Level design is an important aspect of many video game genres, but it is especially integrated into a Metroidvania. Exploration is the essence of every Metroidvania game, and nothing encourages players to explore as smart and attractive level design. Hollow Knight: Silksong Know this too well.
Without overwhelming the player, Hollow Knight: SilksongThe first few hours present a number of optional roads filled with rewarding goodies and secrets. Players are encouraged to explore each hook and a skull of Silk songMap right from the start, just as they were in the 2017 original. But while Hollow Knight: SilksongThe design's level takes after its predecessor, there is a big difference that immediately separates the two games, and they are both better for it.
Hollow Knight's Level Design is about digging down
When Hollow knight Starts, players are thrown into the depth of the forgotten intersection. They are immediately presented with two possible instructions to enter, each has its own amount of branch roads and optional routes.
The whole core Hollow knightGames and story see players dive further into the depth of the lost Kingdom of Hallownest. With each new warehouse, players learn a little more about the history of the kingdom and the events that led to the game's opening. This gradual scaling of the game's core mystery is one of Hollow knightBest strengths and its falling level structure help it at every time.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's level design is about climbing up
Hollow Knight: SilksongThe design's level takes exactly the opposite approach to the predecessor 2017. As the horn is players in a new hub area called Bone Bottom. Its colorful residents tell the player that they will have to reach the Citadel at the top of the Kingdom of Pharloom.
Thus, the player's gradual climb begins through the different regions of Pharloom. But rather than solving a mystery with each step, Hollow Knight: SilksongApplicant level structure fuel a constant feeling of progression. Players get a goal from the beginning this time, and each new region explored marks a rewarding step up towards that goal.
Silksong's level design lets the horn shine
Hollow Knight: SilksongApplicant level design also paves the way for an increased amount of verticality in its cinema. The horn is much more acrobatic and smooth than the knight, and Silk songThe design's level allows her skills to shine.
The long climb up to Pharloom's Citadell offers many opportunities for the horn to show off its stylish leaps and flips. The journey is also filled with new abilities for the horn to learn, of which many go hand in hand with Silk songVerticality. Players can use elegant air lines to clear wide gaps, they can use the horn's rolling coat to slip and fly high in the air via grinding streams, and eventually they will unlock the ability to use the hornet's needle as a gripping hook.
While the knight had a handful of mobility, the general structure of Hollow knightThe design's level meant that players rarely used these abilities to climb, or at least not for longer periods.
Hollow Knight: SilksongOn the other hand, will often present players with long platforms with clothing where their explicit goal is to climb upwards to reach the end of the level. This technically simple change is one of the most influencing differences between Hollow knight and Silk songWith what affects every moment of the game in both subtle and open ways.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Published
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September 4, 2025
- ESRB
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E10+ for all 10+ // Fantasy violence, mild blood
- Developer
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Teamcherry
- Publisher
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Teamcherry
- Engine
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Unit