You've probably seen the memes. The clown makeup, the desperate "Hollow Knight: Silksong" countdowns, the endless analysis of every single frame of footage Team Cherry drops. But beneath the hype and the agonizingly long wait, there’s a specific obsession that keeps coming back: the great taste of Pharloom. Not just the physical flavors—though food plays a massive role in this sequel—but the entire "flavor" of the world itself.
Pharloom isn't Hallownest. It isn't a stagnant, rotting tomb. It’s a kingdom defined by industry, pilgrimage, and a strange, metallic richness that feels completely different from the damp, melancholic vibes of the first game. When people talk about the "taste" of this new world, they’re talking about the high-contrast aesthetic that feels sharper and more visceral. It’s a literal ascent. Instead of falling into the depths, Hornet is climbing. That change in direction changes the entire sensory experience of the game.
Honestly, the shift is jarring if you’re still stuck in the Dirtmouth mindset.
The Culinary Culture of Pharloom
In the original Hollow Knight, you had the "Egg Shop" and some vague mentions of rancid eggs, but food wasn't exactly a pillar of the society. Pharloom is different. From the very first trailers, we saw NPCs like the Caravan—a group of traveling bugs who seem much more interested in the practicalities of survival and trade.
There’s a reason people are fixated on the great taste of Pharloom. Team Cherry has introduced a "Tools" system that looks suspiciously like a crafting and resource management loop. You aren't just finding charms; you're gathering materials. In a world defined by "Silk and Song," the "Silk" isn't just a combat resource. It represents the literal fabric of the world. Imagine the difference between the cold, hard stone of the Forgotten Crossroads and the organic, stringy, and vibrant textures of the Gilded City. One feels like a basement. The other feels like a feast.
It’s about the atmosphere.
You’ve got areas like the Moss Grotto. It’s lush. It’s green. It looks like it smells like rain and damp earth. Contrast that with the Shining Citadel, which looks like it tastes like copper and burnt incense. This sensory layering is how Team Cherry builds world-class immersion without using a single line of traditional voice acting. They make you feel the grit of the world.
Why Pharloom Feels "Sharper" Than Hallownest
Hallownest was a tragedy. It was a kingdom that had already died, and you were just poking around the corpse. Pharloom, however, is a kingdom in the middle of a crisis. It's loud. The bells, the machinery, the singing—everything is active.
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This creates a "taste" that is far more intense.
- The Moss Grotto: Overgrown, organic, and soft.
- Deep Docks: Metallic, industrial, and heavy.
- The Citadel: Refined, golden, and imposing.
If Hallownest was a pale, cold dish, Pharloom is something spicy and chaotic. You can see it in Hornet's movement. She’s faster. She’s more acrobatic. She doesn't just swing a nail; she uses needles and thread to weave through combat. It’s a more "refined" flavor of gameplay. Some fans have pointed out that the color palette in Silksong is significantly broader. We’re seeing deep reds, vibrant corals, and shimmering golds that the first game avoided to maintain its somber tone. This isn't just "Hollow Knight 2." It's a different culinary experience entirely.
The Secret Ingredient: Silk and Song
The great taste of Pharloom comes down to its two namesake elements: Silk and Song. In the lore snippets we've gathered from the demos at E3 (back when those happened) and the Nintendo Treehouse events, we know that Silk is the lifeblood of the kingdom. It’s used for everything from binding prisoners to creating the very architecture of the upper crust.
Then there’s the Song.
Music in Pharloom isn't just background noise; it's a physical force. We’ve seen enemies that attack with sound waves and bosses that move in rhythm to specific melodies. Christopher Larkin’s score for Silksong is already leaning into more string-heavy, frantic arrangements compared to the lonely piano of the first game. This auditory "flavor" is what makes the kingdom feel so dense. You aren't just walking through a cave; you’re walking through a giant, vibrating instrument.
It’s kind of overwhelming when you think about it.
Most Metroidvanias settle for a "fire level" or an "ice level." Team Cherry is building a world where the themes are more abstract. How does a kingdom governed by a "shining citadel" actually function? How do the bugs at the bottom feel about the "song" coming from above? These aren't just lore questions; they're the spices that make the setting memorable.
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What People Get Wrong About the Silksong Hype
A lot of critics—and even some tired fans—think the obsession with Silksong is just about "more content." That’s wrong. It’s about the specific "feel" of the world. People want to experience the great taste of Pharloom because Hallownest was so hauntingly beautiful that we want to see what that team can do with a more "active" setting.
We’re looking for complexity.
Take the boss fights. In the demos, we saw Lace. She isn't a mindless beast or a corrupted husk. She’s a rival. She talks. She has flair. The "flavor" of an encounter with Lace is vastly different from fighting something like the Gruz Mother. It’s a dance. It’s sophisticated. This shift toward "sophistication" is the defining characteristic of Pharloom.
Everything is just a bit more... elegant.
Real Insights Into Pharloom's World Design
If you look at the environmental design of the Greymoor area, you see a massive shift in scale. It’s one of the largest areas Team Cherry has ever built. It’s a misty, expansive moorland that feels lonely but not empty. This is where the "human-quality" of the writing comes in. The developers aren't just filling space; they're trying to evoke a specific emotion.
Pharloom tastes like ambition.
It’s the ambition of a kingdom trying to reach the heavens, even if it destroys itself in the process. Hallownest was about the past; Pharloom is about the present struggle. That’s why the colors are brighter. That’s why the music is louder.
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I’ve spent hours looking at the "flea" NPCs that replace the Grubs. Instead of just being stuck in jars, they seem to have a more integrated role in the world's ecosystem. The way they interact with Hornet suggests a world that is much more "alive" than the one we left behind. You’ve got a whole cast of side characters like Garmond and Zaza who provide flavor text that isn't just cryptic lore—it's actual personality.
The Actionable Takeaway for Fans
If you're waiting for Silksong, don't just focus on the release date. Focus on the evolution of the craft. To truly appreciate the great taste of Pharloom when the game finally drops, you should:
- Revisit the Silksong reveal trailer but turn off the sound. Look purely at the background animations. The sheer amount of moving parts in Pharloom’s environments—the blowing grass, the spinning gears, the flowing silk—is a massive technical leap from the static backgrounds of the first game.
- Analyze the UI changes. The health bar (cocoons) and the silk meter are more ornate. This reflects the kingdom's obsession with "pomp and circumstance" compared to the Knight’s simple soul vessel.
- Listen to the leaked tracks or the officially released "Lace" and "Bonebottom" themes. Notice the use of the accordion and the violin. It’s "folkier" and more grounded.
Pharloom is going to be a heavy meal. It’s going to be a game that requires you to pay attention to your senses. Whether it’s the clanging of the bells or the shimmering of the gilded thread, the "flavor" of this kingdom is built on the idea that even in a world of bugs, there is room for high art and terrifying industry.
To get the most out of your eventual playthrough, start paying attention to the "verticality" of the world design in the previews. Pharloom is built on a "climb," which is the exact inverse of the traditional "descent" into the underworld found in most myths. This reversal is the secret sauce. It makes every new area feel like a reward, a breath of fresh air as you move away from the "mud" and toward the "melody."
Keep an eye on the "Bonebottom" hub area. Unlike Dirtmouth, which was a graveyard with three buildings, Bonebottom looks like a functioning town. It has layers. It has history that isn't just "everyone died." This is where you’ll likely spend your time upgrading tools and talking to the caravan. It’s the "palate cleanser" between the intense, high-speed zones. Understanding that Pharloom is a living, breathing machine will make the experience much richer once you finally get your hands on the controller.
Practical Steps to Prepare for Pharloom:
- Study Hornet’s moveset from the demos; her "reach" is significantly longer than the Knight’s, meaning the "taste" of combat will be about spacing, not just tanking hits.
- Pay attention to the "Quest" system. Silksong introduces a formal quest board. This means you’ll be interacting with the "taste" of the community in Pharloom, not just wandering in isolation.
- Follow Team Cherry’s rare blog updates or the official Discord for technical deep dives into how they're handling the "Silk" physics, as this governs both movement and environmental puzzles.
Pharloom isn't just a map. It’s a sensory overhaul. When the game arrives, don't rush. Savor the metallic, musical, and silken world they've built. It’s a rare thing in gaming to have a world that feels this "tasty" before we’ve even stepped foot in it.