After seven long years, Team Cherry has finally released Hollow Knight: Silksong. The wait had been agonizing, but in the eyes of many, that wait seems to have been worth it. Few games have carried as much anticipation as Silksong. Years of speculation, delays, and silence from the developers did little to blunt the excitement. Many expected the game to be amazing, while others were afraid it wouldn’t live up to the original Hollow Knight. Team Cherry did not send out review copies ahead of its release, but reviews are beginning to trickle in, and they’re quite high. Despite this overwhelming positivity, does Silksong have a chance to actually be crowned as 2025’s Game of the Year?
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Silksong Is Reviewing Even Better Than Expected
Team Cherry appears to have taken everything about Hollow Knight that made it a hit (gorgeous art, fluid combat, and sprawling world design) and has raised the bar. Initial reviews are rolling in, and Hollow Knight: Silksong is sitting at an aggregate review score of 93, making it one of the highest-rated games of 2025 yet. This could potentially signal it as a contender for Game of the Year.
Early reviews consistently highlight how the sequel expands on everything the first game has accomplished. Hornet’s acrobatic movement makes exploration and combat feel better than ever. The variety in biomes and encounters gives the world more weight. However, critics do point out that the difficulty feels unbalanced and the runbacks happen too often and are too long.
What Is Silksong’s Main Competition?
Silksong isn’t the only game in contention for Game of the Year. Other titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Blue Prince, Split Fiction, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach are among the highest-rated so far in 2025. Each has seen great acclaim, and with all of them being in different genres, it is impossible to say which game will come out on top.
While Metacritic scores can indicate which game will win, it isn’t guaranteed. That said, Astro Bot was the best-scored game of last year and it won numerous Game of the Year honors, so that is something to keep in mind. Each of 2025’s most acclaimed games has been praised for different reasons, but gameplay and narrative are two of the biggest factors, and Silksong scores well in these departments.
Indie Games Winning GOTY Almost Never Happens
Despite how successful and how much praise they receive, indie games seldom claim Game of the Year, especially at The Game Awards, which is gaming’s biggest awards show. It’s not impossible, but the task is an uphill climb. While Hollow Knight: Silksong is shaping up to be one of the best games of 2025, its indie tag may hinder it in the long run. That said, some indie games have claimed this award in the past, including Vampire Survivors, What Remains of Edith Finch, and The Outer Wilds, although the honors came not from The Game Awards, but other publications and events.
There is hardly any doubt Silksong will be nominated at The Game Awards for 2025, but whether it can cross that finish line remains to be seen. There is stiff competition this year, including other indie games, such as Blue Prince. Indies usually thrive in niche spaces, but Silksong has the mainstream appeal and hype to win GOTY. If any indie game can do it, Team Cherry’s Metroidvania is a frontrunner.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
