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Team Cherry's Silksong carries on the unique storytelling approach from the first game, tucking away historical fragments and character growth across the landscape. When you piece it all together, the evolution from a seemingly simple start to a profoundly important ending is astounding. Similar to the rest of the game, the plot is grander in scope and better executed than its predecessor, centered around a powerful core concept and a remarkable twist.

However, the word "Nearly" is crucial. There is a central flaw: the development team seem unsure about whether the main character is Hornet or the person controlling her.

Heads Up: This analysis contains heavy spoilers for both the standard and true endings of Silksong.

Hornet's Journey

The adventure starts with the protagonist imprisoned in a cage. The Weavers of Pharloom captured her on the bidding of Grand Mother Silk, from whom Hornet is partially born. After escaping, she joins a band of travelers and begins her ascent. Her path takes her from the dark underworld littered with bones and corpses up towards the Citadel, home to Pharloom's corrupt religious caste. Along the way, she observes the cruelty and suffering endured by the exploited masses in the name of religion—laborers who sacrifice their lives, dissenters imprisoned for their beliefs, and more.

Lace and the Central Conflict

Another Weaver, also created by Grand Mother Silk's essence, is likewise ascending to the stronghold. Her plan is to revive the deity, seek vengeance on the corrupt clergy, and seize control. The protagonist's interference changes everything. In the regular conclusion, Hornet usurps the deity. In the secret finale, Hornet imprisons the deity, confronts the dark entity, rescues her rival, and sees Mother Silk give herself up so both can escape.

Thematic Foundations

Silksong is, at its heart, a tale of journey. It is inspired by ancient spiritual journeys and allegorical dramas, with a Reformation-style critique at institutional faith. The protagonist's path—descending into darkness, through a middle realm of struggle, and rising toward revelation—strongly echoes Dante's The Divine Comedy. That literary work follows a fictional Dante through hell, purgatory, and heaven on a quest for spiritual transformation, which perfectly encapsulates Silksong.

One can even draw connections to the Stations of the Cross, albeit rearranged. The heroine is arrested and stripped, faces judgment, endures a tortuous ascent, and is temporarily entombed in the abyss. In other words, the game invites contemplation on religion, spirituality, and transformation, all of which are vital for grasping the ending.

The Weaver Lore

Delving into the lore of the Weavers reveals that the religion and way of life previously upheld by the deity has turned toxic. Her children abandoned her teachings, and a group of power-hungry clergy seized control the Citadel, perverting the faith for their own gain.

The protagonist, as a part-Weaver descendant of Grand Mother Silk, was destined to obey her commands, whether she wanted to or not. Thanks to her upbringing by Herrah, Hornet was raised outside from the internal conflicts and encouraged to be independent, which is why Mother Silk captures her at the start—to compel her to accept her inherited duties.

Endings and Meanings

If Hornet defeats Mother Silk in the standard ending, she absorbs her spirit and ascends to divinity. The fact that this is not the true ending indicates that the kingdom's problems would persist—she would have merely replaced one fallen god for another. By resolving all conflicts, players access the final chapter and the true ending.

Like any meaningful pilgrimage, this one ends with revelation. The protagonist's realization is that she can now exist independently of the hereditary burden in her lineage and choose her own path. Her rival, recalling that love triumphs, liberated from her single-mindedness, will presumably rebuild Pharloom in a better image. In the finale, faith is abolished, and everyone is free.

As a conclusion to the pilgrimage, it is an brilliant narrative device that perfectly aligns with the traditions it references. It tells players that the only way to improve the world is to show compassion. Rarely do titles use interactivity to deliver such a message so effectively, and the creators deserve credit for this thoughtful use of the medium.

The Protagonist Problem

Despite the power of its conclusion, the development team had difficulty reinforcing this theme throughout the game and, more importantly, to connect it to the main character: the heroine.

The message might be for the player, but the narrative is about her. When a narrative features a protagonist with her own agency, she must be the primary subject, and her decisions and development should communicate the ideas. Even in symbolic stories, the protagonist's identity and role are usually explicitly stated to ensure understanding.

Yet, she does not grow or evolve on her quest. Her only goal is to return home. The conflict between free will and fate only surfaces in the climactic battle and some hidden lore. If players tick every box to reach the true ending, an supporting figure comments on her kindness, but he is talking to you, not her.

Missing Growth

This method would have been fine in the first Hollow Knight, where the player and the Knight are one. Hornet, however, is a defined character, a driven hunter with a clear purpose. If she is forced to perform uncharacteristic deeds—such as aiding the helpless—there should be some resistance. One would expect her to grumble, act unpleasant, or at least react. A brief complaint when initially assisting, later expressing concern that her actions do good, would work.

When first asked to assist the weak bugs of Pharloom, she responds with apathy, treating it as a minor task. Even if the player chooses to help, she develops no attachment with any of them. There is no change, no evolution of viewpoint. It is remarkable that the player would demonstrate compassion, but not the heroine. The game provides no reason to think she would.

Wasted Character Potential

Hornet's interactions with characters like the Caretaker were the perfect opportunity to flesh out her character and reinforce the themes without heavy-handed exposition. Most of these end up being merely ornamental, just filling space. This issue stems from both the writing of Hornet and the haphazard role of the supporting cast.

One character is essentially a lovable, doddering old fool—present for flavor but having no real impact. Others, like the Moss Druid and Huntress, embody alternative beliefs outside the Citadel's norms, a concept that aligns with the message but is never developed.

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 compelling, it relies too much on a troubling trope and feels disconnected from the main narrative. Taking it out would have little impact on Hornet's story or the core message.

Hornet as a Passenger

The apparently arbitrary allocation of attention makes side stories feel incomplete and tacked on. The largest error, however, is that Hornet is portrayed as a passive participant in nearly all events. The rare moments she comments, her observations are uninspiring, 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 ideas. Instead, she is merely a passenger—in the backseat of her narrative.

Respect Amid Critique

Despite these issues with thematic execution, there is still great admiration for what the team accomplished. Few games blend so many inspirations into a collection of ideas so powerful and complex that they are literally embedded into the environment itself. If the next project from the studio is larger and improved, one can only wish that those improvements include the basics of narrative as well.