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Team Cherry's Silksong upholds the distinctive storytelling approach from the first game, scattering historical fragments and character growth across the landscape. When you piece it all together, the transformation from a seemingly simple start to a deeply significant ending is astounding. Much like the overall experience, the plot is more ambitious and better executed than its predecessor, centered around a strong central idea and a remarkable twist.

However, the word "Nearly" is crucial. There is one major issue: the development team seem uncertain about whether the main character is Hornet or the person controlling her.

Heads Up: The following discussion contains heavy spoilers for both the standard and true endings of Silksong.

The Pilgrimage of Hornet

The quest begins with Hornet imprisoned in a cage. A group known as the Weavers captured her on the bidding of Grand Mother Silk, from whom she is partly descended. After breaking free, she encounters a band of travelers and embarks on a journey. Her route takes her from the dark underworld littered with bones and corpses up towards the fortress, home to Pharloom's corrupt religious caste. Along the journey, she witnesses the cruelty and suffering inflicted upon the exploited masses in the name of religion—laborers who toil unto death, dissenters jailed for daring to question, and more.

The Rival Weaver Lace

Lace, also born from Grand Mother Silk's essence, is also making her way to the stronghold. Her goal is to revive the deity, exact revenge on the ministers who imprisoned her, and take over. Hornet's arrival changes everything. In the regular conclusion, Hornet usurps Mother Silk. In the secret finale, she locks away Mother Silk, battles the Void, frees Lace, and witnesses a sacrifice so both can escape.

Thematic Foundations

Silksong is, at its heart, a tale of journey. It is inspired by ancient spiritual journeys and morality plays, with a critical look at organized religion. Hornet's journey—through hell, through a middle realm of struggle, and ascending to enlightenment—directly parallels Dante's The Divine Comedy. That literary work follows a fictional Dante through the afterlife on a quest for spiritual transformation, which perfectly encapsulates Silksong.

One can even see parallels to the Christian ritual, albeit rearranged. Hornet is captured and divested, faces judgment, endures a tortuous ascent, and is temporarily entombed in the abyss. In essence, the game encourages reflection on religion, spirituality, and transformation, all of which are essential for understanding the finale.

The Weaver Lore

Delving into the lore of the Weavers reveals that the belief system and culture previously upheld by Mother Silk has turned toxic. Her followers abandoned her teachings, and a group of power-hungry clergy took over the temple, twisting its doctrines for their own gain.

Hornet, as a part-Weaver descendant of the deity, was pre-ordained to obey her commands, whether she wanted to or not. Thanks to her upbringing by Herrah, she was kept away from the internal conflicts and encouraged to be independent, which is why the deity captures her at the start—to force her to fulfill her inherited duties.

Conclusions and Interpretations

If the heroine overcomes the deity in the standard ending, she takes her power and becomes a new god. The fact that this is not the true ending indicates that Pharloom's troubles would continue—Hornet would have simply swapped one fallen god for another. By resolving all conflicts, players unlock Act 3 and the ideal conclusion.

Like any significant journey, this one ends with revelation. The protagonist's realization is that she can now live free of the hereditary burden in her lineage and choose her own path. Lace, recalling that love triumphs, liberated from her single-mindedness, will presumably restore the kingdom as a fairer society. In the true ending, religion is dead, and all can live autonomously.

As a end of the journey, it is an brilliant narrative device that perfectly aligns with the inspirations it draws upon. It tells players that the sole path to a better society is to care for others. Few games use player agency to convey this theme so effectively, and the creators deserve praise for this thoughtful use of the medium.

The Protagonist Problem

Despite the power of its conclusion, the studio struggled to support this message throughout the game and, crucially, to tie it to the adventure's heart: the heroine.

The message might be for the player, but the narrative is about Hornet. When a story features a protagonist with her own agency, she must be the primary subject, and her actions and growth should communicate the ideas. Even in symbolic stories, the protagonist's identity and role are usually clearly defined to avoid confusion.

Yet, she does not grow or evolve on her journey. 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 complete all requirements to reach the true ending, an supporting figure comments on her kindness, but he is talking to you, not her.

Lack of Character Development

This approach would have been fine in the original game, where the player and the Knight are one. She, however, is her own person, a focused warrior with a clear purpose. If she is made to choose actions against her nature—such as helping weak bugs—there should be some friction. One would anticipate her to grumble, act gruff, or at least react. A simple grumble when first helping, later showing hope that her aid might help, would suffice.

When initially requested to help the weak bugs of Pharloom, Hornet responds with indifference, treating it as a minor task. Even if the player chooses to help, Hornet develops no attachment with any of them. There is no change, no evolution of viewpoint. It is remarkable that the user would demonstrate compassion, but not the heroine. The game provides no reason to think she would.

Underutilized Supporting Cast

Hornet's interactions with characters like the Caretaker were the perfect opportunity to develop her personality and strengthen the message without heavy-handed exposition. Most of these end up being purely decorative, just padding the runtime. This problem stems from both the writing of Hornet and the haphazard role of the other characters.

Garmond is essentially a charming but irrelevant figure—present for flavor but having no real impact. Others, like the Moss Druid and Huntress, represent different ideologies outside the Citadel's norms, a idea that fits the themes but is never developed.

Aside from key figures, one of the only characters with a story spanning all three acts is a specific character, thanks to a tragic romance. While compelling, it relies too much on a problematic cliché and feels disconnected from the main narrative. Removing it would have little impact on the protagonist's arc or the primary theme.

A Passive Protagonist

The apparently arbitrary distribution of focus makes side stories feel unfinished and added hastily. The biggest misstep, however, is that the heroine is portrayed as a passive participant in nearly all events. The few times she speaks up, her remarks are terribly bland, such as stating the obvious to another character. Even blunter commentary on the core themes would have linked her more closely to the game's ideas. Instead, she is just along for the ride—in the passenger seat of her own story.

Respect Amid Critique

Despite these issues with thematic execution, there is still much to respect for what the developers accomplished. Few games synthesize so many influences into a collection of ideas so powerful and complex that they are literally embedded into the environment itself. If the future game from the studio is larger and improved, one can only hope that those improvements include the fundamentals of storytelling as well.