September 4th, 2025. The day that finally put an end to years of anticipation: Hollow Knight: Silksong finally released, to much expected universal acclaim from players and critics alike. Except that’s not quite true. While Silksong stands as a master class in world-building, gameplay, level design, and narrative, it did find itself at the centre of some unexpected controversy. The culprit? The game’s Chinese (Simplified) localization. Take a look at these review scores on Steam, separated by language:
Notice any outliers? With a significant number of reviews on record, Simplified Chinese players are showing an incredibly mixed reception to Team Cherry’s latest release, with only 42% of reviews being positive at the time of writing. A common complaint places the game’s localization at the heart of this drama. Escalating even to the point that Team Cherry themselves had to release a statement on X promising improvements over the coming weeks.
According to Chinese linguistics experts and player feedback, the game’s translation represents a cautionary tale about the delicate balance between creative ambition and professional responsibility in game localization.
The core problem: pseudo-classical Chinese
The central issue with Silksong‘s Chinese translation lies in what experts describe as “pseudo-classical Chinese”: a move that rendered dialogue difficult to understand. We sat down with Weipei Bu, one of Alpha Games’ expert Chinese linguists, to find out more.
“First of all, I think it’s important to draw a line between Classical Chinese and the Chinese used in this game. I’ve seen a lot of statements online that the game is difficult to understand because it uses Classical Chinese, but it actually goes one step further than that: the translator has adopted a hybrid approach that blends modern Chinese with its forebearer, resulting in a work that awkwardly straddles two worlds. I think the translator aimed for a classical Chinese style to match the game’s somewhat gloomy and archaic English tone, but the execution reveals fundamental misunderstandings of historical Chinese language structure,” said Bu.
“It’s similar to replacing all instances of ‘you’ with ‘ye’ in English and claiming you’re writing like Shakespeare,” he adds, drawing a parallel that highlights the superficial nature of the approach. This comparison underscores how surface-level changes to vocabulary don’t constitute authentic period language – a distinction that becomes glaringly obvious to native speakers.
A hybrid approach adds to the confusion
Bu dug a little deeper during his examination of the game’s translation, contacting a doctor of Chinese literature to assess the language used in the localization. They confirmed that despite the translator’s apparent intentions, the result is definitively not classical Chinese, and is instead closer to Gufeng Chinese. The movement began quietly in 2005, calling for netizens to write lyrics with ancient-style poems for the music in some popular PC games.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to Silksong: it reflects a broader trend in Chinese online literature where writers employ pseudo-archaic language to create an “ancient” atmosphere. However, what might be acceptable in amateur web fiction becomes problematic in professional game localization, where accuracy and accessibility are paramount.
“The translator here has treated an internet trend as a real language development, and believed that everybody would just get on board with it,” said Bu.
Player reception: comprehension vs. authenticity
Chinese players’ reactions to the localization reveal the practical consequences of this stylistic choice. Many find the translation unnecessarily difficult to understand, creating a barrier between players and the game’s narrative. This represents a fundamental failure in localization: rather than making the game more accessible to Chinese audiences, the translation has made it less so.
The irony is particularly sharp given that the pseudo-classical approach satisfies neither traditionalists nor modern players. Academic experts recognize it as inauthentic, while general players struggle with comprehension. The translation falls into an uncomfortable middle ground that serves no audience well.
A tale of two translations: learning from Hollow Knight
The contrast with the original Hollow Knight‘s Chinese localization is telling. The first game used straightforward modern Chinese, and players were largely satisfied with the result. This successful precedent makes Silksong’s departure into pseudo-classical territory even more puzzling.
The original game’s translation philosophy was one that prioritized clarity and accessibility over stylistic experimentation – an effective approach. Players could focus on the game’s challenging gameplay and intricate world-building without linguistic barriers impeding their experience.
The translator’s dilemma on creative expression
At the heart of this controversy lies a fundamental question about the role of translators in creative works. While the English version of Silksong does employ somewhat archaic language, the challenge for translators is determining how to convey this stylistic choice across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Bu comments that some more subtle linguistic tweaks may have proven more useful in achieving the desired effect without alienating players. Just take a look at the English source content as an example – while there is an archaic tone to the writing, it still largely follows modern vocabulary and grammatical structures.
“Just tweaking the odd word here or there can go a significant way to creating a tone,” Bu explained. “Small, carefully chosen modifications could have hinted at formality or antiquity without creating comprehension barriers.”
The key insight is that different languages have different relationships with their historical forms. What works as “slightly archaic” in English doesn’t necessarily translate directly to Chinese, where the gap between classical and modern forms is more pronounced.
Lessons for game localization
The Silksong Chinese localization controversy offers several important lessons for the gaming industry:
1. Expertise matters: Attempting to work in historical or classical language forms requires a tailored approach to each market – there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
2. Player-first approach: Localization is first and foremost about improving accessibility, while we should look at ways to incorporate the game’s identity, this must be balanced with comprehensibility.
3. Consistency with precedent: When previous games in a series have established successful localization approaches, dramatic departures require strong justification.
Moving Forward
While the initial player complaints about Silksong‘s Chinese translation have somewhat subsided, the controversy remains instructive for the localization industry.
As the gaming industry continues to expand globally, the Silksong case serves as a reminder that effective localization requires not just linguistic skill, but cultural sensitivity and a commitment to preserving comprehensibility.
The controversy ultimately highlights the invisible art of good localization: when done well, players rarely notice the translator’s work, allowing them to lose themselves in the game’s world. When done poorly, as in this case, the translation itself becomes the story.