Hollow Knight: Silksong | Act 3 |

Despite my slow uploads, Silksong is a game I finished over a month ago prior to this upload. From buying it on release day to the end of December and almost 70 hours I have almost 100% this game and it has been nothing short of a masterpiece. Comparison to Hollow Knight feels suitable and I have some gripes but that does not take away the immense joy this game brought me. In terms of the other bugs in Pharloom compared to Hallownest I don't have much complaints. We encounter really cool bugs and the use of quests definitely helps add more attachment to these. However, the bosses in hollow knight definitely felt like they had more weight, though this is unfair considering it includes DLC such as Pure Vessel and NKG. The final fight in Silksong was quite underwhelming and I can't pinpoint why... Perhaps the expectation of fighting a sun level threat in comparison to the voided Lace is underwhelming. HOWEVER. The difficulty of Lost Lace and the dynamic battle style was really fun and in general the versatility in battles with Silksong definitely trumped Hollow Knights. Despite all this, the Needolin for the 3 hearts definitely paled in comparison to the dream aspect of Hollow Knight which felt considerably more fun. The land of Pharloom oozes so much mystique with an almost more modernised Hallownest facing ruin due to weaver kind. I think I prefer the landscapes in Pharloom as Christopher Larkin adds to the immersive atmosphere with an (as expected) PHENOMENAL soundtrack. Areas like the citadel, Lost Verdania and deep docks really give the kingdom of Pharloom some serious weight which I really enjoyed. But, areas like white palace felt even better including the harsh parkour in path of pain which (unfortunately) Silksong didn't at least match even including the mushroom questline demands. Traversal through the abyss and that random quest in far fields definitely made up for this though lol. The movement in Silksong trumps its' predecessor without much challange. As a metroidvania the double jump was standard however the visuals of Hornet sprinting and jumping alongside the Needolin and charms making you run SO FAST felt far more engaging than crystal dash from Hollow Knight. Expecially given Team Cherry's addition to Needolin being useful in battle; if i was willing to grind out Silksong as I did with HK I bet it'd be so cool to do neat combos which were clearly planned. Speaking of combos, the crest system makes combat have an option to really diversify. Personally, I stuck with the hunter, however, in post-game completion swapping to beast has been fun and clips showing the use of others really helps the game feel larger than it somehow already is! The story in Silksong felt more engaging for me too though this isn't at the forefront for me in HK as it would be in other games I've enjoyed such as NieR. The use of Acts really extends the magnitude of the games story to really make it feel like making it to the Citadel is a huge achievement, or sealing Grandmother Silk is monumental. HK didn't really have an insanely monumental location such as the Citadel, but for the ruined Hallownest this doesn't work against it as areas like the White Palace, Hivenest and the ruined city of tears stand as testament to the kingdom. Combat in Silksong is great! At first when I realised we would only have some tools I felt a bit upset. I REALLY REALLY LOVED the spells in Hollow Knight. Shriek cycles, Invincible frames from D-Dark and the cross stage viability of fire ball were so fun and felt rewarding of a very aggressive play style (which definitely makes HK's replay ability sky rocket for me). However this combat is absent in Silksong in place of MULTIPLE style shifting crests and tools which can really change how you fight completely. This is fine for Silksong however I would be lying if I said I preferred this over Hollow Knight's combat. Although I say this, I don't subscribe to the idea that repetition is necessary for Silksong's combat. Preferences are fine and an imitation of HK's would take away the enjoyment of Silksong being a new game. Ultimately, Silksong was incredible and the fact so much more DLC is coming out really excites me! As more content comes out I wonder how my opinion of this wonderful game will develop. Although I prefer Hollow Knight, Silksong was absolutely worth the wait in my opinion and I feel really satisfied with my enjoyment of the game (despte only having 95% completion). Actually on last note the extra content in Silksong is so vast it definitely defeats Hollow Knight in that regard. There is SO MUCH secrets to the point where actually completing the journal isn't as easy a task as it was in Hollow Knight. You can tell Team Cherry really put a lot into this game and it definitely adds to the experience.