Hornet's Cloak Removal in Silksong Sparks Fan Theories

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

"In what situation is making a sprite of naked Hornet necessary?" questioned a commenter on a Reddit thread analyzing the sheet.

Among the numerous images of Silksong's protagonist, Hornet, which depict her in various battle-ready and relaxed poses, there is one notable sprite showing her casually carrying her cloak under one arm. (See the close-up below, or view it on the original sheet on the right-hand side, just under the uppermost ring):

A close-up of the controversial sprite, located on the right-hand side of the original image."What kind of in-game scenario calls for her to remove her cloak and hold it like she's an exhausted dad returning from work? This is cursed," remarked one Redditor.

"Is this real???? There's no way this is a sprite that will be in Silksong. Is that just what she looks like????" speculated another, while a third exclaimed: "IN WHAT KIND OF SITUATION WOULD THEY EVEN NEED THIS SPRITE?"

The discussion quickly took a more animated turn.

"So, we don't have to bother making a mod," stated one respondent, while another suggested: "We're going straight to ESRB 18+ for this one."

"HORNET PUT YOUR CLOAK BACK ON THAT'S SO INDECENT WHAT THE HELL," admonished another thread's original poster, prompting responses like "This looks so wrong," and "this is completely unnecessary."

"I do not like this," declared another user.

One possible explanation could be that players will have the ability to upgrade or change Hornet's cloak, but until then, let your imaginations run wild, Hornet fans.

Hollow Knight: Silksong 2025 Screenshots

View 5 ImagesTeam Cherry's sequel remains one of the most anticipated games globally, consistently topping Steam's wishlist charts. Silksong recently made a brief appearance at Nintendo's Switch 2 Direct, and soon after, Team Cherry confirmed the 2025 release window, much to the delight of its patient fanbase. With the game set to be playable at Australia's national museum of screen culture, ACMI, starting September 18, some speculate a potential launch around August, though nothing is confirmed yet.

Silksong will be part of a video game exhibition titled Game Worlds at the Melbourne museum, which will also feature displays exploring the game's design and artistic direction.