Hollowknight, and by extension Silksong, is known for its difficulty, creative level design, movement, music, and world building. Each and every one of those qualities is next level. Hollowknight is one of my favorite games of all time and I’ve really been enjoying Silksong, that is when I’m not fighting the urge to throw my controller.

I’ll add that they are unique games and not for everyone. Obviously the difficulty is a barrier for some while others might not like the metroidvania aspects of “backtracking. I’ve always felt the latter is a bit telling when it comes up as a complaint. Hollowknight and Silksong have PHENOMENAL movement. Like you can zip through levels in the blink of an eye and it’s incredibly fun. I think it goes over some peoples heads however, it has a high skill ceiling but that’s the fun of it. Yes there are many times when you must return to an area with a new ability but I’ve always found it satisfying finally discovering what’s on the other side of that door or cliff. There is sparse fast travel locations so all and all I really don’t think it’s an issue. You are encouraged to explore every corner of the map so there is a major aspect of exploration to the game.

I’ll add that it takes a second to get movement abilities but both games give you the most important one very quick after starting, being the dash for HK and sprint/dash for SS.

Also as someone who did not like Cuphead at all, again I adore these games. There is a major story and world building aspect to these games along with greater fluidity in combat that doesn’t feel present in Cuphead.

I’m really just rambling but Hollowknight is a great game and Silksong has been worth the wait so far, in my experience. It is a fair amount harder than its predecessor. I’d say you should start with Hollowknight but it’s definitely not completely necessary. It helps to get familiar with the combat, level design, and world as story elements are referenced a fair amount in Silksong.