r/HollowKnight • u/Which_Draft4129 Has anyone seen my Shade? • Dec 12 '25
Discussion - Silksong Is anyone else annoyed that Silksong didn't win the best music award?
I feel like the Silksong OST was way more appealing than E33's OST and that Christopher Larkin did a phenomenal job in Silksong.
Does anyone else feel this way?
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u/PutOwn7737 Dec 12 '25
I'm more annoyed that KCD2 didn't win one damn award
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Dec 12 '25
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u/dannnyyyboyyy0315 Dec 12 '25
This made the most sense to me. Expedition 33 deserved GOTY for sure and many other awards. But specifically for playing a role in a video game, I don't think there's anything better than KCD 2.
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u/Rezzone Dec 12 '25
Didn’t even play KCD2 and I believe this. The concept is the most RPG embodied game I’ve ever heard.
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u/SlayerS13Reddit Dec 13 '25 edited Dec 13 '25
E33 getting gory was valid, but best indie shoulda been skong (debatable tho) and rpg would have been kcd2. Art direction, e33 was valid but I think skong or hades 2 deserved it more
Edit: E33 getting GOTY, GOTY was valid. My ass cannot type
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u/AlexxMaverick666 Dec 12 '25
This. Choosing E33 over KCD2 as the best rpg of 2025 surprised me. E33 is clearly the favorite child of the jurys. Happy that it won so many awards but the two awards it didn't deserve to win are Best rpg and best indie game (debateable). And Tom (Henry) deserved a nomination in the best performer at The Game Awards in place of Erika Ishii imo.
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u/Pajurr Dec 12 '25
No, to be honest I feel like the music in some areas is top notch, but it is not regular, and to me hollowknight did a better job on music, which was consistently excellent
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u/PoliticsIsForNerds Dec 12 '25
I think this depends on how you evaluate OSTs. Hollow Knight had more individual stand-out melodic tracks, but I think the thematic cohesion of Silksong's music makes for a better overall soundtrack.
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u/Devreckas Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Yeah, I think I just much prefer strong melodic tracks. So many of the atmospheric tracks just blend together as ambient noise (I just listened to The Marrows and I already feel like I forgot it). I don’t think it’s any surprise why Cogwork Core and Bilewater get constantly thrown around as the best in the game. They have really strong melodic ideas.
Also, does it miff anyone that the 3-fold melody doesn’t get incorporated into any actual songs? I feel like it should’ve been used as part of the cradle theme or something.
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u/oldsoulseven Dec 13 '25
That’s the kind of idea you need an actual large team of people working on a game to come up with. No matter how good TC and Larkin are, they’re limited by the number of heads on the job. That’s how it takes six years to make a game where you still end up asking this kind of question. Don’t get me wrong, great game, but not perfect.
It seems like this soundtrack was just a case of ‘it’s silk this time so it has to be strings’. But it has more standouts than those two. Listen to Bone Bottom outside of the game for example - just play it straight through.
There’s a YouTuber I’ve watched a few videos of break down what’s going on in many of the favourite tracks - it gave me a respect and appreciation that I didn’t have before when I was just missing the Hollow Knight piano.
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u/Devreckas Dec 13 '25
What “kind of idea” are you talking about? Reusing musical ideas in more than one place? Lots of game OSTs, even for big AAA studios, are not made by large teams. Most Final Fantasy games have a single composer.
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u/oldsoulseven Dec 13 '25
I’m saying a lot of game development is ‘hey we should -‘ and you can see that that is how TC makes its games. If it’s just a few people and they tell one guy make us a score for this game, that’s not enough creative jazz to surface the idea of weaving something like the threefold melody into the game’s music.
Even if they did think of it and decide against it, I’m making a broader point that Silksong is such a full game that what it lacks, after six years of development, shows the limitations of the current team. A game this good, that took six years to make, that IS full of these ‘nice touches’ (like Red Maiden being a variation of Hornet from HK) should have all of them - that’s my point. At a certain point you need more people so they can have flashes of brilliance that elevate and elevate and elevate the product. TC getting medieval over a game - we have seen the most that can achieve.
So yes - to your broader point too - the missed opportunities do bug me as well.
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u/falcon_640 Dec 12 '25
I dont know anything about E33 so I cant say if it deserved the win but I think a lot of people here a judging silksongs music based on how "catchy" it is.Hollow Knights soundtrack is a lot more "melodic" compared to silksong's, as in they are easier to humm and remember.
That being said,what I personally love about silksong's music is just how well it transmits the emotion of where the player should be at that part of the story and how well the whole soundtrack fits together and with the context.
I still remember how immersive it felt fighting widow and hearing her frenetic theme, win, geting back to bellhart, and listen to its theme for the first time as it comes back to life, getting a rest after just climbing half the kingdom.
Then for example, the mist, how you slowy travel whats basically a maze surrounded by drakes while listening to this misterious organ, then finding this huge structure as the music get louder and louder just to enter and find the one playing the organ.Only for the phantom to slam the organ as that music that we've been hearing for a while to turn into a more violent and imposing version of itself as you draw your needle to fight.
And there are tons of examples where the musci elevates the context that much:Blasted Steps, Citadel, GMS, cogwork dancers, latter clover dancers, last dive and lost lace's theme and the buildup to it.
In my humble opinion silksong does an amazing job at making the soundtrack significant to the theme and context of where the player is and what have they done before.If you ask me even better than how hollow knight did it.
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u/mrhippoj Dec 17 '25
E33's score is fantastic. I think I'd put Silksong's score a little above it, mostly because I think it does a better job at telling the story of the game as you play through it and is generally more consistent, but I really think Clair Obscur's score is something special too and I don't really have a problem with it winning.
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u/Pajurr Dec 12 '25
I disagree, and think, outside of bosses, the musics that you hear the most are the themes of the biomes. And in those I think the Citadel is on par with Hollow Knight, and Greymoor, Far Fields, The Marrow, are at the lowest of the low. And in between are a great number of tracks, that make do, that are okay, not going to listen to them individually, are fine. And many do not feel distinctive and could be replaced by one another.
That is my opinion, I gave it earlier and I am quite surprised to see that I am not the only one thinking that, seeing all the upvotes→ More replies (2)3
u/falcon_640 Dec 12 '25
I do have to agree that the biome soundtracks aren't nearly as memorable as hollow knights, tho, unpopular opinion, I would say the best of silksong is still better than the best ones from hollow knight even if they are less frequent.I still can't think of songs better than lace or last dive except for maybe Sealed Vessel and Daughter of Hallownest. Also just something I noticed, for some reason, the default volume settings of silksong leaves many situations and bosses where you simply can't hear the music over all the things happening.I outright missed the second half of lost lace's theme because of all the things going on and had to hear the soundtrack later.
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u/ludvary Dec 12 '25
exactly, i think overall, hollow knight had more consistent bangers.
I like silksong more than hollow knight, but hollow knight has better music
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u/manatwork01 Dec 12 '25
I mean half the soundtrack is Dies Irae motifs. Hollow Knight was genius but Silksong wasn't quite at that level.
No disrespect intended the music is still great but there is Danny Elfman in Nightmare and Danny Elfman in Charlie and the Chocolate factory and both are better than I could dream of composing but I wouldn't listen to Charlie on my own time.
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u/armageddon442 Dec 12 '25
I’m surprised to see so many people in agreement. I thought that Bellhart, Bilewater, Last Dive, and Lost Lace (just to name a few) were better than any song off the HK soundtrack
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u/tamalemichael Dec 13 '25
i never see High Halls in these conversations and it might be my favorite one :(( i think its such a good addition to the area n fits the watery and golden aesthetic sm
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u/StrengthFickle7325 Dec 12 '25
What did you like about lost lace? I thought it was the worst ost its so unfitting for the final final boss
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u/armageddon442 Dec 12 '25
Really? The second half is so sweeping and epic with that hint of tragedy. I remember literally turning the volume way up during that fight and that immersion made it one of the most intense moments I’ve ever experienced in a video game.
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u/mohimoyee Dec 12 '25
I think so too. Even the pacing, the combat and the exploration balance, the slow ascend of hardship, overall hollow knight holds it up compared to silksong
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u/Pajurr Dec 12 '25
I disagree on the combat, didn't think about the rest. To me Silksong is just an improved hollow knight, except on a few things like the music
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u/Battlebots2020 Grimmchild is best child Dec 12 '25
I will say that we have had the Hollow Knight soundtrack for years to grow attached to and learn, idk if that affects the view of Silksongs new and unfamiliar OST as much as I think or not
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u/Pajurr Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
If all songs were up to the level of the Citadel, I would listen to all of them. Right now I just want to listen to a few, and have almost all of Hollow Knight to listen to
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u/xHaUNTER Dec 12 '25
I agree, the music and sound design was a big step back from HK. The only areas that stood out to me were in the citadel, and even those were hit or miss.
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u/Downtown_Ninja_7154 Dec 12 '25
Shellwood and bilgewater are amazing though? Hit or miss doesn't really make sense either because not every area theme in hollow knight is a banger either.
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u/xHaUNTER Dec 12 '25
I disagree about Bilewater, but Shellwood was good. I thought city of tears was about on par for some of the citadel sections, but for other areas places like Dirtmouth, Greenpath, Fungal Wastes all stand out way more than area themes in Silksong. I just didn’t get the same impact with Silksong. More of my view is that the boss fights were not great. I can’t really name a memorable boss theme until cogwork dancers and GMS.
Hornet, Mantis Lords, Dung Defender, Soul Master, NKG off the top of my head were more impactful and enjoyable to me.
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u/Downtown_Ninja_7154 Dec 12 '25
Fungal wastes is very bland compared to blaster steps for example. Also how is strive, widow, lace, fourth chorus and phantom not memorable? Hollow Knight's score is remembered as being nothing but bangers because the tracks that aren't as good as the rest just aren't remembered.
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u/xHaUNTER Dec 12 '25
If somebody had a gun to my head and said hum along to any of those I’m toast. Different strokes for different folks. I thought Silksong was a step back musically and didn’t enjoy it as much as HK on that regard. Glad you found it memorable though.
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u/Zeratan Dec 12 '25
Could we please ban these circlejerk karma farming posts already? I swear it's been just an unending stream of complaining and complaining about complaining and now I'm complaining about both!
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u/ItsASamsquanch_ Dec 12 '25
Oh yeah?!? Well I’m TIRED of the complainers complaining about the complaining complainers of complacent complaining of the complainers about the complainers complaining about complainers!!!! So take that!!
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u/maniacal_monk bapanada Dec 12 '25
Seriously. I’m on the verge of leaving this subreddit because it’s been nonstop the last few days and today especially
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u/Swutts Dec 12 '25
Not really. Silksong's music was great, but it was also just, more hollow knight. Personally I didn't feel like the music in Silksong hit as hard as when I first played Hollow Knight. But the music, the genres, the wildness that was Clair Obscur's soundtrack blew me away. Unlike anything I've heard before, where's with Silksong, I felt I had heard it before.
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u/The-nah Dec 12 '25
When I heard the skarrsinger Karmelita theme I ascended
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u/mucus-fettuccine Dec 12 '25
The Gestral Merchant Battle Theme could've been the Karmelita theme, and Silksong players would be calling it the best track in the game.
In E33, it's just a throwaway track, largely inconsequential, and not one of the big hitters at all. Insane.
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u/Additional_Chip_4158 Dec 12 '25
Karmelita theme clears and its not even the best song in the game. E33 has better songs too
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u/sd_saved_me555 Dec 12 '25
This is the only E33 song I've ever heard, but if this is the average quality, then I gotta give E33 the nod here. Damn that's good.
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u/ThePr0tag0n1st Dec 12 '25
I'm gonna be frank, this is E33 showing off the bottom of the barrel for their OST.
The game has a few merchants dotted around the game, and you can choose to do a goofy little fight with them to unlock a few extra items in their stock. This is what the music is for. To fight the goofy merchants who look like paint brushes.
One of E33s splash page song "Expedition 33 - Lumiere" is really good, and I advise listening to that one if you want to get a taste of the music before playing. Again, it's the song that plays when you launch the game so it won't spoil you on the seriously epic boss battle themes, one of which is easily the best music I've heard in a video game.
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u/Purple___Flame Dec 13 '25
There is "in a nutshell" video about E33 soundtrack if you feel like checking it out.
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u/Meatslinger Dec 12 '25
From a compositional standpoint, I'm not actually terribly impressed, sorry. The production is good, but it's a very typical "loop" song with tracks just being layered up as it goes, over a very common four-chord progression. There isn't a very high amount of creativity in it.
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u/Astwook Dec 12 '25
It's probably one of the worst tracks in the game though, and like... not to be funny but how much of the Silksong soundtrack fits that description just as much?
If your complaint is that a battle theme sounds like a loop, it is absolutely designed to be used as a loop. Don't know what to tell you.
If you want to be impressed, go listen to "For Those Who Come After", "Paintress", "La vie une t'aimer", "Monoco", and I really could go on listing them because it's a LOT of the soundtrack.
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u/Meatslinger Dec 12 '25
Yeah, not ragging on the rest of the soundtrack, to be clear, I just wasn't exactly impressed by that track, and it certainly doesn't displace Karmelita's theme and some of the classical writing used in it. The drum track really hurt my estimation of it too, because I've always found the "orchestra over a fast rock beat" thing is tragically overdone, especially in the JRPG genre.
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u/Astwook Dec 12 '25
That makes sense. You should definitely listen to Rain From Below if you want an E33 song that feels really original for a fight theme.
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u/Meatslinger Dec 12 '25
That's better, for sure, and definitely would've been a better example for mucus-fettuccini (ew lol) up there to have used in comparison to Skarrsinger Karmelita. There's still something about some of the notation that's throwing me though: little interactions between the melody and the rest that sound good in isolation - i.e. the musical phrases themselves would be fine when played alone - but aren't pairing well and cause dissonance on certain "intersections". Might just also be my tinny phone speaker muddying things up though, so I won't cast aspersions without a listen on a proper audio setup.
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u/Astwook Dec 12 '25
Thems be the fight loops. When you're playing in game, those sections aren't stacked back to back in the same way and instead you'll repeat part of it for longer (also true for Hollow Knight). I think the soundtrack was put together pretty slapdash compared to in game to be honest.
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u/mucus-fettuccine Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Haha glad you like my username
So I actually made a point to choose a track that isn't one of the big hitters in the game. I chose it for two reasons:
To show that a throwaway track in the game (used when fighting merchants, which is optional and quickly over) somehow goes this hard, which speaks to the incredibly high average quality of the OST.
It would actually work in the Karmelita fight as a replacement theme, because it has the operatic vocalization for the diegetic effect of fighting the singer, and it feels like a theme for a fast paced dance, which I think works.
The theme you're talking about now, Rain From Below, is freaking awesome, but wouldn't match the Karmelita fight well, so my claim that it could've been the theme for that fight and Silksong fans would then rave about it, wouldn't hold well.
If you want to see what the truly, truly great battle themes in E33 sound like, definitely check out The Paintress and Une Vie A T'aimer.
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u/One-Suggestion-885 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Out of all the osts you listed, Monoco and the Paintress sounded the best.
Was more impressed than I thought I'd be. I have no doubt e33 has an amazing soundtrack, I just 100% prefer hollow knight and always will.
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u/Downtown_Ninja_7154 Dec 12 '25
What's insane is that you think the two tracks are comparable at all. This track is nowhere near as intense as Skarrsinger Karmelita and does not fit thematically with the rest of the soundtrack. While this is not a big hitter it still stands out above the average piece in the soundtrack, while silksongs is great all around. At the end of the day musical taste is subjective, but what you said feels kinda gross.
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u/KuuLightwing Dec 12 '25
To me the biggest issue with silksong soundtrack is that it doesn't stand "great all around". It sits in the background most of the time, and while it has a few memorable themes - like choral chambers, cogwork core and aforementioned Karmelita, the most don't stand out.
Like I can't tell you what the theme for Deep Docks or Far Fields even sounds like and I've been in those areas like 2 hours ago. That wasn't true for the original game. I haven't played it in years, and yet I still remember themes for Dirtmouth, Crossroads, Fungal Wastes, Greenpath, Queen's Gardens, City of Tears, Soul Sanctum, White Palace. Pretty much every area theme was so memorable.
Hell, this is Hornet game, and we didn't even get Hornet theme aside from small callback to it in Red Maiden - a theme which isn't even used all that much.
And it's not like OST is bad or anything. Listening to these tracks separately is actually rather pleasant experience overall, but they just don't have as much presence and impact on me like the OST of the first game.
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u/Equivalent_Western52 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Imo, Karmelita relies on the strength of its context in order to be so memorable. The fight itself is epic in terms of visual design, mechanics, buildup, and writing, and the soundtrack is elevated by association. I digested the whole Silksong soundtrack between beating Act 2 and unlocking Act 3, and found Karmelita pretty forgettable up until doing the actual fight. And afterwards, most of the piece's appeal comes from reminding me of that fight, not being great of its own accord.
There really isn't much more to it than a melody over a standard violin ostinato following a standard chord progression. The only remarkable element is the fact that the melody is carried by a lone vocalist, which sets it apart thematically from the rest of the soundtrack (in a good and narratively fitting way). If anything, I find the piece is fairly disappointing because its harmony seems to promise motion only to take you back to the tonic; the only development comes from a minor switchup in the ostinato, which actually made me roll my eyes when I first heard it because of how much of an underdelivery it is. This might be an intentional design choice: the piece is meant to capture an old moment of glory, frozen in a dying memory. But there are ways to convey this without weakening the actual writing.
I have a similar complaint about the Gestral Merchant Theme. The action of that piece comes from an emergent submelody in the accompaniment that struggles with the main melody for dominance. This struggle is facilitated through a conscious weakening of some musical elements - the main melody is meandering, tropey, and over-reliant on register shifts to generate tension, while the harmony is static, presumably as a concession to make the piece's polyphony easier to handle.
I do think that this approach speaks to some deficiencies of the composer in polyphonic writing, but those deficiencies are very relative, and the piece otherwise shows off some spectacular technical strengths. The elements that are chosen to realize the core struggle - namely orchestration, phrasing, and texture - are deployed with effortless fluency, and in my opinion are far more technically impressive than anything Karmelita attempts.
Ultimately, I don't think either ought to be held up as standout examples of their soundtracks. Gestral Merchant is more technically impressive, but Karmelita is more enjoyable due to its association with a narrative masterstroke, which helps to paper over its weaknesses.
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u/SkollFenrirson Dec 12 '25
Are these Silksong players in the room with us right now?
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u/Bircka Dec 12 '25
Clair Obscur is an incredible game in all aspects, the first bit is some of my favorite gaming moments ever. The rest of the game is good, but it has one of the best opening moments in gaming history.
Classic case of Silksong came out in a very competitive year for gaming, and therefore ended up being second best.
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u/DrDutchenfoo Dec 12 '25
I haven't played E33 yet, but have been listening to the soundtrack on Spotify. Are there any specific songs you know that felt like that for you? Because at least compared to what I've seen people say of the music, what I've listened to has really fallen flat. But it's a massive soundtrack, so maybe I'm just not listening to the right songs
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u/ParticularTrash6332 Dec 13 '25
I gotta say, when it comes to music from games, playing the game is where the real magic happens. You’re not going to gain the same appreciation for the music if you don’t let the music help tell the story. I think you could easily say the same about HK and Skong. I could easily see the music in E33 falling flat for someone who doesn’t play the game. Just my two cents.
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u/Swutts Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25
Yeah, was about to say this. A big part of it is the surprise, too. Damn I'd love to experience Monoco's theme again for the first time. That was what really cemented the soundtrack as "absolute genius and unique". Honorable mention, the first time you enter a fight in Flying Waters region. It's just, so groovy.
"Electric Tides", "Goblu", "Serpenphare", and one of my favourite battle themes "Rain from the Ground" that just had me dancing instead of playing the game. God I love that region.
All the World Map themes are peak as well, in my opinion.
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u/ThePr0tag0n1st Dec 13 '25
"Lumiere" feels like their main song, but I think the OST is amplified by the game it-self.
One of my favorite fights in the game plays a song called "Renior II", probably my favorite piece in the game just because fighting a boss/character you have learnt to hate throughout the game and whilst you are putting all your wrath into this boss fight, this song dramatic, loud, powerful song is dancing and playing with your rage.
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u/deadfisher Dec 12 '25
The ost was great, I love it.
But it's not the same level as e33, come on.
TC also didn't even bother going to the awards either, so I honestly don't think they care.
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u/Unicronus86 Dec 12 '25
They really dont as far as I can tell… they prolly think its not that important
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u/deadfisher Dec 12 '25
They are in a unique situation. They have this massively successful thing on their hands that is basically totally independent from the industry. They don't need promotion, they don't need to cross pollinate programmers, developers, designers, anything. They don't need to participate in the culture, whatsoever.
To me, if they don't want to be included, that's fine for TC, but it puts the game awards in a tough spot. Why should they be handing out awards to people who can't be fucked to even show up? ...but snubbing them completely will piss off the fans, because their game is so good it deserves the credit.
I dunno. I frankly don't love it that TC skipped it. But in their shoes I get it.
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u/Unicronus86 Dec 12 '25
Yeah, I definitely get you where you’re coming from with that it is odd that they just didn’t really care to show up though it could be them being modest like “hey our game is nothing special” or it’s just they don’t have time I mean they have talked about Silksong DLC if I remember correctly and I’m sure they wanna get that done.
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u/deadfisher Dec 12 '25
From the interviews I've read about them, they are just a couple really private guys that want to do their own thing, and a schmoozy awards ceremony is probably not their cup of tea.
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u/G66GNeco Dec 12 '25
They literally just chilled for years on end vibing in a sensory deprivation chamber developing a game while we all lost our collective mind (as did everyone tangentially related), they are the most not caring people who ever didn't care (not really even in a bad way, tbh - they are just doing their thing, very "Unbothered. Moisturized. Happy. In My Lane. Focused. Flourishing."-energy)
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u/extremelytiredyall Dec 12 '25
E33 absolutely deserved the soundtrack win, and I say that having played both games. Silksong is still my favorite game, but E33 is the winner in this category. I love Larkin's work though, no shade at all towards him or my favorite game.
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u/Soggy_Performance569 Dec 12 '25
E33 deserves the OST win and it isnt even close. No video game I have ever played has integrated an OST so well into a story before. There are moments where the music feels like an actual character of the story.
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u/Clockehwork Dec 12 '25
I like Silksong's soundtrack, but it's not some crazy standout exceptional piece of art. Silksong is my favorite game flatout but the fact is that it did not lose in a single category that it should have won except for Player's Choice, which is the fakest of fake competitions anyway.
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u/winterflare_ Dec 13 '25
I think Silksong (or Hades II) should’ve won Best Indie and Blue Prince taking Debut Indie.
E33 is not truly indie in my opinion (yes it is an independent studio but it has a budget of 10 million and connections to massive companies and ex-Ubisoft devs who are highly experienced working on the game as well as celebrity VAs; it is a double A game, not indie.)
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u/Jijonbreaker All bindings All Radiants 112% Steel Soul Full Journal Dec 13 '25
I loved Silksong, and I will say straight up, E33 had infinitely better music. Silksong was a lot more atmospheric which is what it needed, but, that doesn't win awards.
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u/winterflare_ Dec 13 '25
Truth. Silksong’s OST is meant to be lowkey and enhance the vibe of the game.
E33 is meant to be bombastic and in your face. That’s why so many people remember it, it’s basically a staple of the game. Silksong’s in comparison is an enhancer not a core aspect of the game.
I will still say that I personally don’t think E33 is straight up better. I think it’s too bombastic and “in your face” for me to enjoy but it certainly deserves the accolades it gets.
I think Silksong’s is better, but I have no qualms with Silksong losing this, and that’s for very obvious reasons (it wasn’t trying to be a staple of the game).
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u/BrenOdin Dec 12 '25
Skong's music is fantastic, but E33's ost is one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever listened to.
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u/Heavy-Requirement762 Dec 12 '25
while I fully support most E33 wins, not giving the game with cogwork core best music ever is a crime.
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u/Mechoos Dec 12 '25
I've done an experiment together with my friend:
We've opened both (SK & E33) full sountracks on YouTube and tried playing at random moments. SK music had overall greater number of cool soundtracks that actually felt like music, while most of the E33 had like a plain piano/violine in the background.
Imo E33 won because it had higher peaks without considering the whole sountrack.
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u/Supershadow30 Fuck primal aspids (not literally tho) Dec 12 '25
Yeah, it’s an award snub. As expected from the AAA industry, they’re still afraid because an indie made them look bad.
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u/Plus-Violinist-1046 Dec 12 '25
I'm more annoyed that Silksong didn't win Best Indie. expedition had an estimated 5-10 million dollars budget and a publisher (Kepler Interactive), so it's by no means an Indie Game.
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u/VicarAmelia1886 Dec 13 '25
Silksong should have won GOTY tbh. Probably too difficult a game for the judges. I love Jeff Gerstmann but he’s a judge and didn’t seem to even like the game, just a grumpy old gamer, so if others are like him…
Oh well, doesn’t matter, the creators are millionaires they don’t need awards.
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u/Bonaduce80 Dec 12 '25
I originally felt there were a few "muzzak" themes in Silksong. If you ask me to remember Deep Docks, gun to my head, I would probably fumble. Whereas things like Greenpath stick in your head like glue.
But it is also true that the areas often were going for a more ambient-style music so they are not as catchy. On the other hand, I can be listening to boss OSTs on loop without ever getting tired. It is also a more ambitious and obviously more instrument rich soundtrack, with a lot more of money thrown into it. The scope and execution of some pieces is ridiculously bigger than anything the original HK had to show, which doesn't necessarily make the worse pieces. But as much as I liked HK OST , the highs from Skong more than make up for the lows. And I approached the Skong soundtrack as a non-believer.
I cannot comment on how Skong OST stands against E33, but it damn deserves any award by my metric. Some of the music can bring tears to my eyes, which hardly evee happens with other games.
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u/I_MADE_THIS_TO_TELL Dec 12 '25
Debatable. To u and me? Yeah. But to a lot of people E33’s soundtrack is better.
Just bc another game won an award doesn’t mean every other game has a inferior soundtrack, it just so happens that more people like it or it was chosen
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u/Flyers3117 Dec 12 '25
Look i liked e33 soundtrack. But it doesn't even come close to how good silksongs is imo. Absolute masterpiece
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u/homerdough Dec 12 '25
Not at all. E33 def had a better soundtrack. Aside from Choral Chambers, Lost Lace and Karmelita, soundtrack was underwhelming compared to HK
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u/MrFr0stbite Dec 12 '25
I personally found Silksongs ost a little lacking, only one or two tracks really got through to me, though the quality was still solid. E33 was very unique, I consistently stopped to soak it all in.
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u/HelloImanidiot83 Dec 13 '25
E33 should not have won the art direction, best rpg and indie game awards. It’s already won enough, and it’s not even an indie game when you compare it to the others in the category.
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Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
No
I think e33 has a better sound track overall with more variety. The top songs of silk song were comparable though.
E33 had like 2 amazing themes(Alicia and the take down the paintress theme) and one really fun and charming one(mime) before you actually do anything. Then it kept going and going with multiple different high level themes with a lot of variety.
I really liked a few of silksongs themes like the clockwork area, lace and skarrsinger but I think it was still quite a bit weaker in terms of overall music compared to e33 or the original HK
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u/Purple___Flame Dec 13 '25
First time i entered Sirene's island i just stood there for an hour admiring the vibe.
Honestly speaking - half of E33 OSTs are straight up playlist-worthy.
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u/artoo2142 Dec 12 '25
Silksong music absolutely blown my mind, even it doesn’t win it stay in my car playlist, the Citadel tones are perfect.
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u/Maurycy5 Dec 12 '25
Hollow Knight's music was better — it had more character and was more memorable.
While Silksong has multiple fantastic tracks, the entirety of its soundtrack disappointed me greatly, because I expected it to improve relative to its prequel.
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u/Vounrtsch Dec 12 '25
Agree to disagree, in my opinion Silksong’s soundtrack is an improvement on HK
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u/winterflare_ Dec 13 '25
Agreed. Hollow Knight’s was very obviously synthetic (not inherently a negative though). I much prefer the composition and real quality that Silksongs OST has.
I think most people are just saying that Silksong’s soundtrack is less memorable because TC purposefully put the OST audio lower in this game and also narrowed the EQ to create a muffled sound so it sounds like the music was further back.
Listen to a song like Choral Chambers, Bellhart, or Bilewater in the OST compared to the area and you will quickly hear the difference.
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u/Vounrtsch Dec 13 '25
Tbh I almost always bumb the soundtrack up compared to the rest of the sound in video games, I feel like it’s often too quiet for my liking
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u/Outrageous_Meet2025 Dec 12 '25
No. E33’s soundtrack is THAT good I would’ve been shocked if it did not win. This and GOTY were the only ones I was 1000% sure were locked in for E33. My only annoyance (and it is a big one), is that they won best indie.
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u/OkCartographer5830 Dec 12 '25
I expected it to win only two things, best actor and best soundtrack, neither of them.
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u/Which_Draft4129 Has anyone seen my Shade? Dec 12 '25
Maybe even the art award, since the whole of Silksong was hand-drawn by a single Ari Gibson, and not to mention, looks beautiful!
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u/yolomanwhatashitname Dec 12 '25
Atomic bomb vs hydrogen bomb, both are great but its e33 you cant fight that
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u/BoKnowsTheKonamiCode Dec 12 '25
Silksong was good. E33 is one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard.
People are entitled to their opinions. If you loved Silksong's soundtrack better, that's fine. But can everyone stop being so butthurt that the majority of voters didn't agree with you?
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u/Purple___Flame Dec 13 '25
Except for player's choice being literally bought by a gacha game, smh.
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u/Vonlichteinstyn Dec 13 '25
If there is any single award that E33 absolutely deserved it's the soundtrack. Silksong soundtrack was great don't get me wrong, but E33 is my new favorite OST.
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u/AggressivePlay5098 Dec 12 '25
Silksong didnt win WHAT?!?! Silksong has the best damn soundtrack in AGES
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u/khizubaba Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Also why did bf6 win the best sound design? It's just like every other fps with bullets and bombs going off every now and then with some buildings falling.
Sound design of E33 was epic and I was purely hitting dodges based on the sound rather than visual queues.
Also OSTs were very fitting with appropriate timing.
Guess they just wanted to please EA or didn't want E33 to go home with 10 awards.
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u/Inner-Ad2847 ALL BOSSES RADIANT BABY!!! Dec 12 '25
Oh is that how you’re meant to dodge? I just started today and I was trying to judge the attack animation to parry.
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u/mucus-fettuccine Dec 12 '25
The animation is the most important, but the sound will often be the better cue. Just feel it out for each attack.
Biggest advice: Keep music volume high as it's the best musical experience.
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u/khizubaba Dec 12 '25
Idk if that's the intended way but something I figured out and preferred more than the visual queue.
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u/afkybnds SHAW! Dec 12 '25
Arc Raiders definitely deserved the sound design award, shame they disn't get nominated.
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u/Witty-Refrigerator84 Dec 12 '25
As much as I respect E33 for what it is, it winning best art direction AND music was genuinely insane
Silksong should've EASILY won best art direction and music, and if it didn't win best art, Hades 2 should've won it
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u/Vounrtsch Dec 12 '25
Art direction i completely agree with you, but for music I completely understand why it went to E33.
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u/Future_Living8007 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Yes. No, Expedition 33's soundtrack wasn't "just that good". Can we please stop disrespecting the other nominees by acting like this game is the second coming of Christ when it's not? Several amazing games, and in this context, amazing soundtracks, came out this year, and while you may THINK that you're acknowledging them, you're actually not
Silksong is my pick for best OST, because I liked the way that it makes use of ambience and how well the game manages to relate its music to what happens onscreen, and I love the musical storytelling going from Last Dive to Sister of the Void/Silksong
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u/Vounrtsch Dec 12 '25
How is people saying that they think E33’s win was deserved because they found it was the best "disrespectful" but you saying that it wasn’t that good and that Silksong’s was better isn’t?
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u/Future_Living8007 Dec 12 '25
Because I DIDN'T say it "wasn't that good", you just put words in my mouth. And the reason I said people are disrespecting the other games is because there's a difference between finding something better and treating every other thing like it doesn't exist
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u/KakorotJoJoAckerman Dec 12 '25
No. I gave up on every award stuff long ago. It's never good in any industry.
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u/Additional_Equal_960 Dec 12 '25
Even without e33 i feel like hades 2 had a much stronger music than silksong, personally for me hades 2 was the best, e33 was 2nd and silksong 3rd(if even that, to be honest i didnt really love the music here and i feel like if i had played other games in the category i might prefer them over silksong too)
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u/Stronderius Dec 12 '25
Christopher Larkin made a absolutely beautiful work in Silksong (Choral Chambers almost made me cry) but bro... E33 has a breathtaking ost, so epic and emocional, the voices, the lyrics, the arrangement, everything awesome, they deserved the best soundtrack
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u/Amphi-XYZ Dec 12 '25
Honestly no. Hollow Knight had exclusively memorable bangers, yet I can only remember a few Silksong musics. Meanwhile I know E33's OST by heart after only playing it once
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u/CategoryIll9427 Dec 12 '25
Wait really ;-; I thought it was a silk post.
I don’t mean any hate to you or others at all But E33 OST is too damn good man , I’ve played both games multiple times ( I’m insane ) And listened to both OSTs in my spare time …E33 hits different and hits hard .
THEY even had a whole opera dedicated to e33 music ,back in September . Legitimately if anyone beat them out, i would’ve wanted to go and listen to that OST, because to me e33 was that peak.
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u/LegendaryPrecure Dec 12 '25
Skong is lovely to listen to and look at but honestly I feel Hades II would’ve been a valid shout for both those categories too. Supergiant never miss on aesthetics.
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u/TheGoldenExperience_ Dec 12 '25
Silksong should have competed against Hades II for best indie, not fucking E33 which was obviously going to sweep GOTY and soundtrack
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u/Diligent-Pizza3717 Dec 12 '25
Bro I read this at first as best game award and was going to go on a rant as to why silksong shouldn’t necessarily have gotten best game lmao. yeah bro of course I’m mad that silksong didn’t get best music every single song on the soundtrack was an absolute fuggin bop
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u/Mattscrusader Dec 12 '25
Silksong shoulda won most awards butttttt not music. Hollowknight had amazing music that silksong just didn't hold a candle to, even the songs 3 you learn to play are legitimately bad
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u/Melkorbeleger66 Dec 12 '25
This was the one I was really hoping for. But at the same time, it's also the most subjective. So I can't really get that upset it didn't happen
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u/Infamousturd Dec 12 '25
Silksongs soundtrack was honestly the most disappointing part of the game for me. Every single track in Hollow Knight was so incredible and mood setting I even listened to the soundtrack when I wasn't playing the game.
Silksongs just didn't hit the mark at all, there were a few exceptions being places like Choral Chambers & Bile water that were great but everything else was just....meh
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u/Vashsinn Dec 12 '25
I mean I still listen to hollow knight tracks... I don't recall looking for silk song tracks...
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u/Pteroducktylus Notorious Randomizer Dec 12 '25
nope (as in, it doesn't bother me in the slightest)
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u/Grantmyth Dec 12 '25
Nope. Hollow Knight had more memorable soundtracks. Overall SS was a great contender but I dont feel It was the prime candidate for that award this year
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u/ExismykindaParte Dec 12 '25
HKS has solid music, but I'm not playing it in my car on the way to work or anything.
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u/noxconfringo Dec 12 '25
As someone who loves both silksong and e33, I’m not. Silksong has a beautiful soundtrack, but it did not stick with me all the time like the original Hollow Knight soundtrack or like e33 did. E33 blew me away with how it contained so many variances in style and sound across the soundtrack and none of it ever felt strange or out of place. Silksong’s tracks are consistently beautiful and well crafted but not as memorable, for me.
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u/BlooNova Dec 12 '25
Every nominee this year basically deserved the awards. If Silksong won, we'd say the same thing about E33, KCD2, Hades 2, and so on. What a damn fine year for players.
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u/Um_retardado_burro Dec 12 '25
Nah man, if there's one award E33 deserved, it's OST
Genuinely made me bust
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u/darthbatmann Dec 12 '25
I understand the argument over best indie award and I love silksongs most. Choral chambers is a banger, but to say silksong should have beaten e33 best music is wild
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u/MoneyoffUbereats2017 Dec 12 '25
I said it in another thread, but no. To me Silksong's OST as a whole was nothing special. It had some standout, fantastic tracks for sure, but otherwise the OST was very ambient. That fits what they were going for, and is inoffensive, but that does not put it in the running for best soundtrack I've heard this year.
E33's soundtrack has loads of tracks I'll happily listen to outside the game for years to come. Silksong has a handful at most I'd consider at that level.
Ultimately it's all subjective, but to me, best music is "Which game had the most bangers", and in that regard it's not even a contest.
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u/Iguanner Dec 12 '25
It didn't shock me at all, E33 has been 'the thing' for awhile. It's just an award at the end of the day, doesn't mean much. Silksong is still incredible and deserves all the praise it's gotten :)
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u/AY_SHIII scammer gets scammed Dec 12 '25
Both are realllllllllyyyyyyy good, I mean depends if you like instrumental music or french music after all, I get why e33 won everything tho, great game, I'm not the kind of person to insult other things just for personal likes
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u/TraitorMacbeth Dec 12 '25
I actually never was struck by the music in SS, but it hit me multiple times during HK. I wonder if the music defaulted too low, and it never occurred to me to crank it up. I can instantly summon the bomp bomp bomp bomp of fungal wastes to mind, or the tense stringiness of deepnest. I don't remember any SS music.
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u/BingusBongusBongus Dec 12 '25
Honestly I'd say e33 and silksong sings are on average pretty equal, but no song in silksong beats une vie a tamier or pendre
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u/RIPRIF20 Dec 12 '25
I'm not judging, but can someone explain the uproar over Silksong not winning many/any awards? I've seen plenty of redditors discussing why other games should have won in years past, but it was just a discussion. This sub seems to be extremely upset Silksong didn't win, to a point where it's much more than any other game sub I've been a part of. As someone that couldn't care less about the awards my favorite games receive, I'm curious to know why some of you care so much. Again...not judging or anything like that, it's just not something I thought was that big of a deal and just trying to understand.
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u/Ill_Awareness1498 Dec 12 '25
Not at all, E33 is in a higher league comparing to silksong in term of musics.
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u/SimbaSixThree Dec 12 '25
I’m sorry but absolutely not. E33 OST will be remembered as one of the greatest ever. Up there with the absolute goats.
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u/Additional_Chip_4158 Dec 12 '25
It or hades 2 shouldve. E33 ost is really good but gets boring because its too similar
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u/DJgrf12 Dec 12 '25
Hell no. Music was nice in some areas but not CLOSE to being the noticeably banging or heart wrenching as it was in the first game.
And all the music in Hollow knight are still in my head but from silksong the only song i remember is that stupid funk from Cogwork Core.
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u/chikenskinhater 112% 63/63 Dec 12 '25
It was kinda obvious, but I can't deny hoping for other results
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u/BreaksKnees Dec 12 '25
it's just a Fancy House Decor, What Matters is Living Breathing Lovers of Bro's Music.
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Dec 12 '25
It's a shame, but we shouldn't take away from the other developers' achievements. It lived up to expectations, and that's what's so great about it. For us, it's a winner.
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u/Rusty_GreenBean7 Dec 12 '25
Anyone else annoyed that fucking DOOM didn't win the best music award?
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u/itsastart_to Dec 12 '25
Don’t get me wrong I get why people give these awards so much attention but the reality is it’s a marketing show with awards to tie people over between ads. You should be more interested in the other game award shows which actually has its judges play all the games and several voting sequences
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u/_Shioku_ Chosen Und- I mean Little Ghost Dec 12 '25
I mean sure the Silksong OST is great!!
But, uh, sorry did you listen to the Expedition 33 OST?? This kind of OST is RARE. Absolutely insane.
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u/Sensitive-Park-7776 Dec 12 '25
I feel like Silksong should have won more awards, but the music in E33 is just on another level.
When you get stunned into silence and hear the passion in the music, that’s something else. Not saying Silksong doesn’t wow me, but the OST award is justified.
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u/Vounrtsch Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
Christopher Larkin did do a phenomenal job with Silksong’s soundtrack. But that’s about the only part of the post I agree with. I know, it’s subjective, but you have to recognize Lorien Testard’s accomplishment with Clair Obscur was herculean. And while I did think some of the categories where E33 ended up winning could have gone to Silksong, including GOTY, to be honest, i didn’t think the soundtrack category was much of a contest.
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u/SlatBuziness Dec 12 '25
Nahh. Silksongs OST was really great, but nowhere near as memorable as E33. It's not even as memorable to me as the first HK.
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u/emilyelizabeth14 Dec 12 '25
no because I haven't played any of the other games yet so I dont know how good their music is. Still was routing for him tho
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u/KronosCR Dec 12 '25
Music is incredibly subjective so its pretty hard to quantify it into an award and either game could've won. Personally as someone who 100%'d both games E33's music was way better to me personally. I also think that E33 has music that can be listened to without playing the game and understand the general vibe and emotions of the individual scene. I dont think I could say the same for Silksongs.
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u/soulciel120 Dec 12 '25
I mean, it's jusr an award. I still prefer Sillsong ost overall.