🔗 Share this article

Hollow Knight: Silksong continues the signature storytelling approach from the original title, scattering bits of lore and character growth across the landscape. As you assemble the full picture, the transformation from a apparently straightforward beginning to a deeply significant ending is astounding. Much like the overall experience, the plot is more ambitious and more refined than its predecessor, built upon a powerful core concept and a remarkable twist.

However, the word "Nearly" is crucial. There is one major issue: the development team seem unable to decide about whether the main character is Hornet or the player.

Editor's Note: The following discussion contains heavy spoilers for both the regular and secret conclusions of Silksong.

The Pilgrimage of Hornet

The quest begins with the protagonist imprisoned in a cage. The Weavers of Pharloom captured her on the bidding of Grand Mother Silk, from whom she is partially born. After breaking free, she joins a band of travelers and begins her ascent. Her path takes her from the hellish depths filled with remains of the fallen up towards the fortress, home to Pharloom's corrupt religious caste. Along the way, she witnesses the hardship and pain inflicted upon the exploited masses in the name of religion—laborers who toil unto death, free-thinkers imprisoned for their beliefs, and more.

The Rival Weaver Lace

Lace, also born from the deity's own silk, is also making her way to the Citadel. Her goal is to revive the deity, seek vengeance on the corrupt clergy, and seize control. Hornet's arrival complicates matters. In the regular conclusion, she takes over from the deity. In the secret finale, Hornet locks away Mother Silk, battles the Void, frees Lace, and sees Mother Silk give herself up so both can escape.

A Deeper Allegory

Silksong is, at its heart, a tale of journey. It is modeled after medieval pilgrimages and morality plays, with a critical look at organized religion. The protagonist's path—descending into darkness, through a middle realm of struggle, and rising toward revelation—directly parallels the classic epic poem. That Renaissance masterpiece follows a fictional Dante through the afterlife on a quest for spiritual transformation, which is the essence of Silksong.

One can even draw connections to the Christian ritual, albeit rearranged. The heroine is captured and divested, faces judgment, suffers a grueling climb, and is temporarily entombed in the void. In essence, the game encourages reflection on faith, the soul, and change, all of which are vital for grasping the ending.

Backstory of the Weavers

Delving into the lore of the ancient race reveals that the religion and way of life previously upheld by Mother Silk has turned toxic. Her followers forsook her path, and a caste of self-serving ministers took over the temple, perverting the faith for their personal benefit.

Hornet, as a part-Weaver descendant of the deity, was destined to follow her will, whether she wanted to or not. Thanks to her true mother, Herrah, Hornet was kept away from the internal conflicts and encouraged to be independent, which is why Mother Silk captures her at the beginning—to force her to fulfill her Weaver responsibilities.

Conclusions and Interpretations

If Hornet defeats Mother Silk in the regular finale, she absorbs her spirit and becomes a new god. The fact that this is not the true ending indicates that Pharloom's troubles would continue—she would have merely replaced one corrupt deity for another. By resolving all conflicts, players access the final chapter and the ideal conclusion.

Like any meaningful pilgrimage, this one concludes with enlightenment. The protagonist's realization is that she can now exist independently of the hereditary burden in her blood and decide her own fate. Lace, recalling that love triumphs, liberated from her single-mindedness, will likely restore the kingdom as a fairer society. In the finale, religion is dead, and everyone is free.

As a conclusion to the pilgrimage, it is an exceptional piece of meta-storytelling that fits seamlessly into the traditions it references. It communicates players that the only way to improve the world is to show compassion. Few games use interactivity to deliver such a message so powerfully, and the creators deserve praise for this innovative approach.

The Protagonist Problem

Despite the strength of its final message, the studio had difficulty reinforcing this message consistently and, more importantly, to connect it to the main character: the heroine.

The moral might be for the player, but the narrative is about Hornet. When a story features a protagonist with her own agency, she must be the central focus, and her actions and growth should communicate the ideas. Even in symbolic stories, the protagonist's identity and role are usually explicitly stated to ensure understanding.

Yet, Hornet does not grow or evolve on her quest. Her only goal is to return home. The struggle of destiny versus choice only appears in the Act 2 boss fight and some obscure backstory. If players complete all requirements to unlock Act 3, an supporting figure comments on her kindness, but he is addressing the player, not her.

Lack of Character Development

This approach would have worked in the original game, where the protagonist is a blank slate. Hornet, however, is a defined character, a driven hunter with a set objective. If she is made to choose actions against her nature—such as aiding the helpless—there should be some resistance. One would expect her to grumble, act gruff, or at least respond. A brief complaint when initially assisting, later expressing concern that her aid might help, would work.

When first asked to assist the oppressed citizens, Hornet responds with indifference, treating it as a low priority. Even if the player chooses to help, Hornet develops no attachment with any of them. There is no transformation, no shift in perspective. It is notable that the player would demonstrate compassion, but not Hornet. The game provides no reason to think she would.

Underutilized Supporting Cast

The protagonist's dialogues with figures such as the Caretaker were the ideal chance to flesh out her character and strengthen the message without heavy-handed exposition. Most of these end up being merely ornamental, just filling space. This issue stems from both the characterization of the heroine and the haphazard role of the other characters.

Garmond is essentially a charming but irrelevant figure—present for flavor but playing no crucial part. Others, like the certain NPCs, embody alternative beliefs outside the Citadel's norms, a idea that fits the themes but goes unexplored.

Aside from Lace and Sherma, one of the few NPCs with a story spanning all three acts is a specific character, thanks to a tale of lost love. While emotionally powerful, it relies too much on a problematic cliché and feels separate from the central plot. Removing it would have little impact on the protagonist's arc or the core message.

Hornet as a Passenger

The apparently arbitrary allocation of attention makes subplots feel unfinished and added hastily. The biggest misstep, however, is that the heroine is shown as largely inactive in almost every situation. The rare moments she comments, her observations are terribly bland, such as offering clichéd advice to another character. Even blunter commentary on oppression and free will would have linked her more closely to the game's concepts. Instead, she is just along for the ride—in the backseat of her narrative.

Respect Amid Critique

Despite these problems in storytelling, there is still great admiration for what the team accomplished. Rare titles synthesize so many influences into a set of themes so strong and layered that they are built directly into the in-game world. If the future game from the developers is larger and improved, one can only hope that those improvements include the fundamentals of storytelling as well.