Skip to main content

Hollow Knight: Silksong characters revealed through riddles

The Hollow Knight team has been drip-feeding fans information about its much-anticipated sequel, Silksong.

But rather than outlining the new details in blog posts or additional trailers, developer Team Cherry decided to have a little fun with its fanbase. Over the past four weeks, the developers have revealed new characters through cryptic riddles.

The original Hollow Knight was extremely well received, scoring 90 out of 100 on the review site Metacritic. Reviewers praised the title for its depth, challenge, and unique art style. So fans have been champing at the bit for information since the sequel was announced in February 2019.

Until a few weeks ago, all anyone really knew about Silksong was that it would star Hornet, who fought and aided the protagonist in the first game. Now, we’ve been introduced to four Silksong NPCs, both friend and foe.

What were the puzzles?

In early June, Matthew Griffin, a marketer for Team Cherry, left a series of coded riddles on the Hollow Knight Discord server alongside a locked ZIP file.

The riddles required extensive knowledge of Hollow Knight, so only the most dedicated fans had any hope of cracking them. The solution was the name of a new character, “Huntress,” which was the password for the ZIP file. Inside was a description, image, and a GIF of the character in action.

But it didn’t end there. Over June and early July, Team Cherry released three more riddles, and fans uncovered three more Silksong characters.

What have we learned?

Four characters were revealed in full. The first, as the name Huntress suggests, is a fearsome creature: “A towering old predator, awaiting her children to come.” In the released dialogue, she immediately asks Hornet to fetch her some organs, suggesting Silksong, like its predecessor, will have an element of horror.

The second NPC, Grindle, is a “snitchbug,” a burglar complete with a sack of swag. After being freed from prison by Hornet, he appears to serve the role of an information broker. The description states he will “take rosaries in exchange for snippets of information he has gathered, though his gossip is often of questionable value.”

A group of characters was revealed next: A tribe of surprisingly cute fleas known as Caravan. They aim to “gather the playful young fleas scattered across the kingdom” and will likely be asking Hornet to do the job for them, similar to Hollow Knight’s Grubfather.

This week, we were shown a shield-slinging boss character known as Seth. This NPC shares the name of its co-creator, Seth Goldman, a Hollow Knight fan who passed away in June. Seth met Team Cherry, which asked him to design a character for the new game. The result is a tough-looking opponent, an “eternal protector” who “guards a secret long forgotten and will attack any who stray too close.”

Despite these new details, Team Cherry has not yet provided any indication of a Silksong release date. When it does arrive, the game is slated for release on Switch and PC.

Editors' Recommendations

Matt Bassil
Gotham Knights’ ending explained: Batman’s death, the Court of Owls, and more
The four heroes of Gotham Knights walking in a purple street below text of the game's title.

WB Games Montreal’s Gotham Knights, which finally launched on October 21, follows the adventures of Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin after Batman is killed. This bold move sets off an unpredictable plot that ultimately centers around two secret societies that want Gotham for themselves.
While the game’s middling reception and a plethora of performance issues might turn you off from picking the game up, Batman fans might still want to learn about its entertaining story. As such, here's a recap of what goes down in Gotham Knights and how it all comes to a head in its exciting ending.
Gotham Knights - Official Cinematic Launch Trailer
How does Batman die in Gotham Knights?
Gotham Knights kicks off by showing you exactly how Batman died. Ra’s Al Ghul ambushes Bruce Wayne in the Batcave, resulting in an entertaining brawl throughout Batman’s iconic base of operations. Batman sends out a call to his sidekicks, but none of them are close enough to help him in time. When it becomes clear that the only way to defeat Ra’s Al Ghul is by blowing up the Batcave, Batman does so and also kills himself in the process.
Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Robin arrive on the scene soon thereafter and find Bruce’s dead body. We then see his funeral, where Kane Industries CEO and Bruce Wayne’s uncle Jacob Kane gives a speech about how Bruce Wayne served Gotham City well. The former sidekicks quickly realize they now must defend Gotham City and decide to investigate Batman’s final case. Their efforts bring them to the murder scene of Dr. Kirk Langstrom, where they learn they need to infiltrate the GCPD to get a biometric key off his body.
There, they run into Talia Al Ghul, who’s burning the body of Ra and claims that she is not in charge of the League of Shadows anymore. From there, the case continues as the crew sets up a base of operations at the Belfry in Gotham City and confronts the likes of Harley Quinn and the Penguin, who is now reformed but knows about Gotham’s secret society.
The secrets of the Court of Owls in Gotham Knights 
Penguin directs the Bat Family to The Powers Club, an old-money Gentleman’s Club in Gotham City. There, they find an entrance to an underground cave network and the Court of Owls, a secret society thought to just be an urban legend, even by Batman. They are led by The Voice of the Court, who eventually catches the heroes and throws them into a death pit. The heroes escape and obtain a key in the process.

Using that key, they find information about how the Court of Owls murdered the brother of Judge Elena Moreno as she tried to stop construction at Gotham City’s Chelsea Tunnel. Sneaking into that build site, the Bat Family comes across feral zombified creatures called Talons, who the Court of Owls revived with an element called Dionesium. After escaping the tunnel, Talia reveals that Dinoseum has the same properties as the Lazurus pit, causing the League of Shadows to declare war on Gotham.
She asks the heroes to take down the Voice of the Court to stop the conflict, and they comply. After more investigating, they learn that Bruce’s uncle Jacob Kane is the Voice of the Court and knows Bruce was Batman. He escapes in the chaos of the League of Shadows, murdering many Court of Owls members at a masquerade. Penguin then calls, asking for the heroes’ help, but it turns out to be a trick, and whoever you’re playing as is sedated and brought to the Court of Owls’ Labyrinth.
The Labyrinth is a massive mechanical stage that, combined with toxic gas, makes the captured hero hallucinate and question whether Batman actually cared for them. Eventually, the captive hero breaks out of the illusion, but the Court of Owls starts to attack Gotham City more publicly. The Bat Family decides it’s time to take down Jacob Kane and work with Renee Montoya and Judge Moreno to get a warrant for his arrest.

Read more
Gotham Knights Knighthood guide: how to unlock the glider and other traversal abilities
Batgirl gliding in Gotham Knights.

There are numerous ways to get around the city in Gotham Knights, but the most efficient method is locked behind a separate progression system called Knighthood. Early on, players can utilize the Batcycle, grappling hook, fast travel, or even travel on foot to get around. While these methods work just fine, you'll want to gain access to the enhanced traversal system by reaching Knighthood. These different means of getting around look different across the four playable characters. For instance, Batgirl can glide, while Robin utilizes a teleporting device created by Justice League technology.

But how exactly does Knighthood work and what do you need to do to unlock the new traversal abilities? Here's what you need to know.

Read more
Gotham Knights character guide: Which hero should I pick?
All four Gotham Knights characters stand in front of Nightwing;'s logo.

While Gotham Knights is a superhero game set in Gotham City starring the Bat Family, you can't actually play as Batman. The caped crusader is dead, and it's up to players to save Gotham as one of Batman's four sidekicks: Nightwing, Reed Hood, Robin, or Batgirl. All four of them have very skills, Knighthood traversal abilities, and Momentum Abilities they can use to take on enemies they encounter while patrolling Gotham City. Players can switch characters anytime they want in the Belfry or go out on a multiplayer patrol with two of the same hero.

Still, you might be wondering which superhero best fits your playstyle. We've broken down the best ways to use and the best skills and momentum abilities of each hero so you can decide which one you'll use the most in your Gotham Knights adventure.

Read more