How Hollow Knight Silksong's Combat Will Differ From The First Game

Hollow Knight was a breakout hit in 2017, yet there's little known about its sequel, Silksong. While Silksong might be closer to release than many fans initially thought, developer Team Cherry hasn't shared an official date just yet. However, fans know a few details about the sequel and it's lead protagonist, Hornet.

In early 2021, Silksong's directors explained that the Hornet's body will differ from that of first game's hero, the Knight, making her more acrobatic and agile — which is a pretty huge difference. She's also a bit bigger than the Knight, which could come into play as she pulls herself up on ledges, something the Knight could never master in Hollow Knight.

As for combat, Team Cherry provided a playable demo of Hollow Knight: Silksong to some reviewers at various expos and conventions in 2019. Even though the demo hasn't been released to the general public, footage of the game has arrived on the internet, allowing fans to speculate about how Silksong's combat will differ from its predecessor.

Hornet is a different character from the Knight, so fans should expect her fighting style to differ as well. As the protagonist of Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hornet brings a decidedly different vibe to the sequel, changing out several of Hollow Knight's key mechanics to fit her personal backstory. Because she's the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah the Beast, Hornet is half-worm, allowing her to weave her own silk and use it in combat. Instead of wielding a nail as her primary weapon, Hornet uses a needle and thread.

This weapon allowed her to use a variety of attacks in Hollow Knight, where she fought the Knight several times. In one of her attacks, she whipped threads of silk around her body to create a damaging area of effect attack. She also used the silk to throw and retrieve her needle for a ranged attack. Overall, Hornet's agility and combat variety made her a difficult foe in Hollow Knight, but her moves might look different when players get to be the ones calling the shots.

Team Cherry explained in a post-E3 2019 blog that Hornet can Bind her wounds and recover life, but she must have enough silk to do so. Team Cherry also noted that the Bind mechanic is faster than the Knight's healing ability in the first game, but Hornet's healing uses valuable silk that could also be used in other capacities.

Dying is part of combat and progression. Instead of leaving a Shade of her previous life when she's slain, Hornet sheds her remains in a cocoon, which contains a full supply of silk. Players can strategically use this cocoon, Team Cherry says, to give Hornet "an extra edge" in battle or recover resources during a boss fight. 

Even as fans continue to wait for a release date, Team Cherry has tried to assure fans that it will be announced when the team is ready. Team Cherry also shared some exciting updates for the 2020 holiday season, calling Silksong a "very large" game that has caused the developer's production timeline to "[stretch] a bit both to account for all that exciting new stuff and to tie up everything else." Hopefully fans will soon be able to test out Hornet's abilities.