"Hollow Knight: Silksong Sprite Sheet Sparks Curiosity About Hornet's Cloak Removal"

Yesterday, IGN unveiled that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be playable at an Australian museum in September 2025, and shared a sprite sheet from the highly anticipated game, sparking widespread online discussion.

"In what situation is making a sprite of naked Hornet necessary?" one commenter pondered on a Reddit thread analyzing the exclusive sheet.

Among the numerous images of Silksong's protagonist, Hornet, which depict her in various battle-ready and relaxed poses, one particular sprite stands out: Hornet casually carrying her cloak under one arm. (We've included a close-up below, but you can also see it on the original sheet on the right-hand side of the image, immediately under the uppermost ring):

A close-up of the controversial sprite, located on the right-hand side of the original image."What kind of in-game scenario requires her to remove her cloak and carry it like an exhausted dad returning from work? This is cursed," remarked one Redditor.

"Is this real???? There’s no way this sprite will be in Silksong. Is that just what she looks like????" another speculated, while a third exclaimed: "IN WHAT KIND OF SITUATION WOULD THEY EVEN NEED THIS SPRITE?"

The conversation soon took a playful turn.

"So, we don't have to bother making a mod," one user confidently stated, while another humorously suggested: "We're going straight to ESRB 18+ for this one."

"HORNET, PUT YOUR CLOAK BACK ON! THAT'S SO INDECENT, WHAT THE HELL," another thread's original poster admonished, to which someone replied: "This looks so wrong," and "this is completely unnecessary."

"I do not like this," another user declared.

A likely explanation could be that players will have the option to upgrade or change Hornet's cloak… but until then, let your imaginations run wild, Hornet fans.

Hollow Knight: Silksong 2025 Screenshots

View 5 ImagesTeam Cherry’s sequel is one of the most eagerly awaited games worldwide, consistently topping the Steam wishlist charts. Silksong briefly appeared at Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct last month, and shortly after, Team Cherry confirmed a 2025 release window, much to the relief of its patient fans. With the game set to be playable at Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI, from September 18, speculation is rife that a launch might occur around August, though nothing has been officially confirmed yet.

Silksong will be part of the Game Worlds exhibition at the Melbourne museum, which will also feature displays exploring the game’s design and artistic direction.