Silksong, which was unveiled early last year for Switch and PC, started life with the goal of adding a second playable DLC character to Hollow Knight, but its sheer ambitious scale eventually saw Team Cherry electing to turn it into a standalone title instead. Given that it promises another bout of gorgeously moody Metroidvania-style action very much in line with its critically acclaimed predecessor - albeit with a new protagonist, Hornet - fans have been understandably anxious to learn more. Since Silksong’s initial reveal, Team Cherry has offered a smattering of new information (and a short playable demo did the rounds at various game events last year), but additional details have been increasingly slow to emerge. At this point, then, any new morsel is welcome, and Team Cherry has finally delivered with a tease of a new NPC character - a “towering old predator” who seems likely to be named The Huntress. The Huntress was discovered by fans after decoding a series of Hollow-Knight-related riddles disseminated to the game’s official Discord. Once diligent community members had finally cracked the case, they were provided with a zip file - password protected with the phrase “huntress” - containing an image of the new NPC, an animated gif (below), and some text. The Huntress (as helpfully relayed on the Hollow Knight subreddit) is described as “A towering old predator, awaiting her children to come. Though her attention is fixed on her task, she seems to know much about the waning state of Pharloom, scorning the Citadel above and the hapless pilgrims that make their ascent towards it.” And there’s some dialogue to accompany the description too: “Ssssppiiiderr, Your ssstench is strange yet similar… Have you come bearing the organs of others? Or would you offer your own? Gift your sshell’s warm insidess as ssweet feast for my brood’sss birth-meal?”. Granted, it’s not a lot to go on, but it’s pleasing to see Team Cherry is continuing to build on Hollow Knight’s engaging, and remarkably rich lore. When Imogen Beckhelling took a brief look at Silksong last year, it already seemed like Team Cherry’s latest was set to recapture the magic of its predecessor, so hopefully this surprise info-drop means the developer is in a giving mood and might soon be kind enough to share more.
