It's incredible to think I'm writing this article in a swamped press area in Cologne, Germany, but I just had the opportunity to become one of the first people at Gamescom to play Hollow Knight: Silksong. It was only for a short 30-minute window, but I feel inclined to share my thoughts.
Upon rushing to the screen to dodge the queues that were coming my way, I steadied myself. I picked up the controller to finally get my first hands-on with the title for many, many years. And after watching a small opening cutscene and getting to play as Hornet for the first time, I was immediately hooked.
The Gamescom demo gave a small taster of the content on offer, including the opening 15 minutes of the game and the first boss, as well as a later stage that unlocks more mechanics and shows how you might progress and learn new moves as Hornet down the line. In both instances, I wanted to take my time and truly immerse myself in the world—instead of rushing through—so I could check out every minor detail (though I still couldn't find the secret room, as hard as I tried).
Let's discuss the obvious. This game is stunningly beautiful with lush visuals and animations. The way Hornet moves also feels fluid and responsible. Her dash attacks, coupled with her attacks, make for a solid gameplay experience where it feels like you are only being punished for playing poorly (as you should be). Her dash attacks and weapons are solid, though it took me a bit of time to get used to the basic movement.
As for those who have never played this game or its predecessor before, it's a very Soulslike experience where you have challenging gameplay that sends you back to the start when you die, forcing you to go through levels and fight bosses again if you fall too early. The enemies you face take quite a few hits, and overall, it is deeply rewarding and challenging.
But what did I think of the gameplay on offer? It was good, really good. I was disappointed to have such a short time with the game, as I desperately wanted to experience more of what it has to offer, but with the growing queue, I couldn't reasonably ask for more time. With that said, I still stuck around to watch others play and take notes on what I just experienced, while also looking back at previous reveals to see if anything was different this time around.
I wanted to quickly touch on things I found about the game in comparison to the 2019 gameplay demon, though. From what I could tell, healing is way slower, and the team appears to have nerfed quick healing when it used to happen in the blink of an eye. Don't get me wrong, healing feels faster than it did in Hollow Knight, but it's interesting to compare my initial playthrough with everything we have seen of Silksong so far through its lengthy development process.
I'll still need time to check out more about the game and study the various gameplay videos that will show up from this event. Still, it's hard not to be engrossed with the small amount of gameplay I got to experience, and I can't wait to pick up and play more in the future.
Unfortunately for fans, when exactly that will be possible remains a mystery. Here's hoping we get a confirmed release date real soon.
The post I played Silksong at Gamescom. It’s real, and it’s amazing appeared first on Destructoid.
