🔗 Share this article

Team Cherry's Silksong upholds the signature narrative style from the original title, tucking away pieces of history and character development in various corners. When you piece it all together, the transformation from a apparently straightforward beginning to a profoundly important conclusion is striking. Similar to the rest of the game, the plot is more ambitious and better executed than its predecessor, built upon a powerful core concept and a remarkable twist.

However, the word "Nearly" is crucial. There is a significant problem: the development team seem uncertain about whether the protagonist is Hornet or the player.

Heads Up: The following discussion contains major plot reveals for both the regular and secret conclusions of Silksong.

The Pilgrimage of Hornet

The adventure starts with the protagonist captured and caged. A group known as the Weavers captured her on the bidding of Grand Mother Silk, from whom Hornet is partly descended. After breaking free, she joins a band of travelers and begins her ascent. Her path takes her from the hellish depths littered with bones and corpses up towards the fortress, home to Pharloom's decadent priesthood. Along the way, she observes the cruelty and suffering endured by the exploited masses in the name of religion—workers who toil unto death, dissenters jailed for daring to question, and more.

The Rival Weaver Lace

Another Weaver, also born from Grand Mother Silk's essence, is also making her way to the stronghold. Her plan is to revive the deity, seek vengeance on the corrupt clergy, and take over. The protagonist's interference complicates matters. In the regular conclusion, Hornet takes over from the deity. In the secret finale, Hornet imprisons the deity, battles the Void, frees Lace, and witnesses a sacrifice so they may go free.

Thematic Foundations

Silksong is, at its heart, a pilgrimage story. It is inspired by ancient spiritual journeys and allegorical dramas, with a Reformation-style critique at organized religion. The protagonist's path—descending into darkness, through a middle realm of struggle, and rising toward revelation—directly parallels Dante's The Divine Comedy. That literary work follows a protagonist through hell, purgatory, and heaven on a journey of enlightenment, which perfectly encapsulates Silksong.

One can even draw connections to the Christian ritual, albeit out of order. The heroine is captured and divested, stands trial, suffers a grueling climb, and is temporarily entombed in the abyss. In essence, the game invites contemplation on faith, the soul, and change, all of which are essential for grasping the ending.

Backstory of the Weavers

Delving into the lore of the ancient race reveals that the belief system and culture previously upheld by the deity has become corrupt. Her children forsook her path, and a caste of self-serving ministers seized control the temple, twisting its doctrines for their own gain.

Hornet, as a blood relative of Grand Mother Silk, was pre-ordained to follow her will, whether she wanted to or not. Thanks to her true mother, Herrah, she was raised outside from the Weaver drama and encouraged to be independent, which is why the deity captures her at the beginning—to compel her to accept her Weaver responsibilities.

Conclusions and Interpretations

If Hornet defeats Mother Silk in the standard ending, she takes her power and becomes a new god. The fact that this is not the good outcome indicates that Pharloom's troubles would persist—Hornet would have merely replaced one corrupt deity for another. By solving everyone's problems, players access the final chapter and the ideal conclusion.

Like any significant journey, this one ends with revelation. The protagonist's realization is that she can now exist independently of the Weaver taint in her blood and choose her own path. Her rival, reminded of love's power, freed from selfishness, will likely rebuild Pharloom in a better image. In the finale, religion is dead, and everyone is free.

As a end of the journey, it is an brilliant narrative device that fits seamlessly into the inspirations it draws upon. It communicates players that the sole path to a better society is to care for others. Rarely do titles use interactivity to deliver such a message so effectively, and the developers deserve praise for this thoughtful use of the medium.

A Central Dilemma

Despite the power of its conclusion, the development team had difficulty reinforcing this theme consistently and, crucially, to connect it to the adventure's heart: Hornet.

The message might be for the audience, but the narrative is about Hornet. When a story features a main character who speaks and thinks independently, she must be the central focus, and her actions and growth should communicate the ideas. Even in symbolic stories, the protagonist's identity and role are usually explicitly stated to avoid confusion.

Yet, she does not grow or evolve on her quest. Her only goal is to return home. The struggle of destiny versus choice only appears in the Act 2 boss fight and some obscure backstory. If players tick every box to unlock Act 3, an supporting figure remarks about Hornet's compassion, but he is talking to you, not her.

Missing Growth

This method would have been fine in the original game, where the protagonist is a blank slate. Hornet, however, is her own person, a driven hunter with a set objective. If she is forced to perform actions against her nature—such as helping weak bugs—there should be some resistance. One would expect her to complain, act unpleasant, or at least react. A brief complaint when initially assisting, later showing hope that her actions do good, would work.

When first asked to assist the oppressed citizens, she responds with apathy, treating it as a minor task. Even if the user decides to assist, she forms no bond with any of them. There is no change, no evolution of viewpoint. It is notable that the user would show such care, but not the heroine. The game provides little justification to think she would.

Underutilized Supporting Cast

The protagonist's dialogues with figures such as the Caretaker were the ideal chance to develop her personality and reinforce the themes without obvious explanation. However, many end up being merely ornamental, just filling space. This problem stems from both the writing of Hornet and the random placement of the supporting cast.

Garmond is essentially a lovable, doddering old fool—there for flavor but having no real impact. Others, like the Moss Druid and Huntress, embody alternative beliefs contrary to the establishment, a idea that aligns with the message but goes unexplored.

Aside from key figures, one of the only characters with a thread through the entire game is The Green Prince, thanks to a tragic romance. While compelling, it leans heavily on a troubling trope and feels disconnected from the main narrative. Taking it out would have no effect on the protagonist's arc or the core message.

Hornet as a Passenger

The apparently arbitrary distribution of focus makes side stories feel unfinished and added hastily. The largest error, however, is that Hornet is shown as largely inactive in nearly all events. The rare moments she comments, her remarks are uninspiring, such as offering clichéd advice to another character. Even more direct remarks on oppression and free will would have tied her better to the game's concepts. Instead, she is merely a passenger—in the backseat of her narrative.

Acknowledging the Achievement

Despite these problems in storytelling, there is still much to respect for what the developers accomplished. Rare titles synthesize so many influences into a set of themes so strong and layered that they are literally embedded into the in-game world. If the future game from the developers is larger and improved, one can only wish that those improvements include the fundamentals of storytelling as well.