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199: Hollow Knight: Silksong (with Jenny Windom - Geeks & Grounds)

199: Hollow Knight: Silksong (with Jenny Windom - Geeks & Grounds)

Dave is joined by Jenny Windom (Geeks & Grounds) to discuss Team Cherry's long awaited Hollow Knight sequel, 2025's Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Tales from the Backlog

January 21, 20263h 23mExplicit

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Original episode page

Show Notes

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Very few games have ever had the hype cycle that Hollow Knight: Silksong (Team Cherry, 2025) had, so the question remained once the game was finally released- did it live up to the hype? Clown masks and Nintendo Direct comment section explosions quickly gave way to Discourse surrounding Silksong's difficulty and sometimes anti-QoL approach. So was the juice worth the squeeze? Listen in to find out.

Guest info: Jenny Windom (she/her)

TIMESTAMPS

  • 0:00 Title Card
  • 0:13 Introductions
  • 9:06 Our Histories with Hollow Knight and Silksong
  • 12:45 Opening Thoughts about Silksong
  • 18:26 Difficulty and Accessibility
  • 23:19 Story Setup and Visuals
  • 27:31 The Pilgrimage, Characters and Voice Acting
  • 36:25 The Pilgrimage and Anti-QoL Design
  • 48:29 Challenge Ramp-Up and Difficulty Curve
  • 57:53 Silksong- A Good Teacher & Overcoming Challenge
  • 1:05:47 Metroidvania Design, Visuals and Music
  • 1:14:18 Boss Fights, Combat Challenges and Runbacks
  • 1:33:42 Crests, Tools, Customization
  • 1:40:40 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations
  • 1:45:54 Geeks & Grounds and Jenny's Other Work
  • 1:51:22 Spoiler Wall and Patron Thank-Yous
  • 1:53:13 Spoiler Section- Favorite Boss Fights
  • 2:18:22 Spoiler Section- The Citadel and Faith
  • 2:27:46 Spoiler Section- Hornet's Growth, Sherma and Community
  • 2:45:23 Spoiler Section- Motherhood and Endings

Music used in the episode is credited to Christopher Larkin. Tracks used: Silksong, Bone Bottom, Trobbio, Cogwork Dancers, Bilewater, Far Fields, Lost Lace, Fleatopia

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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Topics

gamesvideo gamesgames podcastvideo games podcastvideo game critiquevideo game analysisindie gamesindie game reviewsindie game analysisindie game podcasthollow knight silksongsilksongsilksong reviewsilksong analysissilksong critiquemetroidvaniametroidvania reviewgame of the year 2025goty 2025
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