Hollow Knight: Silksong Shouldn't Beat Around the Bush With…

Hollow Knight: Silksong remains one of the most anticipated indie titles in years. With over six years of teasers, periods of silence, and countless rumors, Team Cherry recently stunned the gaming community at Gamescom by confirming a September 4 release date. For fans who have been waiting since the original Hollow Knight’s 2017 debut, the announcement felt like a dream come true.

But while the finish line is in sight, one of the biggest mysteries surrounding Silksong remains unresolved: its story. Team Cherry has notoriously kept narrative details about Hollow Knight’s canon ending locked away, leaving players speculating about the new installment's connection to the original game’s intricate lore. The questions surrounding the canon ending could define how fans interpret Silksong’s world, its characters, and Hornet’s ultimate role in the series.

hollow knight and silksong opposite ends spectrum with stories

Hollow Knight and Silksong May Be on Opposites Ends of the Spectrum With Their Stories

Although it has largely been kept under wraps, the plot of Hollow Knight: Silksong seems to be a stark contrast to that of its predecessor's.

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By Ediz Guner

Hollow Knight’s Canon Ending Affects Silksong

The original Hollow Knight features multiple endings, each drastically altering the fate of the player character and Hallownest. The most widely accepted “true ending” among fans is Dream No More, which involves defeating the Radiance. However, Team Cherry took a different stance, stating in a Reddit AMA: “All endings are equally canon. We're not into 'True Endings.' You choose the path yourself. We'll do our best in all future Hollow Knight content to account for all of them."

Hollow Knight: Silksong Release Has Delayed Another Game

This approach gives players narrative agency, but it also complicates continuity. If every ending is canon, it puts into question how Silksong reconciles these branching fates without erasing the player’s choices or breaking immersion. Hornet’s story cannot exist in a vacuum, unless Silksong is a surprise prequel. It needs to acknowledge Hallownest’s past, even if indirectly.

Hollow Knight Ending Recap

Hollow Knight has five endings, excluding a secret post-credits scene. Quickly, players will notice that these endings are drastically different from one another. And with so much variance, Silksong’s narrative has to pick a lane, or at least create a framework that makes sense regardless of which ending players believe in.

Ending	How it Plays Out
The Hollow Knight	The Hollow Knight dies, and the Knight absorbs the infection. The Knight is sealed inside the Black Egg. Players must not have acquired the Void Heart in order to achieve this ending.
Sealed Siblings	The Hollow Knight dies, thanks to a heroic save by Hornet. Players will have had to acquire the Void Heart to unlock this ending.
Embrace the Void	After defeating the Absolute Radiance, the infection is purged and the Godseeker embraces the void. The Knight's shell is broken in half, implying that the Knight has died or returned to the Void. This ending is tied to the Godmaster DLC.
Delicate Flower	After having completed the Delicate Flower side quest, the Delicate Flower purges the infection. It plays out similarly to Embrace the Void.
Dream No More	The Radiance is defeated, destroying the infection with her. The Knight and the Hollow Knight are implied to have met their end in this ending.

Why the Canon Question Matters for Silksong

Hollow Knight’s lore is one of its strongest pillars. The game’s environmental storytelling captivated players by rewarding exploration with bits of history, mysteries of the Pale King, and the slow unraveling of what the infection truly meant. Yet the fragmented nature of these revelations left plenty of gaps for interpretation.

Silksong doesn’t need to tie up every loose end, but it does need to anchor itself within the established mythos. Without that grounding, the game risks feeling detached from the weight of the first game’s tragedy and the fate of Hallownest’s characters.

Hollow Knight All Grub Locations Trapped Grubs

Moreover, Hornet is no ordinary character. As the Pale King’s daughter and a central figure in the original game’s lore, her perspective on the infection and its resolution should logically influence her motivations in Pharloom. If the Void was destroyed, that creates one set of implications. If it persists, that opens entirely different doors for conflict and narrative stakes.

The Case for Dream No More

Of all Hollow Knight’s endings, Dream No More feels the most narratively complete. In this conclusion, the Knight defeats the Radiance within the dream realm, effectively ending the infection’s source. The Hollow Knight, once a vessel of hope, disappears as a martyr, and Hallownest is finally freed from its eternal decay.

From a thematic standpoint, this resolution delivers closure without erasing the cost. It also establishes a foundation for future stories where remnants of Hallownest linger, but the central infection crisis is over. For Silksong, that would allow Hornet’s journey to stand on its own while acknowledging the monumental sacrifices that came before.

Hollow Knight All DLCS DLC Order Godhome Bench

Why Silksong Should Address This Soon

Silksong doesn’t need an opening cinematic with a narrator declaring that the Radiance was slain, and the Void has returned to the abyss. But it does need something to contextualize Hornet’s circumstances. A passing reference in dialogue, a ruined monument in Pharloom, or even a lore entry could serve as a tether between the two games. Leaving this ambiguity unresolved risks creating narrative dissonance. Players who view Embrace the Void as canon might expect Silksong to explore Hornet’s reaction to an all-consuming Void, while others assume Sealed Siblings may anticipate lingering infection threads. Without clarification, Silksong could unintentionally fracture fan expectations in ways that hinder the emotional impact of its story.

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