Switch 2 Nintendo Direct.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the game would be playable in its entirety as part of the Game Worlds exhibit at ACMI, the national Australian museum of media in Melbourne. As part of the news, the museum shared a sprite page showing the game's protagonist Hornet in action, one frame at a time. It hasn't taken long for fans to string together the sprites to recreate several of Hornet's movesets, providing players with a preview of what to expect when the game finally launches after six long years.

Fans Animate Hornet From Hollow Knight: Silksong Sprite Art Page

The Sprite Page Reveals Many Of Hornet's Movesets

The new artwork contains over 400 frames of Hornet and her needle weapon mid-animation. Thanks to this plethora of images, fans have been able to string together some of Hornet's animations, including several attacks and movements. Reddit Mushroomface777, for instance, has created six animations usig the sprites. These show Hornet attacking with the needle, striking with cymbal-like round objects attached to her arms, posing arch-backed with her cloak hovering around her, examining a piece of paper, and scurrying around on the ground on all fours.

Redditor nombre_name adds to the collection with two more interesting sprite animations. One shows Hornet sitting and plucking a thread on her needle, causing it to materialize around it, and the other has Hornet briefly sprouting bird-like wings from under her cloak in what may be a double-jump mechanic. Exact-Advertising630 adds one more animation to the collection, in which Hornet is enveloped by a snake-like black tendrils. Without context, it's hard to know what these animations represent, leaving the community to speculate on the various mechanics of the title.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Will Be Out By September

The Wait For Silksong Is Almost Over

The sprite art page was a gift to the Silksong community, which had been eagerly awaiting more news about their beloved sequel. But besides showing off some of Hornet's oddly spider-like moves, which was hilariously memed by Reddit kiwi_1011 in a mashup video showing a cat chasing the spider-legged Hornet, the ACMI announcement also confirms without a shred of doubt that Silksong will be released this year.

The game has had a release window before, which was promptly delayed and then put off indefinitely until this year, causing some fans to doubt whether they'll actually get the game in 2025. The game's appearance as the centerpiece of ACMI's exhibit means that Hollow Knight: Silksong will finally be released either on or before September 18, 2025. Until then, fans can get their fix from the fan-made previews built from the sprite artwork, which will also be on display at the museum along with more behind-the-scenes media.

Source: Mushroomface777/Reddit, nombre_name/Reddit, Exact-Advertising630/Reddit, kiwi_1011/Reddit