It is almost a played-out statement at this point to say that modern gaming has devolved greatly. The video game industry saw unprecedented growth during the pandemic, acting as a vehicle for connection during a tenuous and lonely time and catapulting gaming even further into the mainstream. Five years later, anti-consumerist practices, microtransactions and a general disdain for the classical single-player experience dominate gaming. Even juggernauts like Nintendo have faltered despite the immense success of the Switch and Switch 2, notably in drastic price rises and the adoption of the infamous “release unfinished and add in the rest over updates” model for some of its releases.
Price inflation has hit the entire gaming industry hard, from the Switch 2 costing $450 to the average game now sitting at $70 to $80. In turn, this pushes the average consumer away from trying out a console’s catalogue, and instead towards the microtransaction-filled “free to play” titles like “Fortnite” or yearly releases like “Call of Duty” and “Assassin’s Creed.” In all of this chaos and corporate spearheading of the modern gaming landscape, there appears a light at the end of the tunnel—“Hollow Knight: Silksong.”
Many people my age look back fondly on the crowdsourced indie game. Despite infamous misses like “Yooka-Laylee” and “Mighty No. 9”, the era between 2015 and 2020, wherein young developers pulling from their own nostalgia used platforms like Kickstarter to bring about some of the most beloved titles of the time, was something to behold. Be it the story-based “Undertale” and “Night in the Woods,” or the platformers “Shovel Knight” and “A Hat in Time,” there was a real, palpable system in which gamers would give a few dollars and contribute to the creation of modern classics.
“Hollow Knight,” originally posted on Kickstarter with a goal of $35,000 in 2014, is one of the most beloved. A beautiful 2D Metroidvania (2D adventure games with roguelike elements) centered on a gothic world infested with bugs as residents, the game is well known for its worldbuilding, difficulty, multiple endings and a myriad of intense boss battles. After its giant success, a sequel to the game, titled “Silksong” and centered on the side-character Hornet, was announced in early 2019. There was a great silence around its development until a sudden announcement on Aug. 19, 2025, that the game would release in two weeks. We have it now, and “Silksong” is possibly the release of the year for both its gameplay and what it represents.
You just cannot put down “Silksong” once it clicks. It is Hollow Knight but with a setup that pushes the player to work around having fewer things they can add to the protagonist, in this case, Hornet. The player has to make the most out of greater movement options. Basic enemies are shifty and are often paired together in ways that challenge the player to use their platforming skills in the middle of combat. The environments are varied and beautiful, be it the looming Citadel, metal-played Bellhaven or the Dune-esque Blasted Steps.
The game also features a more interactive and direct story, with Hornet being kidnapped to the far-off kingdom of Pharloom, where she must unravel her origins. “Hollow Knight’s” main character, the Knight, was completely silent, which was fine and normal for the genre, but could get boring. Hornet is not just a protagonist that talks; she is bursting with personality and has some truly hilarious interactions and dialogue throughout the game. Is the game super tough? At points, absolutely. Does it feel unfair at times? Yes, and there have been times while playing, I wish I was never born. Should you play it purely because of its gameplay experience, stunning visuals and a serviceably fun story? Definitely.
Beyond being an amazing game that somehow survived a five-to-six-year development cycle, “Silksong” shows that gaming can still be centered on something more than a profit margin. I have seen more community around difficult boss battles and fun dialogue in this game in a few weeks than I have seen in the last five years of most other large game franchises. And, unlike other popular single-player games of the last few years, such as “Red Dead Redemption 2” or “Elden Ring,” the game is not maximalist. It is not a giant display of how much the developers could smash together in hundreds of hours of development hell, making sure each inch of a 3D world is as detailed as possible. It is a stylized, fun game that is not ashamed of being a great Metroidvania and nothing more. It did not take so long to come out because of turmoil, but because of an effort to get it right. And, with this clear-cut vision and hours upon hours of content, how much will it cost the gamer? Just $20. It is on nearly every console as well as on Steam.
This is not to say that “Silksong” will save gaming from the current status quo. As someone who, every now and then gets addicted to “Fortnite,” I can personally attest there will always be a market for the free-to-play multiplayer game, along with the yearly “Call of Duty” and “NBA2K” releases. What “Silksong” does show is that you can have your cake and eat it too. A game can still embody the free spirit of the crowdsourced indie game long after success, without compromising the spirit of player accessibility. “Hollow Knight” could have been forgotten forever or turned into a giant franchise, but, in a way, developers Team Cherry went the classical route. Just like in the 90s, the wildly successful game has been succeeded by a well-planned sequel. One that has taken what the first did and added its own flair. Hopefully, the great success of “Silksong,” both as a game, in sales and critical praise, will be a trendsetter for the gaming industry moving forward.