Compare Final Fantasy VII Rebirth vs Hollow Knight: Silksong

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “You can also switch between all three levels at will.”

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.

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “this one is a bit more violent than Remake.”

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “In reality it’s just a super hard NPC that that the AI cheats for.”

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “standard gameplay animations are not far behind at all.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “art direction and design of these worlds showed Square-Enix at the peak” and “Recognizing the general layout of the old, familiar map.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “This is a world of beauty and loss.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “Fighting new foes and classic bosses with Rebirth's combat” and “boss fights are tremendous.”

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.

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “I’ve run into no technical bugs or glitches” and “I did not encounter a single crash or bug.”

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “lock-on system has trouble tracking” and “I had a lot of trouble with the camera.”

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.

Reviewers repeatedly highlight stronger characterization, deeper party relationships, and more nuanced portrayals of both returning and newly playable characters.

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “Each of the controllable characters in the game have a totally unique control scheme” and “Rebirth features up to seven characters.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “a helpful checkpoint system can keep you from having to repeat.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “every character feels viable and distinct.”

Reviewers broadly praise the hybrid action/ATB combat as fast, strategic, and improved by Synergy, with only isolated complaints about specific enemy or encounter tuning.

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.

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “"backline" members lend some token aid” and “even characters not in your party can fight.”

Content variety is very high, especially through minigames, Queen’s Blood, side quests, world intel, and Gold Saucer activities, though a few reviewers call the volume excessive.

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “feels a little clumsy and clunky” and “pretty intuitive to pick up and use.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “open regions full of enjoyable optional activities” and “core gameplay Loop which is like engagements World dungeons bosses repeat.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “new recipes to use in Rebirth’s crafting system” and “life Springs are a treasure Trove of crafting resources.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “I did not encounter a single crash or bug throughout my playthrough.”

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “One second I’m trying to earn a beach outfit.”

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

Difficulty is adjustable and often satisfying, but several reviewers call out spikes, hard bosses, or uneven tuning.

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.

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “It is a fully fleshed out racing game.”

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “frees up a lot of Materia slots.”

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

Several reviewers describe strong emotional impact, especially through party relationships, grief, nostalgia, and character moments.

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.

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “post-game content adds even more” and “combat challenges a super boss Etc.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “the enemies, they’re even better and more varied” and “enemy variety is so well done.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “massive landscapes and ecosystems of Rebirth” and “awe-inspiring hugeness of nature.”

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

Exploration is often rewarding thanks to sights, world context, side discoveries, and region-specific objectives.

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “facial animations bring emotional depth to every scene.”

Reviewers generally find the game respectful to Final Fantasy VII while still taking bold liberties with story, presentation, and structure.

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

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “Many characters, both male and female, wear revealing clothing.”

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “Fast travel is also well designed” and “various methods of fast travel and the like.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “chaining boost pads to stay airborne.”

Frame rate impressions are mixed: some praise smooth performance, while others say higher frame-rate modes sacrifice too much image quality.

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “some of them are the best parts of Rebirth” and “one of the most lavish and charming RPGs I’ve ever played.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “real time and menu based attack system.”

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

Graphics are often praised for vistas, cutscenes, and character models, but multiple reviews mention blurry performance mode, pop-in, or inconsistent visual quality.

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “receive a massive bonus to XP gained” and “not even a single hour feels like a grind or a chore.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “played the game on the verified Steam Deck without gameplay issues” and “plays very well on the PlayStation Portal.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “DualSense controller’s motion controls and haptics.”

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “Rebirth can't do horror.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “fewer on-screen markers detracting from the landscape.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “offering a deeper and more immersive.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “made fresh again with clever new mechanics” and “sets a new standard for the.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “I slowly began figuring out the rules of the game” and “not too complicated so it doesn't bog things down.”

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.

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “marry that gameplay to exceptional level design” and “level Design's really rough here.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “with virtually no loading.”

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “there are more exotic Materia in Rebirth than before” and “rewards are locked to getting the highest possible score.”

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 improves through World Intel, expanded backstory, new sequences, and additional Final Fantasy VII mythology.

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

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “navigation can leave something to be desired.”

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.

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “A few menu loads and animations can chug or hitch visibly” and “lack of a way to save loadouts.”

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “needless padding quickly wore on my patience” and “peak moments like every hour or so.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “thanks to how wildly varied quests are.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “don't feel as fluid as they ought to be.”

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

Narrative reactions are positive but nuanced: reviewers praise the character-focused journey and reimagining while noting the macro plot and ending can feel thin or convoluted.

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.

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “contains a helpful “The Story So Far” summary of events” and “There is story summary accessible from the main menu.”

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.

Open-world design is divisive: reviewers admire the scale, region variety, and freedom, but several criticize checklist repetition and bloat.

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “original story threads unique to the remake trilogy’s alternate universe.”

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

Pacing is the clearest recurring tradeoff: some reviewers like the scenic route, but many say open-world checklists, minigames, and padding slow the main story.

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

Performance is mostly playable and sometimes smooth, but reviewers note technical tradeoffs, especially between image quality and frame rate.

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

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “It's STILL NOT ON XBOX.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “a quick platforming puzzle, utilizing the expanded movement system” and “aerial enemies really mess with.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “retain the polish and presentation of the first game” and “so breathtakingly massive so incredibly dense so remarkably polished.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “spend the AP you’ve earned in battle to upgrade each character” and “Party Level, a separate progression system.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “His stoic demeanor, belied by his awkwardness in social situations, makes him endearing.”

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

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “carefully constructed each combat encounter to maintain interest and challenge” and “a series of DualShock gyro box-chucking minigames.”

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

Side quests fare better than typical busywork when they deepen character relationships or world context, though some still see unevenness.

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

The remake quality is considered ambitious and meaningful, with reviewers praising the reimagining even when some story choices divide them.

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “rebirth is no joke a lot of people” and “offers plenty of content to keep you engaged.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “greater sense of exploration and freedom than before” and “empowers players to discover the world around them.”

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

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “less significant Side characters that the party encounters.”

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

Folios and Synergy nodes are usually seen as a meaningful, more strategic evolution of character progression.

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “the music often drowning out the dialog” and “resulting in a chaotic stew of noise.”

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

The soundtrack receives near-universal praise for orchestral arrangements, new tracks, emotional callbacks, and genre variety.

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

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “The engine doesn’t lend itself readily to stealth maneuvers.”

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “getting familiar with several of the mechanics.”

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “spend the AP you’ve earned in battle to upgrade each character.”

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

Reviewer evidence is critical, with support including “in-game map and compass are simply not up to the task.”

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

Value is high for players who want a long RPG, but some reviewers warn that the game asks for a lot of time.

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “you do actually get a buggy later on.”

Reviewer evidence is mixed, with support including “graphical aspects come to life and look stunning” and “the writing performances and animations sometimes Veer.”

Voice acting is consistently praised for emotional performances and strong casting across the main party.

Reviewer evidence is strongly positive, with support including “extensive and intricate world-building.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “make the world feel reactive to my presence.”

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

Reviewer evidence is positive, with support including “Rebirth is often cheesy in its writing” and “deepening the human element of the original game.”

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