Compare Hollow Knight: Silksong vs The Last of Us Part II Remastered

Accessibility is criticized as limited, with reviews noting the game is not trying to be accessible to everyone and lacks broader options.

Accessibility options were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the expanded descriptive audio, speech-to-vibration, and broader tools meaningful additions.

Age appropriateness was limited by the game’s mature themes, violence, and emotional weight, with one reviewer saying younger players may not appreciate it.

AI behavior was praised in combat-focused reviews for swarming, faction pressure, and strong arena behavior.

Aiming precision received specific praise on PC, where mouse input gave reviewers strong control for headshots.

Animation quality has limited but strong evidence, with reviewers noting gorgeous animation within the hand-drawn presentation.

Art direction receives near-universal praise for hand-drawn beauty, color variety, style, and a distinctive visual identity.

Art direction was praised as visually striking, though one review also noted the remaster could look too dark in places.

Atmosphere is a major strength, described as surreal, haunting, dreadful, beautiful, and full of wonder and horror.

Atmosphere was praised as masterful, especially for its oppressive tension and survival-horror mood.

Boss design is broadly praised as memorable, choreographed, varied, and exciting, though some reviews dislike spongey health pools, rewards, or runbacks.

Boss design stood out in one PC review, which highlighted major fights as some of Naughty Dog’s best.

Bug frequency was mixed: some PC reviewers reported minor UI or texture glitches, while others found the port clean.

Camera and hitbox-adjacent behavior draws criticism where bosses or damage windows appear from off-screen or feel overly generous.

Character development is praised for Hornet softening through Pharloom and for character arcs that counterbalance the harsh world.

Character development was praised for its heavy character work and risky perspective structure.

The character roster in No Return was praised for bringing secondary characters forward with different loadouts, traits, and playstyles.

Checkpointing is a common concern, with long runbacks, sparse benches, paid benches, and poor placement repeatedly criticized.

Combat is a major strength, described as fast, precise, tense, dance-like, and rewarding, though some reviews tie its highs to demanding difficulty.

Combat was one of the strongest areas overall, with reviewers praising its brutal feel, polish, resource pressure, and ability to shine in No Return despite a few dissenting takes.

Content variety is praised through multiple game-like challenge types, many systems, and plentiful options, while remaining tied to high difficulty.

Content variety was broadly praised, especially No Return, Lost Levels, commentary, guitar free play, skins, speedrun tools, and modifiers, though some extras were called short or uneven.

Control feel is strongly praised, with one review emphasizing complete control of Hornet and another calling the Switch 2 Pro Controller perfect.

Controls were usually described as smooth, responsive, and solid, with PC mouse-and-keyboard support adding precision for some players.

The core loop is praised as pure Metroidvania satisfaction: tough encounters, discovery, and rewarding progression through new areas.

The No Return loop was praised as a high-stakes, rewarding way to experience the game’s encounters repeatedly.

Crafting has negative evidence where shard requirements pull the player away from action into repetitive resource hunting.

Crafting was praised as part of the game’s excellent survival-combat foundation.

Dialogue is mixed-to-positive: one review calls it shockingly good, while another says it can feel dry at times.

Difficulty is the most divisive attribute: many reviewers call it rewarding and intentional, while others find it cruel, too punishing, or unfairly frictional.

Difficulty was usually viewed positively as tense and intentional, with challenge options and survival pressure fitting the game’s design.

The rosary and shard economy is the most repeated systems complaint, often described as stingy, grindy, or slightly misbalanced.

Resource balance was praised for keeping ammo and materials scarce enough to make survival tense.

Emotional impact is strong, ranging from adrenaline and triumph to reviewers saying they shed tears or were moved by events.

Emotional impact was extremely strong, with reviewers repeatedly describing the story as gutting, heartbreaking, or emotionally shattering.

Endgame content receives strong support from optional endings, zones, bosses, and post-credits discoveries.

Enemy variety is strong in scope, but evidence is mixed because flying enemies, monster rooms, and certain mobs can feel annoying.

Enemy variety was mixed: No Return adds faction variety and AI pressure, but one reviewer criticized the limited number of new enemies.

Environmental detail is repeatedly praised, from dense small touches to rooms and backgrounds that make Pharloom feel lived-in.

Environmental detail drew strong praise for scenery, foliage, world texture, and dense visual craftsmanship.

Exploration is a standout, with most reviewers praising dense secrets, rewarding routes, and curiosity-driven discovery, though a few disliked sparse rewards or risk pressure.

Exploration was generally valued for scavenging, optional environmental stories, and player choice, though one reviewer found it sometimes too guided.

Facial animation was praised as industry-leading and central to the emotional performances.

Faithfulness to franchise is strongly supported by reviews saying it captures, continues, and improves on Hollow Knight while standing apart.

Family friendliness scored low because one reviewer explicitly described the game as gritty, intense, and extremely violent.

Fast travel is praised in one review for reducing backtracking tedium through well-marked routes.

Frame rate stability has limited but positive evidence from a Switch 2 review calling 120fps performance perfect.

Frame rate stability was mostly praised, especially in performance mode, with some caveats around 30fps fidelity mode and certain PC scenes.

Fun factor is high overall, with reviewers repeatedly saying they had great fun, wanted to return, or found the game compelling despite pain.

Fun factor was strongest in No Return and combat-focused extras, though the main story’s grim tone made it less relaxing for some reviewers.

Review evidence frames the broader mechanics as more complex than the original, especially through Hornet’s expanded combat and movement options.

Gameplay mechanics drew mixed responses: several reviewers liked the remastered combat tools, but one felt the core stealth-loot-shoot loop had aged poorly.

Graphics quality is praised for a stunning hand-drawn world and a visual style that feels playful, dark, and richly realized.

Graphics were widely praised as excellent or stunning, but reviewers often stressed that the jump over the PS4/PS5-patched version is modest.

Grind level is criticized where resource depletion and boss attempts can push players toward needless grinding.

Handheld suitability has positive evidence from Steam Deck performance and battery life comments.

Handheld suitability was praised in one PC review because the Steam Deck version ran well enough to deserve verification.

Haptic feedback integration was strongly praised for bows, weapons, bandaging, traversal, and added immersion, though one reviewer found extended use tiring.

Horror tension receives limited positive support from the dream/nightmare tone described in one review.

Horror tension was praised for causing anxiety, dread, and memorable scare sequences.

Immersion is strongly supported by one review’s comment about Pharloom lingering after play.

Innovation is positive but measured: reviewers praise new directions and system changes, while one calls it evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Innovation was limited in one review, which found No Return fun but not especially unique as a mode.

The learning curve is steep, with reviewers noting hours of mastery and occasional git-gud walls, but also rewarding skill growth.

Level design is strongly praised for seamless area flow, purposeful rooms, thoughtful platform placement, and dense Metroidvania structure.

Level design received strong praise from one reviewer for making linear spaces feel flexible and meaningful.

Load times were consistently praised as much faster and a clear quality-of-life upgrade.

Loot and rewards are a weaker point, with reviewers complaining about bosses or difficult paths that provide little or disappointing material payoff.

Lore depth is praised for hidden mysteries, optional heritage threads, and deeper history that rewards curiosity.

Map and navigation design is mixed: several reviews praise map structure and direction, but others dislike incomplete map support and 100% cleanup.

Map and navigation design drew one notable complaint about unclear progression paths in naturalistic environments.

Mission design earns positive evidence where missions give players reasons to revisit areas and make NPC discoveries feel more purposeful.

Mission variety in No Return was praised for randomized objectives and encounter types, with some caveats about uneven encounters.

Hornet’s movement is one of the clearest consensus wins, with reviewers praising her speed, agility, sprinting, and dance-like traversal.

Narrative quality is praised as more focused and engaging than the original, helped by Hornet’s voice and guided exploration.

Narrative quality remained divisive but mostly positive, with many reviewers calling it profound or masterful while others criticized its structure, bleakness, and execution.

Onboarding is a weak spot for some, especially in the opening hours where resources, checkpoints, and tutorial clarity are less generous.

The limited semi-open Seattle section stood out positively to one reviewer, who wished more of the game pursued that feeling.

Originality is praised where Silksong is seen as firmly on its own path rather than a simple copy.

Originality was mixed, with one review finding No Return strange and unusual but artistically awkward.

Pacing has a notable concern around long checkpoint placement that interrupts practice and repetition in challenging sequences.

Pacing was the most consistent structural complaint, with multiple reviewers saying the campaign felt long, bloated, or uneven despite strong moments.

Performance is praised on lower-end hardware, Switch platforms, and 120fps contexts, with only minor visual caveats.

Performance optimization was generally strong on PS5 and many PC setups, though one PC review reported stutter and texture issues.

Platform-specific support has positive evidence from ultrawide support that improves immersion.

Platform-specific support was praised for PS5-native upgrades such as load times, DualSense features, and 3D audio.

Platforming precision is mixed: reviewers admire Hornet’s acrobatics, but several criticize the diagonal pogo or inconsistent bounce feel.

Polish is praised through meticulous design and presentation, though only one scored review directly supports the attribute.

Polish was a consistent strength, with reviewers describing the package, presentation, and bonus modes as well-crafted.

Progression is generally praised for fresh upgrades and satisfying forward motion, but one review criticizes opaque true-ending requirements.

Progression in No Return was praised for unlocks, challenges, and longer-term rewards that kept runs moving.

Hornet is consistently praised as an excellent, charismatic, well-rounded protagonist with stronger presence than the silent Knight.

Protagonist appeal was mixed: Ellie was praised as carrying the sequel by some, while one reviewer found her harder to relate to.

Puzzle design receives limited but positive evidence, with one review saying Silksong makes puzzle-solving and hidden-path discovery feel effortless.

Puzzle design was a weak point in one review, which complained that environmental puzzles were too few and underdeveloped.

Quest design is split: some reviewers like wishes and missions as structure, while others criticize boring or grindy fetch quests.

Remaster quality was generally praised as a definitive or worthwhile edition, though the visual upgrade was often called modest and content-focused.

Replay value trends high for completionists and build experimenters, though one reviewer said they were glad to play it only once.

Replay value was one of the strongest remaster arguments, driven mainly by No Return, daily/custom runs, unlocks, and added extras.

No Return’s sandbox-like setup was praised as a fun way to experiment outside the campaign’s narrative constraints.

Side character depth receives positive evidence from a review praising Pharloom’s supporting characters as charming and motivated.

Skill systems were split: one reviewer liked the upgrade satisfaction, while another felt No Return upgrades did not meaningfully change play enough.

Sound design earns strong support from praise for surface-specific details and top-notch audio touches.

Sound design was praised for 3D audio, directionality, anxiety, and stealth-tension cues.

The soundtrack is one of the clearest strengths, repeatedly described as magnificent, excellent, world-class, and emotionally fitting.

The soundtrack was praised as atmospheric and emotionally effective.

Stealth mechanics were widely praised as tense, flexible, and improved, especially when No Return encouraged new approaches.

Tutorial quality is criticized through comparison with Hollow Knight’s clearer early tutorial structure and more generous opening support.

Crests, tools, and upgrades are widely seen as flexible and creative, though a few reviews found early limitations or resource-linked tool use frustrating.

User interface design has limited positive evidence around attractive mission HUD illustrations and attention to detail.

User interface design had one PC-specific criticism, where mouse-related UI elements could hurt frame rate.

Value for money is exceptional across reviews, especially because of the low price, large content volume, and long completion potential.

Value for money was strongly positive for the $10 upgrade, with more mixed views for first-time or double-dip buyers at full price.

Visual effects were mostly strong, but one PC review noted distracting upscaling artifacts around transparencies.

Voice acting earned unanimous praise from scored reviews, especially for the main cast’s performances.

World-building is one of the strongest areas, with reviewers praising Pharloom as immaculate, complex, sad, and worth exploring.

World-building was praised for Seattle’s detail, environmental storytelling, and the way the sequel frames grief and factions.

World interactivity has limited but strong support from one review that praises evolving locations, reactive hubs, and organic backtracking.

Writing quality receives strong praise where reviewers call it top-notch and tied to Hornet’s conversations and character insight.

Writing quality was polarized: several reviewers praised the ambitious, intentional storytelling, while one criticized the script as unsubtle.