We Played The First Level Of Hollow Knight: Silksong – Here's What We Think

Hollow Knight: Silksong is real. We learned in June that it will launch this holiday season, and before a brief snippet of gameplay shown during Gamescom's 2025 Opening Night Live Ceremony, Team Cherry revealed it has a special announcement to make regarding the game tomorrow. 

But folks: I, Senior Associate Editor Wesley LeBlanc, actually played the game less than an hour ago. I'm on site in Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom 2025, and before the official madness of the show began, Xbox held an opening party for press and partners. Alongside the many games it's showcasing, like The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2, there was also a small booth for Hollow Knight: Silksong, with just six PCs running the game. I arrived at the party an hour early, just to get in line for the game. And I'm glad I did – within minutes, the line grew to what will likely be a multiple-hour wait. But I was one of the first to play the game. 

I was able to pick one of two Silksong demos: the first level or the second level. I opted for the first level, which begins with Hornet inside a Cinderella-like carriage, though here, Hornet appears to be trapped. She escapes, and thus her journey in Pharloom begins. The first level is called Moss Grotto, and aptly features luscious greenery throughout its labyrinthine corridors. 

Immediately, Hornet is much faster than the first game's protagonist, with A (on the Xbox controller) serving as jump and X serving as attack. Her attacks are fast and wide, and there's a small delay in between each attack that feels prime for combos using abilities I imagine appear later in the game. By pressing B, Hornet can Bind, which heals all of her health. You can't just spam Bind, though – it uses a bar that recharges over time and by defeating enemies. 

After the quick opening that teaches me to use these three buttons, I'm off to the Metroidvania races. It's hard to say Silksong is doing a lot differently at this point. I make my way through the Moss Grotto, defeating small insect enemies that attack from above and parallel to me on the ground. Defeating them takes three quick attacks from Hornet, and I'm not challenged much; again, it's the first level, so I'm not expecting the challenge Hollow Knight is known for just yet. 

Wesley playing Hollow Knight: Silksong

Unlike the first game's protagonist, Hornet has a quick mantle move that makes climbing and platforming through this mossy grotto a breeze. She's quick, and her movement speed parleys nicely into her combatitive quickness. I collect moss berries, defeat various bugs, and eventually reach the Ruined Chapel. Here, I activate a rest point, which restores both my health and the rechargeable bar that Bind uses. 

My favorite thing about the demo at this point is the sound design and score. Hornet whips around levels, and attacks sound crisp; defeating bugs causes them to explode into insect guts, and gross sounds accompany each death. All of this is wrapped up in an excellent score (so far) that's violin-heavy and sounds like something I should be listening to in a grand European theater while dressed in 18th-century attire. I can't wait to hear more of Silksong's soundscape. 

As I continue making my way through the Moss Grotto, I eventually reach a room with hanging pods. Naturally, I attack them and the demo's boss, Moss Mother, appears, angry with my reckless behavior. She's a large beetle-like insect, but with a green mane wrapped around her neck and a large stinger on her butt. She swoops from left to right and vice versa, attempting to poke me with this stinger. I jump over her to dodge these attacks. After I swing a few times at her, she bashes the ceiling, sending rocks (telegraphed with falling rubble and light) down to the ground; I dodge them by staying out of their way. 

Opening Night Live Hollow Knight: Silksong Gameplay: 

As the fight continues, she summons other insects to attack me and I have to balance my time attacking these new enemies and Moss Mother. Eventually, I take her down and she explodes, leaving behind nothing but her skeletal shell. I'm then met with a "Thank you for playing the demo" screen and my time with Silksong is over. 

Now separated from my time playing Silksong by an hour, I'm mostly just excited the game is real and playable. I don't know if it will live up to the years of hype – I wonder if it's even possible, no matter how good the game might turn out to be. At this point, I'm not convinced it's the second coming of Metroidvanias YouTube chat logs think it might be, but that's also an unfair expectation to place on Silksong. 

Team Cherry created, by all accounts, an excellent Metroidvania in 2017's Hollow Knight. If what I played today is any indication, Silksong will follow in its steps – I really enjoyed what I played. But the demo was far too short to make any statement more grand than that. It's more Hollow Knight, with a faster protagonist. I'm excited to see if the game will break out to become more than that when it launches later this year.