minutes and already has over 1,500 "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam reviews, so either y'all are really fast or those reviews don't actually mean much Action Games 2 hours in, and Hollow Knight Silksong is already making me feel like I'm playing Dark Souls for the first time again Action Games Hollow Knight Silksong has beat my ass for 11 hours, but it's not too hard – we just have a problem with instant gratification Action Games Silksong takes a Steam review beating, falling to 'Mostly Positive' after a sterling launch thanks to a Chinese localization so bad Team Cherry has already promised to "improve it" Action Games 8 years on, Hollow Knight is still an extraordinary achievement – but can Silksong live up to the hype? Action Games Hollow Knight: Silksong is now live, and with no leaks or review codes everyone is playing it for the first time after waiting more than 6 years Platforming Games Hollow Knight Silksong release live coverage – Steam and eShop outages, early hands-on impressions, and more Action Games Silksong is huge, but it's way huger on PC: Steam was Team Cherry's biggest US platform, analyst says, and the game didn't even break top 50 on PlayStation Action Games Hollow Knight: Silksong devs believe "the real world generally underestimates players," but Team Cherry trusts fans to "engage" and figure the Metroidvania out: "You can guide them a little bit, and that's enough" Action Games Hollow Knight: Silksong Silksong player reviews are several points and a whole Steam tier below Hollow Knight, and I don't know if it's the brutal difficulty or if the first game is just that good Austin Wood 26 September 2025 Obviously, Silksong is still reviewing and selling very well When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Team Cherry) After three weeks, Hollow Knight: Silksong has amassed several hundred thousand user reviews across multiple platforms, and rather fascinatingly, it's scoring slightly below Hollow Knight almost across the board. Having finally completed Silksong 100%, I've just argued that I like Hollow Knight more but would still score the sequel quite highly, and it would appear that I'm in good company. (Critic reviews, per Metacritic, notably put Silksong slightly above, and you can read our Hollow Knight: Silksong review at the link.) That comes with caveats, of course. Hollow Knight has substantially more user reviews, some of which would have been written or amended after the game received several patches and DLCs, and it has developed a cult of personality over time that could've affected more recent reviews. (Counterpoint: Silksong, with no DLC, is already ha-yuge.) You may like I finally finished Silksong 100%, so now I'm positive: I like Hollow Knight more Silksong is way harder than Hollow Knight, and my theory is that Team Cherry became evil masterminds without even realizing it Dread it, run from it, Hollow Knight: Silksong gets hit by the difficulty discourse as players can't decide if they should "git gud" or acknowledge "legitimate issues" Team Cherry has with the Metroidvania We're only seeing the early impressions for Silksong. The volume of impressions is still significant, however, as Silksong has had a considerably more explosive launch than the original game. Given the magnetic hype around it, plenty of Silksong user reviews have assuredly come from people who never played Hollow Knight to begin with, so we can't necessarily draw straight-line comparisons concluding X person likes Silksong more. That being said, we can still draw fair comparisons, and the aggregate data as of writing is pretty decisive. These caveats demonstrate that there is room for Silksong's score to rise, but it would take an unbelievable turnaround for it to match or overtake Hollow Knight at this rate. (Image credit: Team Cherry) Here's how Hollow Knight and Silksong user reviews currently break down by platform. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Hollow Knight - Steam (all): 96% positive with 419,259 reviews Silksong - Steam (all): 83% positive with 224,008 reviews Hollow Knight - Steam (EN): 97% positive with 150,415 reviews Silksong - Steam (EN): 91% positive with 84,492 reviews Hollow Knight - PlayStation: 4.71 stars with 79k ratings Silksong - PlayStation: 4.61 stars with 27k ratings Hollow Knight - Xbox: 4.5 stars with 6.9k ratings Silksong - Xbox: 4 stars with 3.2k ratings I've included two batches of Steam data here – one for English reviews only, and one for all reviews – because Silksong's user review score was heavily impacted by blowback from a shoddy but soon-to-be-fixed Chinese translation which rightly bothered an even larger Chinese gaming audience than the one around at Hollow Knight's launch. This is a real problem with this version of the game, but it's separate from what everyone else is talking about and experiencing, so I didn't want it to skew the only data set. Nintendo, a big platform for Hollow Knight, isn't on the list because the eShop doesn't display this kind of review data. With PC being Silksong's biggest platform, at least in the US, Steam is the focal point anyway. Even with those 63,224 "Mixed" Simplified Chinese reviews excluded, Silksong Steam reviews are several points below Hollow Knight, landing in the Valve-defined "Very Positive" band whereas the first game is basking in "Overwhelmingly Positive" light. You may like I finally finished Silksong 100%, so now I'm positive: I like Hollow Knight more Silksong is way harder than Hollow Knight, and my theory is that Team Cherry became evil masterminds without even realizing it Dread it, run from it, Hollow Knight: Silksong gets hit by the difficulty discourse as players can't decide if they should "git gud" or acknowledge "legitimate issues" Team Cherry has with the Metroidvania These scores are interesting in the context of the discussions that Silksong has sparked, especially with regards to difficulty and expectations. That's doubly true since Team Cherry seemed to agree with some exhausted players in Silksong's first patch, which nerfed a few early bosses and softened the difficulty and progression curve for the first act of the game. (Image credit: Team Cherry) Both games have reviewed and sold incredibly well, and virtually any game would kill for this kind of reception, but Silksong has seen sticking points that Hollow Knight really didn't, and user reviews seem to reflect that prickliness. Everyone has a different tolerance for difficulty, and while everything in Silksong is perfectly beatable (and often cheese-able), the noticeable step up from Hollow Knight seems to have flummoxed some fans. There isn't a great way to holistically analyze this wealth of more critical Silksong Steam reviews – at least not one that I can do myself, right now – but a decent way to start is to check out the negative reviews rated as "most helpful" by other Steam users. I've read dozens of these, and wouldn't you know it, a lot of people reckon Silksong is overly or even senselessly punishing, tedious, un-fun, annoying, and so on, with a clear pattern. "However, while the gameplay, in my opinion, is fine difficulty-wise (for the most part), the amount of unnecessary tedium is not," reads the top-rated review from Gorfir Grå. "'Gotcha' moments are so frequent and so punishing, many of the initial areas has literal 'jump king'/'getting over it' segments where you have to blindly jump into the unknown, with minor miss-steps resulting in massive run backs," says elpern. "Incredibly frustrating. The difficulty curve is a wall: it begins at the difficulty that Hollow Knight ended at," writes tweedgeezer. "If you thought HK needed longer runbacks, horrible economy and all bosses dealing two hearts of damage you are going to love Silksong," says 1 Panda. "Silksong is all tension all the time. Sometimes tension go up. But it never comes back down. And that can be exhausting instead of fun," echoes [S] Modus Pwnens. Or my personal favorite review, from one Mr. Skill-issue: "Savage Beastfly". Silksong player clears Team Cherry's smokescreen and calculates the damage of every Crest, proving I was absolutely right to stick with Wanderer the whole game. See more PS5 News Xbox Series X Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch 2 PlayStation Austin Wood Social Links Navigation Senior writer Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. I finally finished Silksong 100%, so now I'm positive: I like Hollow Knight more Silksong is way harder than Hollow Knight, and my theory is that Team Cherry became evil masterminds without even realizing it Dread it, run from it, Hollow Knight: Silksong gets hit by the difficulty discourse as players can't decide if they should "git gud" or acknowledge "legitimate issues" Team Cherry has with the Metroidvania I've played 100s of hours of Soulslikes, and I think Hollow Knight Silksong is harder than Elden Ring – but what makes games difficult anyway? Hollow Knight Silksong review: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times" Fans say Team Cherry was wrong and Silksong is actually "noticeably harder" than Hollow Knight, with movement and bosses pummeling you from the Metroidvania's first hour Latest in Action Games Not even Dying Light: The Beast's game director knows how many Easter eggs there are, and you haven't found all of them yet All Silksong Mask Shard locations Hollow Knight Silksong speedrunner becomes the first person in the world to smash through the enormous metroidvania in less than an hour and they're already planning a faster route Manor Lords publisher sets October release date for its next game, a retro roguelite city builder with Vampire Survivors-style bullet hell action After 24 years as lost media, a legendary cutscene from a PS1 Spider-Man game that was delayed and censored in the wake of 9/11 has finally been found and preserved online Marvel's Wolverine box art "doesn't look like our past games," according to Spider-Man studio Insomniac, which worked with a comic artist who has a brutal history with the character for the cover Latest in News Silksong player reviews are several points and a whole Steam tier below Hollow Knight, and I don't know if it's the brutal difficulty or if the first game is just that good Pokemon Legends: Z-A's weirdest but best marketing stunt yet sees real wrestlers, cosplaying as Pokemon, duking it out while Pikachu and Eevee cheer on the violence in the background "This Nintendo patent was apparently granted without a patent examiner looking at a single game": IP expert says concerns "hundreds of games" could be affected by Pokemon summoning patent granted amid Palworld lawsuit are "valid" Silent Hill f fans can't decide if its combat is "ruining the whole experience" with fights harder than Elden Ring, or if the new horror game "was designed for you to pick your battles" Working with Stardew Valley creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone was "truly an honor," says Infinity Nikki dev after surprise crossover: "Eric was very thoughtful throughout the process" Konami finally gives an update on Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 2, assuring that development is moving forward, and I hope that means Metal Gear Solid 4's escape from PS3 is close at hand GAME REVIEWS MOVIE REVIEWS Ghost of Yotei review: "One of the first PS5 games to feel truly boundary-pushing, this hyper violent samurai revenge quest truly hooked me" Hades 2 review: "Impeccable combat and flawless characterization across a huge roster make for a follow-up that surpasses even its excellent roguelike predecessor" EA FC 26 review: "Ultimate Team's huge, divisive changes have me torn – FIFA's successor has moved away from serving football purists" Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles review: "Fantastic tweaks elevate a classic while leaving its spirit intact – this seminal tactical RPG has never been better" Baby Steps review: "If you craved a tougher hiking challenge than Death Stranding, this is for you – though prepare to get dropped from many great heights" One Battle After Another review: "One of the best studio movies in years and an instant classic" The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter" Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet" The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made" Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation" Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills" Gen V season 2 review: "As strong as the first season, if not stronger" Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show" Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids." Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots" GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Review guidelines Write for us Accessibility Statement Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Please login or signup to comment Please wait...
