Before September, if you were to ask a gamer what their favourite game was you could expect a few standard answers – Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, Ocarina of Time. But that all changed when a needle-wielding hornet entered the market… and immediately crashed multiple stores due to its popularity.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the latest video game from independent developer Team Cherry. Its cosy, Metroidvania aesthetics conceal a layered plot with highly difficult gameplay – users play as the captured hunter, Hornet, in order to navigate the gloomy land of Pharloom on a quest to ascend the heights of the Citadel.
So, what made this game the perfect internet storm? We explore 5 factors that may have affected its unprecedented success.
Anticipation pays off
Since being announced back in 2019, fans have eagerly awaited the release of this game. In fact, all the anticipation spawned a lively subreddit where users could engage in discussions around game theories and release rumours – aka “Silkposting”.
The significant wait time between the game’s announcement and release also created a shared sense of mental anguish amongst fans, which quickly came to be known as “Silksanity”. So when the game finally dropped on multiple platforms on 4th September 2025, fans were finally put out of their Silk-induced misery.
Cheap is cheerful
People don’t want to be spending £50 or more for a new game – particularly as we’re still in a cost-of-living crisis here in the UK. Consumer spending in the retail and leisure sector continued to fall in the first quarter of the year, with concerns arising around how Trump’s tariffs across the pond will affect our economy at home.
That’s why Silksong came not just at the right time, but also at the right price. The game retails for just £16.75 on Nintendo Switch and Steam, making it extremely accessible to both die-hard fans and potential beginners who want to get into gaming without the heavy investment.
More Metroidvania
Inspired by the fantastical worlds of Metroid and Castlevania, Metroidvania is the aptly named action-adventure genre that Silksong falls into. It’s been growing steadily in popularity since the eighties, with a key feature being each game’s sidescrolling mechanism and non-linear storytelling.
And while Metroidvania is still considered a bit of an “oddball” in terms of genre, it’s backed by a loyal community of cult-like fans.
Simplicity without ease
Simplicity kind of comes with the territory here. As a Metroidvania game, users must navigate the detailed map through platforming and sidescrolling – it’s not a huge open-world game like Death Stranding where you can just wander off in any direction for hours at a time.
But just because it’s built on a simple mechanism doesn’t mean that the gameplay follows suit. In fact, Silksong has already become renowned for its high level of difficulty, with some players comparing it to the likes of Dark Souls and even being put off entirely due to its challenging nature. So when you do get the hang of it, it feels like a badge of honour.
Aesthetics matter
Whoever told you that looks don’t matter was lying – because in the world of gaming, aesthetics score huge brownie points. Players love the cosy but peculiar look of Silksong, which blends everyday nature with brutality. In fact, its beautiful game design has become a key selling point in reviews.
It’s not surprising that Team Cherry was able to create something that balanced aesthetics with depth. That’s because Silksong is just another title added to a growing list of games being touted for their beauty recently – think Hellblade, Witchfire, and Hades II.
Game your way, with Fasthosts
Part of why players love Silksong so much is its bespoke nature. Your individual ending will change based on the route you take and decisions you make throughout the story, allowing users to feel that they’re more in control of their character’s destiny.
At Fasthosts, we know that you also want to take charge of your gaming experience – which is why we offer private UK Gaming Servers for just £5 a month. That means no lagging, no glitching and, most importantly, no randoms – because when it’s your server, you set the rules.
No matter what you play – from Minecraft and Counter-Strike 2 to ARK and Call of Duty – get in touch to discover our full range of gaming servers.
