Hollow Knight: Silksong Review: A Gorgeous, Punishing Metroidvania Triumph

I still remember the first time I stepped into Hallownest…

Five years later, Pharloom pulls me back with the same magnetic dread. Let me tell you, the wait was agonizing, but boy, was it worth it. Team Cherry, a tiny team that built both Hollow Knight and Silksong, has crafted something monumental, and in 2026 it’s finally in our hands. This is a game that began as DLC and blossomed into a full-fledged title, and the trust the community placed in these developers has paid off in spades.

Pharloom: A World That Breathes

Pharloom doesn’t just exist; it exhales. Every corner feels alive, and yet the kingdom is laced with an underlying rot. This is a Metroidvania that rivals FromSoftware’s worlds when it comes to lore and environmental storytelling. The biomes work in tandem with the overarching hierarchy of Pharloom, and the sheer amount of subtle nudges tucked into the environment is staggering.

The residents of Pharloom bring the world to life with their comical interactions, especially when they bounce off Hornet’s stone-faced stoicism. It’s hard not to smile when a bubbly NPC tries to befriend a protagonist who responds with silence and a blank stare. The game is massive—over forty hours if you want to uncover every side quest and secret. You can technically finish in ten to twenty hours, but honestly, that would be a crime. The hidden content is some of the best stuff here.

Combat: A Dance With Punishment

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