The developers behind Hollow Knight: Silksong have given some insight into how the bosses were designed. Unsurprisingly, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a challenging Metroidvania, like the original Hollow Knight. However, Team Cherry has revealed that the bosses were purposefully programmed to behave differently from those in the 2017 game.
After years of waiting, gamers have finally had the opportunity to play through the entirety of Hollow Knight: Silksong. The latest game from Team Cherry puts the focus on Hornet as she adventures through the kingdom of Pharloom. As with the original Hollow Knight, Silksong pits the player against numerous challenging bosses. Some gamers have even argued that these new enemies feel more brutal than those found in Hallownest. While the community continues to debate the hardest fights in both Team Cherry games, the developers have recently pulled back the curtain on the design philosophy behind Silksong’s bosses.
Hollow Knight: Silksong Releases New Update for November 2025
After a lengthy public beta, Hollow Knight: Silksong releases the final version of Update 4, bringing new fixes, improvements, and adding a fan mod.
Silksong's Bosses Pick Their Attacks Differently Than Those in Hollow Knight
As spotted by GamesRadar+, an interview with William Pellen and Ari Gibson published in a guidebook by the ACMI detailed how bosses act differently in Silksong compared to Team Cherry’s first game. Specifically, the way bosses choose which attack to use has changed. "One thing we did totally differently in Silksong, though I'm not sure if it's apparent in the gameplay, is that we reworked how the bosses pick their attacks," Pellen noted. He said that bosses in the original Hollow Knight were much more reactionary, with their attacks selected based on the player’s positioning. However, Silksong did away with this, instead making the boss more proactive.
One thing we did totally differently in Silksong, though I'm not sure if it's apparent in the gameplay, is that we reworked how the bosses pick their attacks.
Pellen explains that bosses will “generally decide what they want to do and then move into the correct position to do it – the action gets decided first.” This is a significant shift from the first game, potentially making the moves of certain bosses more challenging to predict. The developer explained that this new programming for the bosses makes them better at positioning, which helps counter the increased mobility the player has as Hornet in Silksong.
These design insights attest to the effort that Team Cherry put into the development of Silksong and evidence why it took so long to complete. While the game built upon the successful formula of the original Hollow Knight, some substantial changes were made, like the reworked boss programming. While players can debate as to which game had the better boss fights, Silksong's new approach to designing these bosses helps make it feel distinct.
It is worth noting that Team Cherry is not finished with Hollow Knight: Silksong. Patches continue to be released to improve the gameplay experience, such as Update 4, which squashed various bugs. Additionally, the developers have said that future DLC is in the works, with the game’s composer, Christopher Larkin, recently teasing that he is still working on music for Team Cherry. It will be interesting to see if other bosses are added to the game in the future. While nothing is official, there could be more exciting battles ahead for fans if the DLC for the original Hollow Knigh t is anything to go on.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- September 4, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
- Team Cherry
WHERE TO PLAY
Become the Princess Knight
As the lethal hunter Hornet, adventure through a kingdom ruled by silk and song! Captured and taken to this unfamiliar world, prepare to battle mighty foes and solve ancient mysteries as you ascend on a deadly pilgrimage to the kingdom’s peak.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure. Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
- Prequel(s)
- Hollow Knight
- Franchise
- Hollow Knight
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- September 4, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- September 4, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- September 4, 2025
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- September 4, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- September 4, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 26 hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 8.01 GB
- Wiki
