Compare Hollow Knight: Silksong vs South of Midnight

Reviewers found only a basic accessibility set: camera shake, HUD size, audio sliders, and remapping appear, but difficulty, color-blind, and repeated-input options are called limited or absent.

The reviews consistently note robust accessibility support, including visual adjustments, accessibility tools, and options to bypass major gameplay demands.

Reviews describe abuse, kidnapping, murder, and similarly heavy material, making the game better suited to older teens and adults than younger players.

Animation is repeatedly praised as part of the hand-drawn presentation, especially Hornet's character movement and the many detailed environmental touches.

The stop-motion-inspired animation is widely praised for giving the game a distinctive, intentionally stylized look.

The art direction is a major strength, with reviewers emphasizing hand-drawn beauty, richer color, distinctive biomes, and a style that feels carefully authored.

Reviewers repeatedly highlight the game’s strong artistic vision and highly stylized presentation as standout strengths.

Pharloom's atmosphere blends beauty, melancholy, dread, charm, and danger, creating a world reviewers often describe as memorable even when it frustrates them.

The Deep South setting, folklore, and haunting tone create an atmosphere reviewers found memorable and absorbing.

Boss design is one of the strongest areas overall, with many reviewers praising choreography, variety, spectacle, and pattern learning while noting occasional slog or runback friction.

Bosses are generally seen as memorable and varied enough to stand out, even by reviewers who were cooler on regular combat.

Technical issues exist, but the reviews point to occasional bugs rather than constant problems.

Only one direct camera-related complaint appears, but it is meaningful: a reviewer says some high-speed boss movement leaves threats outside the camera bounds.

Camera issues are a real weakness, with at least one review citing camera glitches and another criticizing lock-on behavior in crowded fights.

Hornet receives more explicit characterization than the Knight, and reviewers describe her softening through relationships, duty, and reactions to Pharloom's residents.

Hazel’s personal growth lands well in stronger reviews, which describe her coming into her own over the course of the story.

The supporting cast is repeatedly described as charming and varied, with bug NPCs, pilgrims, fleas, mapmakers, and side characters giving the world personality.

Checkpoint design is the most repeated concern: sparse, paid, trapped, or distant benches and long boss runbacks often turn difficulty into tedium.

Combat is widely praised as fast, precise, rhythmic, and expressive, with Hornet's agility and tool options creating dynamic fights despite the harsh damage model.

Combat is functional but divisive: some reviewers enjoyed the late-game flow, while many still found it shallow or merely serviceable.

Crouton adds a useful twist by briefly turning enemies against each other, but companion play is treated as a light supplement rather than a core pillar.

Reviewers consistently point to a huge amount of areas, enemies, bosses, tools, secrets, and optional content, though some additions create minor clutter or friction.

The game offers varied scenery and chapter-to-chapter folklore color, even if its structure stays linear.

Controls are generally praised for giving strong control over Hornet, maintaining flow, and supporting precise combat and traversal once the player adapts.

Responsiveness is mixed, with some criticism of sluggishness or delay despite otherwise playable controls.

The Metroidvania loop of exploring, unlocking abilities, opening shortcuts, and returning stronger is described as satisfying and central to the appeal.

The core loop is easy to grasp but becomes repetitive, especially once combat arenas start repeating the same pattern.

The tool and shard systems add flexibility, but some reviewers criticize their resource costs and the way consumable repair needs can lead to grinding.

Crash stability looks solid overall, with reviews mentioning smooth runs and no widespread crash issues.

Dialogue is often praised for making Hornet and Pharloom's cast more engaging, though one reviewer found some dialogue dry at times.

Dialogue is regularly described as natural, conversational, and believable.

Difficulty is strongly debated: most reviewers call it intentional, rewarding, and often fair, but many also highlight two-mask damage, early friction, and harsh runbacks.

Difficulty tuning is uneven: some found it fair and forgiving, while others felt combat spikes unless eased on lower settings.

Resource balance is mixed to negative, with repeated complaints about rosaries, paid benches, tool shards, and farming interrupting the otherwise strong flow.

The game creates notable emotional peaks through hard-won victories, character moments, music, and late-game story beats, though some players feel relief as much as joy.

The game’s storytelling and themes hit hard emotionally, with multiple reviewers saying it stirred strong feelings.

Reviewers describe substantial post-credits or alternate-ending content, optional bosses, zones, and secrets, making the endgame unusually large for the genre.

Enemy variety is broadly praised for giving biomes and combat encounters distinct threats, though flying enemies and monster-room waves annoy some reviewers.

Enemy variety is enough to create some contrast early on, but several reviews say the same enemy sets wear out their welcome.

Environmental detail is consistently praised through lived-in spaces, small animation touches, surface-specific sounds, and dense background storytelling.

Environmental detail is a major strength, with richly dressed spaces and strong place-making throughout Prospero.

Exploration is a core strength: reviewers describe Pharloom as vast, secret-filled, interconnected, and rewarding, though a few completion and corpse-run frustrations remain.

Exploration is pleasant for atmosphere and light secrets, but many reviewers found it simple and not especially rewarding.

Character faces and expressions are frequently praised for helping cutscenes land emotionally.

Reviewers generally agree Silksong honors Hollow Knight while feeling faster, bigger, and more colorful, with some preferring the original's simplicity.

Its story regularly deals with trauma, abuse, kidnapping, and murder, so it is not presented as family-friendly entertainment.

Fast travel through Bellways and marked stations helps reduce backtracking, though some stations must be unlocked or paid for.

Frame-rate impressions are positive across Switch 2, PC, and video coverage, with reviewers citing 120 fps, 60 fps, and stable low-end performance.

Frame-rate performance is mixed rather than disastrous, ranging from smooth reports to visible dips on some platforms.

Even frustrated reviewers repeatedly describe Silksong as fun, compelling, or worth pushing through because its victories and discoveries feel so rewarding.

Even with clear flaws, several reviewers still describe the overall experience as enjoyable and easy to recommend to story-minded players.

The broader mechanics are praised for adding aerial combos, diagonal dives, tools, crests, and more agile traversal, though they raise the learning demand.

The mechanics are competent and readable, but most reviews frame them as familiar rather than inventive.

Graphics are a consensus highlight, with reviewers praising gorgeous hand-drawn visuals, richer color, strong biome identity, and platform-specific crispness.

Visual fidelity is widely praised, especially the lighting, environments, and overall presentation quality.

Grinding is a common caveat, especially around rosaries, shards, fetch quests, and repeated boss attempts that exhaust consumable tool resources.

Handheld suitability is positive: Switch 2 handheld and Steam Deck impressions suggest the game works especially well as a portable Metroidvania.

One review specifically calls the Steam Deck a perfectly fine place to play, suggesting good handheld suitability.

The game is not reviewed as pure horror, but reviewers repeatedly note frightening, cruel, eerie, or terror-filled spaces that give Pharloom tension.

The game sustains a creepy, Southern Gothic unease without leaning entirely into full horror.

HUD clarity is supported mainly through TechRadar's note that HUD size can be customized; no broader HUD praise appears.

Combat readability suffers a bit, with cooldown information criticized for relying on visual indicators without explicit timers.

Immersion comes through the dense world, ultrawide support, atmosphere, music, and the feeling of being pulled into Pharloom's secrets.

Strong regional detail and careful environmental touches help the world feel immersive and lived in.

Reviewers see innovation in how Silksong builds on Hollow Knight through Hornet's movement, crests, tools, protagonist voice, and uncompromising design.

The setting and cultural framing feel fresh, but reviewers are clear that the underlying gameplay systems are not especially groundbreaking.

The learning curve is steep because of diagonal pogoing, higher enemy damage, resource management, and a higher skill floor, but many reviewers find mastery rewarding.

The learning curve is moderate, with some early friction but not much severe punishment once systems click.

Level design is strongly praised for purposeful rooms, seamless area transitions, shortcuts, hidden branches, and spaces that teach or challenge the player.

Level design earns praise for comfort, clarity, and striking spaces, even from reviewers who dislike other parts of the game.

Loot and reward structure is one of the weaker areas, with several reviewers noting bosses may give little or no material reward after difficult fights.

Lore depth is strong, with reviewers pointing to mysteries, world history, item details, subtle reveals, and connections between Pharloom and Hallownest.

The game’s folklore, notes, and chapter tales give the world satisfying lore density for a compact adventure.

Map and navigation design is mostly strong thanks to pins, clearer direction, shortcuts, and story-rich maps, but completion tracking and map clarity draw criticism.

Navigation is mixed: guidance tools keep the critical path clear, but at least one reviewer disliked the lack of a map.

Menus are described as straightforward and easy to understand.

Arena or mission-like encounter design is mixed, with some reviewers disliking repeated combat rooms and endurance-style waves that feel less creative.

Mission variety exists through wishes, hunting, collecting, fetch tasks, puzzles, and optional routes, though fetch quests are a repeated weak spot.

Chapter-based subplots and folklore arcs give the campaign more mission-to-mission variety than its combat structure suggests.

Movement feel is one of Silksong's clearest strengths: Hornet is fast, agile, expressive, and satisfying to control after the adjustment period.

Movement generally feels smooth and satisfying during traversal, helping the game maintain momentum between fights.

Narrative quality is stronger than the original for many reviewers because Hornet speaks and the story is more explicit, though some still experience it as sparse.

Narrative reception is mixed but positive overall, with strong praise for the main themes offset by complaints about loose connective tissue or unresolved threads.

Onboarding is mixed: reviewers say the game works as a standalone entry and teaches some basics, but its opening hours create notable friction for new players.

The onboarding is effective in some reviews thanks to strong tutorial framing, but others felt the game over-explains too much.

Originality comes from Silksong's confident, sometimes cruel identity, which reviewers see as distinctive even when comparing it to other Metroidvanias.

The game’s blend of Deep South folklore and modern fairy-tale framing gives it a notably original identity.

Pacing is mixed: exploration and progression can be absorbing, but punishing progression, long checkpoints, and structural ending requirements interrupt momentum.

Pacing is mostly seen as good for a short campaign, though some reviews call out a slow start or abrupt later beats.

Performance optimization is a strength, with reviewers citing smooth play on lower-end hardware, flawless-feeling performance, and strong PC/Switch handling.

Optimization appears generally sound, with several reviews noting stable play and few major hitches.

Platform-specific support is meaningfully discussed through ultrawide PC support, Steam Deck suitability, and Switch 2 120Hz support.

Platforming precision is divisive: many praise demanding obstacle design, while several criticize diagonal pogoing and certain sections as inconsistent or punishing.

Platforming is approachable yet precise enough that jumps, wall-runs, and grapples usually feel reliable.

Polish is consistently praised through meticulous detail, precision, high production values, and the feeling of a handcrafted game refined over years.

Overall polish is good but not spotless, with strong presentation covering for a handful of rough edges.

Progression is strong overall, with frequent tools, abilities, upgrades, optional routes, and build-altering discoveries, though some requirements are opaque.

Progression helps later combat somewhat, but many reviews still frame it as limited rather than transformative.

Hornet is widely liked as a protagonist because she is agile, voiced, heroic, confident, and emotionally connected to Pharloom's people.

Hazel is one of the game’s clearest strengths, regularly praised as likable, charming, and easy to follow.

Puzzle evidence is limited but present in special puzzle areas, Needolin interactions, mechanical puzzles, and path-solving through exploration.

Puzzle design is one of the weaker areas, with repeated criticism that solutions are too obvious or low challenge.

Quest design is mixed: wishes and optional tasks give structure and reasons to revisit areas, but fetch quests and opaque ending requirements are criticized.

Replay value is high due to 100% completion, alternate endings, optional bosses, build variety, second runs, and reviewers wanting to return.

Replay appeal looks limited for most reviewers, who did not view combat or structure as reasons to revisit the whole campaign.

Nonlinear freedom is strong: reviewers describe multiple routes, optional bosses, different paths to objectives, and broad freedom to leave hard walls for later.

Side characters are a strength, giving relief, charm, pathos, and recurring interactions across Pharloom's towns and hubs.

Even brief side characters leave an impression thanks to expressive writing and presentation.

The skill tree is consistently described as small or underwhelming, with limited build depth.

Sound design receives strong praise for surface-specific footsteps, detailed audio, and atmospheric effects that make areas feel alive.

Sound design is excellent, with ambient effects and movement cues repeatedly highlighted as part of the game’s identity.

The soundtrack is a consensus highlight, with reviewers praising Christopher Larkin's orchestral, haunted, dynamic, and boss-specific music.

The soundtrack is one of the game’s biggest draws, earning repeated praise for memorable songs and strong story integration.

Tutorial quality is mixed: one review praises its narrative framing, while another finds the pop-ups overbearing.

Upgrade systems around crests, tools, abilities, and silk skills add major build flexibility and playstyle changes.

Upgrades exist, but several reviews argue they do not evolve combat enough to feel essential.

Interface design is mixed-positive: journals, tracked quests, pins, sliders, and tool categories help, though map and compass limitations remain.

The UI is praised for being clean, simple, and easy to navigate.

Value for money is excellent across the reviews, with multiple reviewers citing the $20 price and huge amount of content.

At full price the value feels decent rather than outstanding, with some reviewers specifically steering buyers toward Game Pass.

Lighting, fog, and other visual flourishes regularly stand out and help scenes feel cinematic.

Voice acting is a standout, with performances repeatedly singled out as authentic and emotionally effective.

World-building is one of the strongest consensus areas, with Pharloom's history, class structure, religion, silk, architecture, and inhabitants reinforcing the setting.

The world-building around Prospero, its folklore, and its history is one of the game’s biggest strengths.

World interactivity appears in subtle touches such as water preventing map use, Needolin interactions, NPC events, and changing locations.

Writing is praised for stronger dialogue, clearer story beats, and emotional character interactions, although a few reviewers find parts dry or sparse.

Writing is one of the better-regarded parts of the package, especially in dialogue and scene construction, even if some larger story beats divide reviewers.