Silksong Reviews Plummet Among Chinese Players Over Confusing Translations

Silksong Reviews Plummet Among Chinese Players Over Confusing Translations

A Launch Under Fire in China

When Hollow Knight: Silksong released globally on September 4, 2025, the launch was overwhelmingly successful, with Steam struggling to stay online under the flood of players, peaking at over 500,000 concurrent users shortly after release.WikipediaGamepressure.comGamesRadar+

Critics and players worldwide praised its striking art, challenging gameplay, and seamless continuation of the original’s rich Metroidvania world.Tom's GuidePC GamerGamesRadar+ However, the reaction from Chinese-speaking players has been notably harsher.

Localization Backlash: Reviews Tank

On Steam, where review scores are now segmented by language, Silksong displays a sharp contrast:

• Overall (all languages): Very Positive (~80–90%)PC GamerNotebookcheckWikipedia

• Simplified Chinese reviews: Plummet to Mixed or even Mostly Negative, with only 42–56% positive ratings depending on the outlet.PC GamerNotebookcheckGamepressure.comWikipediaPCGamesN

Steam’s language-based filtering ensured this blowback doesn’t drag down the game’s global rating, but the disconnect remains striking.

What Went Wrong with the Translation?

Chinese players have voiced deep dissatisfaction, pointing to a disconnect between the game's intended tone and the Simplified Chinese version.

• Overwrought and archaic style: The translation mixes classical and modern Chinese in ways that feel jarring, more akin to Wuxia epics than the intimate, atmospheric storytelling of Silksong.PC GamerPCGamesNTechNode4Gamers 官方網站Yahoo TechNotebookcheck

• Localization expert critiques: Loek van Kooten likened the prose to “a high-school drama club’s Elizabethan improv night.”Kotaku

• Community sentiment: A Valve-translated Steam review complained the text becomes “an unsalvageable heap of garbage,” claiming it disrupts narrative clarity and world-building.Kotaku

• Translation team downsized: Unlike the six-person Chinese localization group used for the original Hollow Knight, Silksong only had two translators (Finn Wu and Hertzz Liu), which many believe contributed to the quality drop.PC Gamer4Gamers 官方網站Gaming AmigosNotebookcheckWikipedia

• Additional controversy: Hertzz Liu also drew criticism for leaking game details prior to release, further souring community sentiment.KotakuPC Gamer

Developer Response

Team Cherry has publicly acknowledged the issue:

“We appreciate you letting us know about quality issues with the current Simplified Chinese translation of Hollow Knight: Silksong. We’ll be working to improve the translation over the coming weeks.”
Matthew Griffin, publishing & marketingKotakuGamepressure.com4Gamers 官方網站PC Gamer

Players are waiting to see if this promise includes a complete rewrite or partial patches; some argue that stylistic tone needs a serious overhaul, not just minor edits.NotebookcheckGaming Amigos

Implications for Localization in Gaming

• High-stakes translation: In regions like China, where fans consume and critique in their native language, the stakes of localization quality are higher than ever. A poor translation risks derailing engagement, regardless of game quality elsewhere.

• Segregated reviews help, but don’t solve deeper problems: Valve’s system allowed Silksong to preserve its global rating, but it doesn’t fix the experience for Chinese players.

• Team size matters: Localization requires nuance. The reduction from six translators to two seems to have impacted tone and clarity, reinforcing the need for adequate resources.

• Trust is fragile: Leaks or misrepresentation, like those by Hertzz Liu, compound localization issues by damaging credibility with fans.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a triumph in game design and atmosphere, but its reception is marred in China by deeply flawed Simplified Chinese localization. Players found the language confusing, overly florid, and misaligned with the game's mood, pushing the regional Steam rating to "Mixed" or "Mostly Negative." Team Cherry has pledged improvements, but restoring player trust will require more than just patching text, it may need rewriting with cultural nuance in mind.

As significant portions of the global gaming audience emerge from non-English populations, Silksong serves as a sharp reminder: great games are only fully great when every player can feel them, regardless of language.