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Team Cherry's Silksong continues the unique narrative style from the original title, dispersing pieces of history and character development across the landscape. Once everything is connected, the evolution from a seemingly simple beginning to a deeply significant conclusion is astounding. Much like the overall experience, the plot is more ambitious and more refined than its forerunner, centered around a strong central idea and a significant revelation.

However, the word "Nearly" is essential. There is a central flaw: the creators seem unsure about whether the main character is the heroine or the person controlling her.

Editor's Note: The following discussion contains heavy spoilers for both the standard and true endings of Silksong.

Hornet's Journey

The quest begins with the protagonist captured and caged. A group known as the Weavers took her prisoner on the bidding of Grand Mother Silk, from whom she is partly descended. After escaping, she joins a group of pilgrims and embarks on a journey. Her route takes her from the dark underworld filled with remains of the fallen up towards the Citadel, home to Pharloom's decadent priesthood. Along the journey, she witnesses the hardship and pain inflicted upon the oppressed populace in the name of religion—laborers who sacrifice their lives, free-thinkers jailed for daring to question, and more.

Lace and the Central Conflict

Another Weaver, also born from the deity's own silk, is likewise ascending to the stronghold. Her goal is to awaken her mother, exact revenge on the corrupt clergy, and seize control. Hornet's arrival complicates matters. In the standard ending, Hornet takes over from the deity. In the secret finale, Hornet imprisons the deity, battles the Void, rescues her rival, and sees Mother Silk give herself up so they may go free.

Thematic Foundations

Silksong is, at its heart, a tale of journey. It is modeled after ancient spiritual journeys and morality plays, with a critical look at organized religion. Hornet's journey—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 hell, purgatory, and heaven on a quest for spiritual transformation, which is the essence of Silksong.

One can even see parallels to the Christian ritual, albeit rearranged. Hornet is arrested and stripped, faces judgment, suffers a grueling climb, and is briefly imprisoned in the abyss. In other words, the game invites contemplation on religion, spirituality, and transformation, all of which are vital for understanding the finale.

The Weaver Lore

Delving into the mythology of the Weavers reveals that the religion and way of life once championed by the deity has become corrupt. Her followers abandoned her teachings, and a caste of self-serving ministers seized control the Citadel, twisting its doctrines for their own gain.

The protagonist, as a blood relative of Grand Mother Silk, was pre-ordained to follow her will, willingly or not. Thanks to her upbringing by Herrah, Hornet was kept away from the internal conflicts and encouraged to be independent, which is why the deity captures her at the beginning—to compel her to accept her Weaver responsibilities.

Endings and Meanings

If the heroine defeats Mother Silk in the regular finale, she absorbs her spirit and becomes a new god. The fact that this is not the good outcome indicates that the kingdom's problems would continue—Hornet would have simply swapped one fallen god for another. By resolving all conflicts, players unlock Act 3 and the true ending.

Like any significant journey, this one concludes with enlightenment. The protagonist's realization is that she can now live free of the Weaver taint in her blood and decide her own fate. Her rival, recalling that love triumphs, liberated from her single-mindedness, will likely rebuild Pharloom in a better image. In the true ending, faith is abolished, and all can live autonomously.

As a conclusion to the pilgrimage, it is an exceptional piece of meta-storytelling that fits seamlessly into the inspirations it draws upon. It communicates players that the sole path to a better society is to show compassion. Few games use player agency to convey this theme so effectively, and the developers deserve credit for this innovative approach.

The Protagonist Problem

Despite the strength of its final message, the development team struggled to support this message throughout the game and, more importantly, to tie it to the main character: Hornet.

The message might be for the player, but the story is about Hornet. When a narrative features a main character who speaks and thinks independently, she must be the central focus, and her decisions and development should communicate the ideas. Even in allegorical works, the main character's purpose are usually explicitly stated to ensure understanding.

Yet, Hornet does not grow or evolve on her journey. Her sole purpose is to get back. The struggle of destiny versus choice only surfaces in the climactic battle and some hidden lore. If players complete all requirements to reach the true ending, an NPC character comments on Hornet's compassion, but he is addressing the player, not her.

Lack of Character Development

This method would have been fine in the first Hollow Knight, where the player and the Knight are one. Hornet, however, is her own person, a focused warrior with a set objective. If she is made to choose uncharacteristic deeds—such as helping weak bugs—there should be some resistance. One would anticipate her to complain, act gruff, or at least respond. A simple grumble when initially assisting, later expressing concern that her aid might help, would suffice.

When initially requested to help the oppressed citizens, Hornet responds with indifference, treating it as a minor task. Even if the user decides to assist, Hornet develops no attachment with any of them. There is no change, no evolution of viewpoint. It is notable that the player would demonstrate compassion, but not the heroine. The game provides little justification to think she would.

Wasted Character Potential

The protagonist's dialogues with characters like the Caretaker were the perfect opportunity to flesh out her character and strengthen the message without heavy-handed exposition. However, many end up being merely ornamental, just padding the runtime. This problem stems from both the writing of Hornet and the random placement of the other characters.

Garmond is essentially a charming but irrelevant figure—there for atmosphere but playing no crucial part. Others, like the Moss Druid and Huntress, represent different ideologies 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 The Green Prince, thanks to a tale of lost love. While compelling, it leans heavily on a problematic cliché and feels separate from the central plot. Taking it out would have little impact on the protagonist's arc or the core message.

A Passive Protagonist

The seemingly random distribution of focus makes subplots feel unfinished and added hastily. The biggest misstep, however, is that Hornet is shown as largely inactive in nearly all events. The few times she speaks up, her observations are terribly bland, such as stating the obvious to another character. Even more direct remarks on the core themes would have tied her better to the game's ideas. Instead, she is merely a passenger—in the passenger seat of her own story.

Acknowledging the Achievement

Despite these problems in storytelling, there is still much to respect for what the team accomplished. Few games synthesize so many influences into a collection of ideas so powerful and complex that they are literally embedded into the environment itself. If the future game from the studio is even bigger and better, one can only hope that those improvements include the fundamentals of storytelling as well.