Hollow Knight: Silksong, the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning action-adventure game, has finally been released. However, Chinese players have been expressing their disappointment with the game’s Simplified Chinese translations, leading to a wave of negative reviews. While the game maintains a “Mostly Positive” rating across all languages, filtering for reviews in Simplified Chinese reveals a significant drop to “Mostly Negative.” Players have noted that the translations come across as a jarring mix of ancient and modern Chinese, detracting from the game’s atmosphere and storyline.
Tiger Tang, a translator who previously worked on an indie RPG, commented, “The translation reads like a Wuxia novel instead of conveying the game’s tone.”
Matthew Griffin, who handles marketing and publishing for Silksong, acknowledged the problem and confirmed that the development team is working to improve the translation over the coming weeks to provide a better experience for Simplified Chinese players. The original Hollow Knight received overwhelmingly positive reviews, including from Chinese players, thanks to a dedicated localization team of six people. In comparison, Silksong’s team consisted of only two members.
Despite the translation issues, early impressions of the game itself have been positive. Players have praised the game’s writing, music, and attention to detail, with many noting that it lives up to the high expectations set by its predecessor.
Translation issues disappoint Chinese players
Hornet, the game’s new protagonist, brings a fresh perspective to the series with her personality and charm. The game also introduces new customization options, allowing players to tailor their playstyle to their preferences. Hollow Knight: Silksong is now available for purchase on both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
Players with a Nintendo Switch 2 system can enjoy enhanced framerates, higher resolution, and additional improvements at no extra cost, provided an internet connection is available. As players dive into this new adventure, they will traverse through all-new lands, discover new powers, battle hordes of enemies, and uncover ancient secrets tied to Hornet’s past. With over 150 new foes to face, including beasts, hunters, assassins, kings, monsters, and knights, players will need to master a suite of powerful moves to survive in this dangerous world.
While the translation issues have dampened the experience for some Chinese players, the game itself appears to be a thrilling continuation of the Hollow Knight saga. As Team Cherry works to address the localization concerns, players around the world can now embark on this new adventure and unravel the mysteries that await them in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
