In the part of the Game Worlds exhibition at ACMI in Melbourne, Australia, we have to see the breakdown of Pharloom creation for Hollow Knight: Silkson. We have learned just how significant it has changed throughout the course of development.
Hornet was originally planned to be the originally as an additional character to swap to in 2017 and Hollow Knight, as plans changed and ambitions grew, Team Cherry morphed the bonus content into a separate full-fledged game.
The game is finally upon the people as Silksong launched to record-shattering and platform-shattering success. Despite the sales and critical acclaim, many details surrounding the development timeline remain a mystery.
Select tidbits which are coming light, and we have just got the best look yet at what really went down over the near decade-long stretch.
How Silksong Map evolved over eight years of development
Next to interactive 3D maps, sprawling charts of boss code, and hand-drawn artwork, one particular feature in the exhibit caught the eye. The interactive charting Pharloom evolution from the very first sketch all the way through to the final rendition in today’s 1.0 build.
All the way back in the same year Hollow Knight launched, Team Cherry planned for the verticality it be the next sprawling adventure. The initial layout seen in the sketch was topped by the City of Song, as the location housing the final boss chamber.
In November 2017, many of the map’s bigger spaces were starting to take shape, as certain areas in the order versions which did not quite make the cut. We can also see the area called the Red Coral Gorge on the left-hand side.
The Red Coral Gorge was ultimately removed from the map in September 2021. There is no guarantee we will ever see what might wave come from the unique playspace.
Seven years ahead of the Silksong release, the first iteration of the Moss Grotto can be seen on the map. Everyone’s favourite, Bilewater, joined in June 2019. It was not until August 7, 2025, that the entire mao of Pharloom was locked into the place.
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