My first journey through Pharloom has come to a closure. I've collected the last missing things for the 100%, completed the Hunter's Journal, gotten all mementos, and then faced the final final boss... very often. Needless to say that this post will contain spoilers for all that, so read at your own risk!
Slowly but surely, I'm nearing the end of the game, where I've been diving into Pharloom's past to collect all four old hearts, filling out the Hunter's Journal, and returning to some of the mini-game activities. So, I'm technically ready for the final final boss, but I'm also somewhat stuck at 99%.
Just like its development, Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn't want to end. But I mean this in a good way, where this is by far one of most extensive Metroidvanias so far. The third act really turns everything on its head, making it feel like a whole new game has started. Combine this with having obtained the last ability needed to reach places, it gave me reason to re-explore all of Pharloom, where there truly was something new to discover everywhere.
My goal was to get most of the optional content done, where I have arrived at 96%. I've fought a number bosses, followed a familiar face all over the map, did some deliveries to the farthest corners of the world, searched for the last fleas, participated in a variety of mini-games, found the missing Crest and silk skills, and upgraded my needle one last time.
After aimlessly wandering through all of Pharloom without knowing what to do, the game eventually had mercy and offered me a different path for its supposed ending, one that involves something a little too close to Hornet's former home. Thus, I was able to enter the game's third act, which lets you experience the kingdom of Pharloom in a different state. Here I saw parts of the Citadel, went back to Bone Bottom, the Wormways, the Deep Docks and even further below...
Last time I have beaten the game... But following in the footsteps of its predecessor, there is more to the world of Silksong than it appears, and I was now trying to find out what needs to be done to potentially experience a different ending. This journey of self discovery brought me into the Putrified Ducts and into the Slab. I also settled a score at Bilewater, fought some of my comrades, and found a new home for the fleas.
Back to a big screen, I've completed the Threefold Melody quest and reached the top of the Citadel. This means I've explored the rest of the Whispering Vaults and the Cogwork Core, as well as the High Halls and finally the Cradle, with a detour into the Wisp Thicket in between. And technically I have now beaten the game, but as with the first Hollow Knight it's rather questionable and there is still more to discover.
This week I was visiting a Zelda community gathering, so my progress is rather limited, but here and there I'm using a quiet hour to play some more Silksong. The screenshots in this post will have a different format than usual because of this.
Another ramification is that I mainly focused on side quests, so the only new area that I have explored is the Memorium. The main goal was finally upgrading my needle a second (and third) time, however. For this I had to complete the "Great Taste of Pharloom" quest, where to delicacies were still missing.
Next on my list of detours was Mount Fay. Once you have the Clawline, you can reach this icy area from the Slab. And I climbed the whole thing for my biggest achievement in the game so far. Spoilers for this whole area ahead. In addition, I visited the Sands of Karak and finally challenged an old advisory.
Oh, behold the glory of the glorious Citadel! After getting to the second act of Hollow Knight: Silksong, I've had some of my best times with the game so far, but also some of my most frustrating ones. By now I have reached a certain point right at the center of the Citadel and explored most of the Choral Chambers before that, with detours into the Underworks, the Slab, and the Whiteward. I also got caught up in a variety of distractions all around Pharloom, where I have been playing courier quite a bit...
After running a number of errands all around Pharloom, it was now time to reach Hornet's initial goal: the Citadel. There are two major options for you to get there, the path of the pilgrim and the path of the sinner, where I've been trying my luck with both, starting with the former on the Blasted Steps. But eventually I also ended up in the Bilewaters and the Mist. Spoilers for all these areas ahead!
After liberating Bellhart, I was mainly absorbed in side quests, back-tracking through the lower spheres of Pharloom, fulfilling some wishes, and fighting some optional bosses, including one that has given me a hard time previously. I also took a brief look at the Sinner's Road...
Well, I didn't get as far as over the weekend as I had hoped... The weather was too nice and the bosses were too hard. My goal was to reach the Citadel, and I came close by taking a look at the Blasted Steps, but I'm not there yet. Since my previous entry, I was busy with clearing the rest of Greymoor, exploring the Shellwoods and the Hunter's March, before finally freeing Bellhart for some much needed progress. Spoilers ahead for all these areas!
Today I've been playing for a couple more hours, where for the most part I've been going back and forth on the horizontal, instead of gaining some altitude, but I've reached a higher area eventually. My journey went to the Deep Docks, the Wormways, the Far Fields, and finally Greymoor. Keep that in mind when reading.
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure this will be a good idea, but I'm going to give it a try nevertheless. Usually, I only do these logs for new Zelda games, but I have done one for Metroid Dread about four years ago, where Hollow Knight is very close to home and checks all those boxes of what I love about the Action Adventure genre.
