It’s been a long wait. Honestly, at this point, Hollow Knight: Silksong fans have dissected every single frame of every trailer like they’re searching for the Rosetta Stone. One of the most fascinating things that shifted during development—something that tells us a lot about how Hornet plays compared to the Knight—is the Silksong Old Hearts system. If you look back at the very first reveals from Team Cherry, the health UI looked strikingly different than what we see in the more recent demos.
It wasn't just a fresh coat of paint. It was a mechanical pivot.
The original HUD showed these intricate, almost metallic-looking cocoons. They were nicknamed "Old Hearts" by the community because they represented the first iteration of Hornet's life force. In the early 2019 E3 footage, these hearts were arranged in a way that felt familiar to Hollow Knight veterans but had a distinct Pharloom flair. But as development progressed—and boy, has it progressed—the UI became sleeker, more "silk-like." Why? Because Hornet isn't a slow, methodical tank. She’s a glass cannon that needs to move.
✨ Don't miss: Finding Everything: The Ark Resource Map Scorched Earth Strategy That Actually Works
The Evolution of Silksong Old Hearts and Silk
In the original Hollow Knight, the Knight used Soul to heal. It was a slow, vulnerable process. You held down a button, you stood still, and you prayed a primal aspid didn't spit at you while your mask reformed. Silksong changed the rhythm.
The Silksong Old Hearts were initially tied to a system that looked a bit more static. In the newer builds, the health bar (or masks) and the Silk spool are deeply integrated. When Hornet heals, she doesn't just do it one mask at a time while standing still. She uses "Bind." This ability consumes a full bar of Silk to heal multiple masks almost instantly. It’s fast. Like, blink-and-you-miss-it fast.
This change explains why the "Old Hearts" look had to go. The original UI design felt a bit too heavy for the speed of the game. Team Cherry, consisting of Ari Gibson and William Pellen, are notorious perfectionists. If a UI element doesn't "feel" like the movement speed of the character, they scrap it.
Why the UI matters for gameplay feel
Think about the way Hornet moves. She leaps. She zips. She has a grapple.
If you’re using the old-style health indicators, your eyes are looking for static increments. The newer, refined hearts are designed to be readable while the screen is shaking and you’re mid-air. The transition from the Silksong Old Hearts to the current design suggests that the game's pace actually increased during development.
Usually, when developers simplify a UI, it's because the game became too fast for the old one.
Comparing Pharloom to Hallownest’s Health Mechanics
In Hallownest, everything was about decay. The masks were literal bone. In Pharloom, everything is about Silk and Song. The health system reflects this. While the Silksong Old Hearts looked like physical objects Hornet might carry, the current iteration feels more like woven energy.
- The Knight's Healing: Focus takes time. It’s a moment of stillness in a frantic fight.
- Hornet’s Healing (Bind): It’s a burst. It’s meant to be used while jumping off a wall or mid-dash.
The "Old Hearts" design had these little circular nodes. They were beautiful, sure, but they didn't scream "silk." The newer masks look like they are held together by thread. This isn't just an aesthetic choice; it’s world-building. In Pharloom, Hornet is a prisoner being taken to the Citadel. Her power is literally tied to the silk she produces.
Honestly, the community’s obsession with the Silksong Old Hearts mostly comes from a place of nostalgia for that first 2019 reveal. We were all so hungry for news that we memorized every pixel. When the UI changed in later clips, people wondered if the mechanics had changed too.
They did.
Managing your Silk Spool in the Final Game
You can't talk about health without talking about the Silk Spool. This is the big circle in the top left. In the days of the Silksong Old Hearts, the spool had a slightly different visual feedback loop. Now, it’s very clear: you hit enemies to gain Silk, and you spend that Silk to either heal (Bind) or use your tools.
This creates a much tighter "combat loop" than the first game. In Hollow Knight, you might hoard Soul to fire off a Vengeful Spirit. In Silksong, you’re constantly weighing the cost of a heal versus the cost of a powerful Tool attack.
Since Hornet heals multiple masks at once, the stakes are higher. If you have three masks left and you use Bind, you're back to full. But if you get hit during the Bind animation—which is very short but not instant—you lose that Silk and you don't get the heal. It's punishing. It makes the game feel more like a dance and less like a war of attrition.
The Tool System and Health
Another reason the Silksong Old Hearts evolved was the complexity of the Tool system. Hornet uses Shell Shards to repair her tools at benches. This secondary resource adds a layer of management that the Knight didn't have to deal with.
- Gather Shell Shards from enemies and crates.
- Use shards to craft or repair tools like Pimpillo Bombs or Stingers.
- Balance Tool usage with Silk usage.
If the UI remained as cluttered as the early "Old Hearts" versions, the screen would be a mess of icons. By streamlining the health display, Team Cherry gave more visual "room" for the Tool indicators.
What This Means for Difficulty
People keep asking if Silksong will be harder than Hollow Knight. Based on the evolution of the health system, the answer is: it’s faster.
The Silksong Old Hearts era looked like a game that was trying to be Hollow Knight 2. The current version is clearly its own beast. You have more mobility, so the enemies have more complex tracking. You heal faster, so the bosses hit harder and more frequently.
There's no point in having a "fast heal" if the bosses give you three-second windows to breathe. No, the windows in Pharloom are sub-second. You heal while the boss is mid-attack, because you've found the one safe spot in their hitbox.
Practical Steps for Preparing for Silksong
Whenever the game finally drops, you're going to have to unlearn a lot of Hollow Knight habits. The shift away from the Silksong Old Hearts style of play is the biggest hint we have.
- Practice aggressive play: If you’re still playing Hollow Knight, try a build that focuses on quick slashes and staying close to the boss. Hornet thrives on aggression because that’s how she gets Silk.
- Watch the E3 2019 vs. 2022 trailers side-by-side: Look specifically at the top left corner. Notice how much more "active" the Silk spool is in later footage. It pulses. It glows. It wants you to use it.
- Get used to the "Bind" rhythm: In the original game, you could tap the heal button to "test the waters." In Silksong, Bind is a commitment. You're emptying that spool.
The Silksong Old Hearts are a cool piece of development history, a relic of what the game looked like when it was still figuring out its identity. Today, the game looks sharper, plays faster, and expects more from the player.
Don't get too attached to the old ways. Pharloom is a vertical kingdom, and if you try to play it like the damp, horizontal tunnels of Hallownest, you're going to have a rough time. Focus on the Silk. Master the Bind. And for the love of the Pale King, keep moving.
Actionable Insight: To truly master the combat shift from the "Old Hearts" era, players should focus on perfecting "parrying" in other metroidvanias. Hornet’s gameplay heavily emphasizes counter-attacks and momentum. Practice games with high-mobility combat like Dead Cells or Nine Sols to get your reaction times ready for Pharloom’s speed. Once the game launches, prioritize upgrading your Silk Spool capacity first—it’s your lifeline and your ammo all in one.