Hollow Knight: Silksong has mostly been met with overwhelming acclaim, and the newest patch should help to clean up the biggest remaining area of criticism. While some skeptics will never be on board with its punishing difficulty, most of its negative reviews at launch dealt with its Simplified Chinese translation. An overemphasis on flowery language lost the focus and impact of the original script, leading to significantly worse scores in China than in other regions.

The newest patch in Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s public beta branch features “a basic implementation of the new Simplified Chinese translation,” as shared by Team Cherry on Steam. This includes a warning that “Implementation of this new translation is not yet finalized,” but it should still be a big step forward for those frustrated by the previous version. Team Cherry is soliciting feedback on the revised translation through the official bug report form.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Gets A New Chinese Translation

While the addition of a new Chinese translation might not make a difference in most regions, it’s arguably the most important patch since Silksong‘s launch. It might, however, need further work.

Among the first few replies on the Steam post, several are critical of the revised translation. One comment in Chinese is too rude to merit a translation, but another from Steam user fontsize helpfully points out a number of “shortcomings” and recommends some alterations.

For players using other languages, there are still some appreciable fixes and updates in this patch. Most should make life a little easier, addressing potential problems like going out of bounds or being unable to air dash and double jump. A few, however, are less kind, like a “slight decrease to Thread Storm damage at higher needle levels.“

Silksong’s Chinese Translation Is Its Only Major Failing

Hollow Knight Silksong Mister Mushroom NPC appearing in Moss Grotto location

Despite the apparent issues with the new translation, Team Cherry’s request for further feedback should eventually bring a satisfying fix within reach. I can understand the impatience of those afflicted, however.

To play in Simplified Chinese, you’ll either have to accept a potentially subpar translation or wait for what could be months before playing a game that’s been anticipated for years. Even now, the new patch is only available through Steam betas, so you won’t be able to access it on other platforms just yet.

The Simplified Chinese translation has been a blot on an otherwise triumphant release, and Hollow Knight: Silksong could very well earn the coveted Game of the Year title even without additional patches. Hopefully, the controversy surrounding Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s translation will encourage other studios to put additional resources into avoiding similar localization mistakes.