Hollow Knight Silksong's greatest addition is also its most frustrating part

It feels almost surreal to be writing about Hollow Knight Silksong in a present sense rather than a potential one, but here we are. So far, Team Cherry's long-anticipated sequel appears to be a resounding success - a high of over half a million concurrent players on Steam, with 'overwhelmingly positive' reviews currently at a 96% recommendation rate. I doubt many of those have finished the Metroidvania sequel yet, but the response is clearly strong. The art and animation are gorgeous, the music is sublime, and the action feels just as good as its predecessor. But there's one aspect that's proving to be its most divisive part: Hornet's signature dive attack.

With returning character Hornet taking the lead in Hollow Knight Silksong, it would have been remiss of Team Cherry to not give her the iconic diagonal dive. Fortunately, it's there in all its 45-degree glory. By pressing down and attack while in midair, you'll zip down on your foes in short order, and landing a hit allows Hornet to flip elegantly up into the air and gain more height. This is fantastic against some of the early Hollow Knight Silksong bosses, acting as a reliable gap closer that can be executed from the sky, and it also quickly becomes key to many platforming sequences, which require you to bounce off small objects to climb to high ledges or cross spike-filled gaps.

Herein lies the rub, however. While it was the atmosphere, action, and Metroidvania exploration that drew me into the first Hollow Knight, it ended up proving its worth as one of the best platform games in years. I even found myself completing the Path of Pain, a challenge so satisfying that it got me to replay the whole game just for the chance to take it on a second time. During that time, I became extremely familiar with what is often referred to as the "pogo," but my friends and I call the "dink" - the Knight's midair down-strike that lets you gain extra height off enemies and spikes alike.

Hornet's dive attack is very similar in concept, but the angle it moves at means learning the muscle memory all over again. This has quickly led to many scenes of me diving headfirst into a pit of spikes because I wasn't positioning myself correctly to hit the bounce ball. I'm not alone; Jamie called attention to it in our Gamescom preview, I've watched several Twitch streamers struggle similarly, and the top post on the Hollow Knight subreddit (excluding a discussion of the launch chaos) is titled: "What early game Silksong feels like." Open it and you'll find an image of Hornet and a pogo stick that reads "Get ready to learn the 45-degree angle, buddy."

I'm very much of the opinion that this is a good thing. Part of the joy of Hollow Knight, or really any of the best action games, is learning your moveset and finding your play style. Not being able to lean on the eight years of training we've invested in learning such a flashy and effective move means starting from scratch. Some of us might have a slight advantage - both PCGamesN fighting game aficionado Christian and I immediately likened it to the divekick, one of the most deadly and feared moves in the genre. It's just as powerful here, coming in at an angle many foes aren't equipped to handle, and with a tendency to set you up nicely for another follow-up attack.

Its deliberately directional nature also creates fresh challenges as you explore the Hollow Knight Silksong map. Our resident wordsmith Nat notes that the diagonal plunge changes how Silksong tests your spatial awareness, and removes the safety net of simply pogoing off any threats you might be falling directly into. "I think it's kind of funny thematically that Hornet is vertically challenged (her goal is literally to keep moving upwards) and her moveset is horizontally inclined," Nat remarks. "It's a fun intersection of character, theme, and level design."

With the caveat of a slight mechanical spoiler warning, there is some good news for players who simply can't find their rhythm. One of the Hollow Knight Silksong Crests you can encounter a little further into the game, called the Wanderer's Crest, turns Hornet's motions into a closer adaptation of the original Knight's attacks. This also gives you an old-school downward strike, so if you're really adamant about the classics, the option is there.

Be sure to check the Hollow Knight Silksong system requirements so you aren't stopped at the first hurdle. Once you're in, we've got the latest estimate on how long Hollow Knight Silksong is, and you can expect plenty more helpful guides from us in the coming days and weeks.

Have you been caught out by the diagonal dink? Let us know how well you're adapting to Silksong in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can share your thoughts with our staff and readers alike.