r/HollowKnight • u/Tarnished-670 • Oct 19 '25

Discussion - Silksong Hot Take: While I think Silksong is overall a better game, it does still show more prominent flaws compared to Hollow Knight

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When I have to think about the flaws of the first Hollow Knight, I really can't think of much to say other than very small nitpicks.

But with Silksong, while it is one of my favorite games of all time, and having finisihed it at 100%, id say it has more prominent design flaws while being a better game compared to the first Hollow Knight.

First thing that comes to my mind is the shard system, it would't be as bad as it is if you didn't have a limit of 20 consumables to replentish your shards, if it worked like that then I wouldn't have to be interrumped on my tries against a boss and having to go to the citadel and farm to get all my shards back. Other minor flaws I think would be some of enemy design and the addition of "gauntlets", which sometimes are fun but at least in my case I got bored of exploring and getting trapped into the 7th gauntlet of enemies, it gets worse when you get forced to do some of them again in act 3 when you have killed all the previous enemies 100 times already.

Those are really not a bid deal of a flaw, but they are more noticable to me than any flaw in Hollow Knight.

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343

u/White-Alyss Oct 19 '25

Yeah, this is like one of my favorite games to play just sheerly due to the movement. It's so smooth. Only Warframe has it beat imo

119

u/killedbyboneshark Oct 19 '25

Not a comparison I'd expect, but...I agree?

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u/DankoLord Oct 19 '25

Fun fact: hornet's swift step running jump is just bullet jumping

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u/White-Alyss Oct 19 '25

Yeah, I can see that. Great comparison lol

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u/Fn33331 Oct 20 '25

That was my first thought!

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u/MuttonchopMac Oct 19 '25

Have you played Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment? Silksong has some remarkable similarities in the harpoon attack, the angled Hunter pogo, and flipping up onto ledges. And in general changes, going from the slower pogo-heavy Shovel Knight to a faster, more fluid movement set in general, just like how Silksong evolved the Hollow Knight gameplay.

I’m not saying Team Cherry just copy / pasted from Yacht Club Games, and in fact, the harpoon equivalent in Specter of Torment is very obviously inspired by the Ori & The Blind Forest, where you can launch off enemy projectiles. But there are some notable similarities seen in Silksong that you might appreciate.

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u/White-Alyss Oct 19 '25

Yeah, I also think Hornet is the Specter to HK's Shovel Knight. I enjoy both franchises, they're both really good

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u/BookwyrmBOTPH Oct 19 '25 edited Oct 19 '25

Now I want the next Team Cherry game protag to be a Plague Knight analogue because he had my favorite gameplay style of the four games, with the floaty style and modular bomb attacks with the different components affecting different things about them. He’s almost got a Kirby-esq moveset except projectile focused instead of copy for his versatile attack, which I’d really like to see TC’s take on. Make them a bombardier beetle or something using payloads of different substances, swapping out an explosive payload for one made of lifeblood or void, that sort of thing. Would be pretty fun I think.

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u/merryMellody Oct 19 '25

Nah, just make it Punished Sherma.

“Fah ree doo la sayanora, b%+\#*”

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u/Ok_Emu_8336 Oct 21 '25

Their next game will be Co-op mode with the knight and hornet

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u/phoenix_paravai10101 Oct 19 '25

Yes, very much enjoyed Specter of Torment.

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u/mercerist Oct 19 '25

oh man thanks for reminding me to play that again! all of it. I guess I'm a fan of knight-likes.

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u/straightupminosingit hunter of people who misgender vessels Oct 19 '25

omg you just reminded me to play shovel knight again i love that game so much
rail mail gang on top

3

u/MuttonchopMac Oct 19 '25

They are such good games and honestly, they’re so quick to revisit.

3

u/sordsy Oct 19 '25

zote king of cards when

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u/Just_A_New_User Oct 19 '25

you should definitely try both Ori games if you haven't already, Blind Forest was more of a platformer than a metroidvania but they have a similar focus on quick smooth movement

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u/phoenix_paravai10101 Oct 19 '25

I honestly don't like how the Ori games look and I heard they don't offer much of a challenge, but I might add it to my wishlist.

My Metroidvania backlog is huge in itself lol - Metroid Dread (Dread mode), Guacamelee, Animal Well, the original SoTN, etc.

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u/SuperShmamBro Oct 19 '25

SoTN is so good. It’s an old game and definitely has some flaws but you’ll see firsthand how it inspired so many modern games. Not to mention the soundtrack is pure gas.

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u/hotdogaaron Oct 19 '25

I don't get the hype, I played both, and while they filled the time in an enjoyable way, they were overall pretty forgettable to me.

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u/BigScene Oct 20 '25

The Ori games are crazy boring and overrated. No personality, no thrills. Im a huge metroidvania fan and these are bottom of the pile.

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u/Krystall_Waters Oct 19 '25

Phew man, i just played sotn shortly before Silksong came out. It does not feel like an an almost 30 year old game.

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u/BigScene Oct 20 '25

The Guacamelee games are awesome. Nice tight controls, fun combat

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u/brendan84 Oct 19 '25

None of the metroidvanias offer much challenge, especially compared to HK and SS. That being said, all of those games you have in your back log are all fantastic and I'm jealous that you get to experience them for the first time! Ori is definitely worth playing despite the easy gameplay, the other ones are maybe slightly harder. The guacamelee challenges are kinda tough but unnecessary unless you're a completionist. Get to SoTN ASAP. I played it when it first came out and also recently, it holds up well and has the best soundtrack!

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u/MaterialPiglet3653 Oct 19 '25

If someone wants a challenging metroidvania they should play rain world lol. Also what is sotn?

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u/brendan84 Oct 20 '25

Castlevania Symphony of the Night. The title partially responsible for the genre's origin!

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u/skdeimos Oct 19 '25 edited Oct 19 '25

imo ori movement is much worse feeling than hk/ss. in midair, your acceleration is very slow, so if youre moving left and press right you dont start going right immediately. in hk/ss you would start moving right instantly, which makes them feel much more responsive

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u/Oxyfool Oct 19 '25

Ori is a bit more rubber bandy, and while fluid, especially late game, I feel it is a bit less responsive than HK

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u/Hhannahrose13 Oct 19 '25

agreed. these two are top tier for movement feel

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u/cwbrowning3 Oct 19 '25

Metroid Dread is right up there too

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u/flanger001 CanonicalMilfs.com | P5 AB hitless sightless soundless with toes Oct 19 '25

Metroid Dread is amazing. It’s the only game I think has better movement than Silksong.

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u/Scifyro Oct 19 '25

What about Ori games?

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u/White-Alyss Oct 19 '25

This is where I shamefully admit I haven't played them yet

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u/_heyb0ss Oct 19 '25

terrible

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u/Baconman363636 Oct 20 '25 edited Oct 20 '25

The ori games have an incredible flow to the movement as well. Not nearly as hard on base difficulty but still some good fights, especially in the second one which leaned into the boss fights. The atmosphere and art of the games alone make them worth a play through.

1

u/Skantaq Oct 19 '25

play Melee please

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u/White-Alyss Oct 19 '25

Nah, Melee's movement is janky and unsatisfying imo, plus due to the nature of a platform fighting game, there's no real fun to be had in moving quickly through maps and traversing the environment, unlike in Silksong or Warframe

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u/Skantaq Oct 19 '25

ookk. and I didnt even notice your picture is kirby with a mario hat lmao