Compare Death Stranding 2: On the Beach vs Hollow Knight: Silksong

Reviewers described the sequel as more understandable and more accessible, with lore and design changes that reduce friction for more players.

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.

Enemy AI was a rare weak spot, with one review saying it was not especially sharp even as combat remained playful.

Aiming drew a small caveat because one reviewer wanted gyroscopic aiming despite the stronger focus on ranged weapons.

Animation and motion capture were praised as elite, with reviewers pointing to fantastic performance capture and some of the best motion work they had seen.

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

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

The atmosphere was consistently praised for haunting landscapes, calm-chaos contrast, and strange moments that made the world linger.

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

Boss fights were broadly improved and visually striking, though several reviewers said they could be simple, optional, or less challenging than expected.

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.

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.

Character arcs landed unevenly: some reviewers warmed to the cast and late-game moments, while others felt arcs happened away from Sam.

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

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 was widely seen as improved, snappier, and more flexible, though a few reviewers found it clunky, overemphasized, or easier to avoid.

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.

The community layer was a highlight, with reviewers praising the sense of shared infrastructure and collaborative help across the world.

Weather, hazards, floods, earthquakes, fires, and other systems made the world and deliveries feel more varied and reactive.

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

Controls were generally praised as refined and smoother, including PC input options and better feel compared with the first game.

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

The delivery loop remained central but was described as tighter, more addictive, and more player-friendly across several reviews.

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

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

Dialogue drew a mild caveat from one reviewer who found some cutscenes too long, even while praising the cast overall.

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

Difficulty was mixed: reviewers noted optional harder settings and late-game challenge, but many felt vehicles, weapons, or BT changes made parts too easy.

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.

Vehicles were one of the biggest improvements, arriving earlier and handling better, though some reviewers felt they trivialized traversal.

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

Many reviewers found the final hours, sincere human stories, and emotional stakes powerful, while one review felt comparatively unmoved.

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.

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

Enemy variety was praised for making combat more engaging, especially with better-equipped bandits, BT variants, and Ghost Mechs.

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

The Australia and Mexico environments were repeatedly praised for variety, vistas, textures, weather, and visual detail.

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

Exploration was praised for making the next horizon feel exciting and for encouraging movement through a striking world.

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

Facial capture and character work were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the faces and cutscene direction exceptional.

Reviewers agreed the sequel keeps Death Stranding’s identity but debated whether the stronger Metal Gear-style action sands away some original friction.

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

Fast travel through the Magellan and key waypoints was useful, though some reviewers noted scoring tradeoffs or occasional restrictions.

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

Performance notes were positive, with reviewers citing 60fps on PS5 and high, steady PC frame rates.

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

Despite its strangeness and length, reviewers often found the sequel more fun, more gripping, or never boring.

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

The mechanics were broadly praised as a major sequel upgrade, with richer delivery tools, stronger systems, and more approachable play.

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

Visuals were one of the strongest consensus points, with repeated praise for stunning landscapes, fidelity, faces, and next-gen presentation.

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

One reviewer specifically noted that the game can be played at a relaxed pace without needing to grind it out.

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

The PC review found Steam Deck and handheld play workable, though at a fairly low resolution on Steam Deck.

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

DualSense haptics were singled out as excellent, bringing surfaces, weather, gear, and action details into the controller.

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

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

Immersion was praised through the world’s quiet storytelling and lingering human moments.

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

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

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 new continent was praised for a far greater variety of locations and terrain challenges.

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

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

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.

The Corpus lore tracker was noted as a helpful way to manage the sequel’s dense terminology and story context.

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

Route planning and the 3D map were praised as important, clearer tools for planning long deliveries.

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.

Menus were viewed as improved overall, though at least one reviewer still found inventory and menu handling fiddly.

Mission design was praised for moreish delivery structure and some fun, weird orders, though the core remains delivery-focused.

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

Reviewers praised more varied cargo conditions, hazards, objectives, and mission setups that kept deliveries fresher.

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

Movement on foot was described as smoother, more responsive, and still satisfyingly weighty when hiking mattered.

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

The asynchronous multiplayer remained a signature strength, praised for paths, structures, likes, and indirect collaboration.

Narrative response was mixed-positive: many reviewers praised the story and themes, while others found it opaque, messy, or oddly paced.

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.

The sequel was seen as more welcoming and quicker to grab players, especially compared with the first game’s slow start.

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.

One review encountered servers going down before launch, making this the only direct stability caveat in the review set.

One mixed review still called it a strong open-world sandbox checklist game, even while missing the first game’s sparer approach.

Originality remained a strength, with one review calling the sequel exciting and original despite its imperfections.

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

Pacing was one of the most divided attributes: many reviews praised improvements, while others criticized slow burns, filler, or poorly paced story delivery.

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

Performance was strongly praised on PS5 Pro and PC, with several reviewers reporting flawless or dreamlike optimization.

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

PC and controller support were praised for deep options, upscaling support, and broad input compatibility.

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.

Polish was frequently praised through streamlined tasks, quality-of-life upgrades, tighter design, and a more focused sequel structure.

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

Progression was praised for APAS, RPG-like upgrades, freely swapped perks, and systems that reward how players approach deliveries.

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

Sam drew a mixed note from one review that still found him emotionally hard to connect with despite more range.

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

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

Quest design was mixed, with some reviewers finding filler or insufficient challenge despite the stronger overall delivery structure.

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 was split between extensive remaining missions and one reviewer saying they would not replay from scratch.

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

One reviewer praised the sandbox for giving players broad choice across traversal, combat, and stealth.

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 were a major strength for several reviewers, though some felt the new cast was underused or less forceful.

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

The APAS and skill systems were described as useful and flexible without being overly bloated.

Social features were praised for ziplines, shared structures, likes, and infrastructure that made helping others satisfying.

Sound design was praised as immaculate or immersive, including 3D audio, voice work, and soundscape details.

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

The soundtrack was strongly praised for licensed music, original tracks, and emotional placement during key moments.

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

Stealth was broadly improved through more tools, better combat integration, and added tactical options, though not always as deep as Metal Gear.

The upgrade system was praised because unlocked tools felt useful and rewarding during deliveries.

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

UI and UX were praised in one review for making objectives clearer and loadout handling smoother.

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

Value was supported by the long runtime and substantial post-credits content, with the caveat that it asks for a major time commitment.

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

Voice acting and performances were widely praised, especially Troy Baker and the broader ensemble cast.

Weapon balance was mixed, with reviewers noting a large arsenal but also saying it could overpower enemies or trivialize friction.

World-building was praised for being unique, expanded, bizarre, and richly thought out, though sometimes delivered through dense exposition.

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

World interactivity was praised through player-built structures that improve both the user’s route and other players’ journeys.

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

Writing quality landed mostly positive but not unanimous, with praise for Kojima’s charm and story highs alongside some criticism of nonsense or opacity.

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