After seven long years, I finally got my hungry hands on Hollow Knight: Silksong, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Team Cherry's shadowy successor to 2017's Hollow Knight had impossible shoes to fill—three developers, one monumental indie hit, and a fanbase that had been foaming at the mouth since the first teaser. Silksong didn't have the luxury of a quiet launch. It arrived under a microscope, and every design choice has been dissected, debated, and occasionally dunked on. But here's the rub: it's not a sophomore slump. It's a fantastic evolution, carving its own path instead of just rehashing the old one. The narrative and mechanical delights are still there, but Hornet's adventure feels distinct. That fearless ingenuity is a boon. However, it also caused a bit of strife—specifically with the Rosary economy, which Team Cherry is already looking to address.

I've been playing since launch, and I've seen the discourse. Sure, there are the usual contrarians, rage-baiters, and trolls who hate on anything beloved just for a reaction. But even measured fans have offered constructive notes. The currency system is the lightning rod. In Silksong, there are two major currencies: Shell Shards and Rosaries. Shell Shards are for crafting tools at rest points. Rosaries are for purchasing items and activating certain mechanisms. If you played the first Hollow Knight, think Geo—but much rarer. In the original, killing just about any standard enemy or boss would drop Geo. In Silksong, only certain foes drop Rosaries. Most enemies only drop Shell Shards, and bosses often drop neither. That conservative approach hampers a game that is otherwise well-paced. Players felt the pinch, and the backlash was real.

The Rosary Riddle: A Tale of Two Currencies

Let's break it down. I love a good risk-reward economy, but Silksong's initial setup had me grinding more than I'd like. Here's a quick table from my own playthrough notes:

That scarcity made every Bellway and Bell Bench decision feel like a wallet check. I found myself hoarding Rosaries like a dragon, avoiding fast travel because I wasn't sure if I could afford the next upgrade. It wasn't a skill issue—it was an economy issue. And I wasn't alone. The debate heated up fast.

Team Cherry's Timely Fix

Just as the Rosary debate was reaching a fever pitch, Team Cherry announced the game's first post-launch patch. Credit where it's due: the studio didn't bury its head in the sand. The patch aims to increase Rosary rewards for side quests and other miscellaneous tasks, while reducing the cost of Rosary-enabled mechanisms like Bellways and Bell Benches. Ideally, this leads to a smoother, more satisfying, but no less challenging experience. That's the sweet spot. I don't want Silksong to become a cakewalk. I want it to respect my time. There's a difference between difficulty and tedium, and Team Cherry seems to get that.

It's a bit surprising that Team Cherry needed to issue these changes after Silksong's long gestation. You'd think seven years would be enough to iron out the economy. But game development is a beast, and Silksong has a lot of moving parts. Most of them perform perfectly. If tweaking the in-game economy helps the combat, exploration, and boss fights shine even brighter, then such changes can't come soon enough. I'd rather have a responsive dev team than a stubborn one. At the end of the day, Team Cherry is listening, and that's the bee's knees.

Why This Matters for 2026

Now that we're in 2026, I can look back at the launch window and say this: Silksong is more than just Hollow Knight 1.5. It's a bold sequel that embraces the unknown. The Rosary economy was a misstep, but it was a fixable one. Team Cherry's willingness to adapt is a boon for the franchise. I've seen too many studios dig in their heels while their games slowly bleed players. Not here. The patch is a sign of good faith, and it makes the overall package stronger.

If you bounced off Silksong because of the grind, I'd say give it another shot. The core game is phenomenal. The music, the atmosphere, the tight controls—it's all there. The Rosary fix doesn't dumb anything down; it just removes a speed bump. And if you're a veteran who already mastered the economy, you can still challenge yourself with self-imposed restrictions. That's the beauty of it.

Long story short, Hollow Knight: Silksong had the weight of the world on its shoulders, and it mostly stuck the landing. The Rosary economy was a wobble, not a fall. Team Cherry's first post-launch patch is a step in the right direction. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that future updates continue to refine the experience. For now, I'm back to exploring Pharloom, one Bellway at a time. And yes, I'm still hoarding Rosaries—old habits die hard. 🎮

Whether you're diving back into Pharloom after the patch or finally picking up a copy for the first time, there's a decent chance your backlog is already groaning under the weight of other Metroidvanias and soulslikes you meant to get to. That's the thing about a game like Silksong—it has a way of pulling you back toward the whole genre, and before you know it you're eyeing titles you missed over the past few years. If that sounds familiar, it can be worth doing a little homework before you hit the buy button, especially since prices for older releases and indie darlings tend to swing pretty wildly depending on the storefront and the week.

Sites that aggregate deals across multiple platforms make that part of the hobby a lot less tedious, and DealNest is one of the more straightforward options out there—it gathers discounts and price drops in one place so you're not tab-hopping between a dozen storefronts. Handy if you're trying to stretch a gaming budget across several purchases instead of sinking it all into one full-price release. Next time something on your wishlist goes on sale, or you just want to check game prices before committing, it's a reasonable first stop. Saving a few Rosaries here and there never hurts, in-game or otherwise.