Hornet's Cloak Removal in Hollow Knight: Silksong Sparks Player Curiosity

Yesterday, IGN unveiled that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be playable at an Australian museum in September 2025, and shared a sprite sheet from the much-anticipated game, sparking a wave of reactions online.

A Reddit thread quickly emerged, with one user questioning, "In what situation [is] making a sprite of naked Hornet necessary?" The sprite sheet features various poses of Silksong's protagonist, Hornet, but one image in particular caught the community's attention: Hornet casually holding her cloak under one arm.

A close-up of the controversial sprite, located on the right-hand side of the original sheet.

Comments ranged from humorous to bewildered. One user mused, "What kind of situation in-game calls for her to remove her cloak and hold it like she's an exhausted dad returning from work? This is cursed." Another expressed disbelief, "Is this real???? There’s no way this is a sprite that is going to be in Silksong. Is that just what she looks like????" The thread continued with someone exclaiming, "IN WHAT KIND OF SITUATION WOULD THEY EVEN NEED THIS SPRITE?"

The discussion took a playful turn with comments like, "So, we don't have to bother making a mod," and another suggesting, "We're going straight to ESRB 18+ for this one." Reactions varied from "HORNET PUT YOUR CLOAK BACK ON THAT'S SO INDECENT WHAT THE HELL," to "This looks so wrong," and "this is completely unnecessary." One user simply stated, "I do not like this."

While the purpose of the sprite remains unclear, some speculated it might relate to upgrading or changing Hornet's cloak in the game. Until more is revealed, fans are left to let their imaginations run wild.

Hollow Knight: Silksong 2025 Screenshots

View 5 ImagesHollow Knight: Silksong, developed by Team Cherry, remains one of the most eagerly awaited games globally, consistently topping Steam's wishlist charts. The game briefly appeared at Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct last month, and Team Cherry confirmed a 2025 release window, much to the delight of fans. With the game set to be playable at Australia’s national museum of screen culture, ACMI, starting September 18, there's speculation about a potential launch around August, though nothing is confirmed yet.

Silksong will be part of the Game Worlds exhibition at the Melbourne museum, featuring displays that explore the game’s design and artistic direction.