Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally launched, but players have noticed the absence of critic reviews and a Metacritic score on release day. Unlike many major titles, developer Team Cherry chose not to provide early access codes to journalists or reviewers.
This decision was explained in a statement from the studio, which emphasised fairness for the game’s original supporters. “We felt like it’d be unfair for critics to be playing before Kickstarter backers and other players,” the team said.
With only a small development staff, Team Cherry added that distributing codes before launch would have required additional resources they preferred to devote to the release itself.
As a result, reviewers, YouTubers, and streamers received the game at the same time as the wider audience. While some may later receive free codes, many opted to purchase the title at launch.
Priced at around $20, Silksong also stands apart from many current releases that launch at $70, joining a number of mid-tier titles released this year at lower costs.
The absence of launch reviews has led to discussion within the community. Some observers caution players to be mindful of early scored reviews that appear in the coming days.
Given that Silksong is estimated to require 20–30 hours or more to complete, reviews published too quickly may not reflect the full experience.
The release marks the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Hollow Knight, one of the most acclaimed modern indie games.
While the lack of day-one reviews may surprise some fans, Team Cherry’s approach places players and backers on equal footing for experiencing the sequel’s launch.
Metacritic scores and critical impressions are expected to emerge as reviewers progress through the game in the days ahead.
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