Team Cherry finally answers to the crimes of Silksong's Bilewater: "We just love a big swamp. We wanted some kind of poison status for ages"

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Team Cherry finally answers to the crimes of Silksong's Bilewater: "We just love a big swamp. We wanted some kind of poison status for ages" News By Kaan Serin published 30 November 2025

"It also acts as something of a final test in Act 2."

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(Image credit: Team Cherry)

Not content with FromSoftware games getting all the love/hate for their torturous swamps, Team Cherry decided to concoct its very own in Hollow Knight: Silksong in the form of Bilewater - a poisonous, thorny swamp area, as the name suggests, that serves as somewhat of a difficulty barrier between Act 2 and Act 3. And, now, Silksong's devs have answered for their crimes.

"It's all in the name," Team Cherry co-founder Ari Gibson told Bloomberg when asked what on Earth the devs were thinking with the sometimes brutal area. "It also acts as something of a final test in Act 2. It's the hardest challenge that act presents, but it's also the primary gateway into Act 3. If players manage to overcome the enormous challenge that Bilewater presents, they're probably quite capable of overcoming the challenges that Act 3 will now bring."

Silksong co-lead William Pellen has a simpler answer: "We just love a big swamp. We wanted some kind of poison status for ages." The silk-draining waters certainly gave me a few premature grey hairs, but Pellen also enjoyed that Bilewater offers "a different sort of pressure" than other areas since it "pushes back in a different sort of way."

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In Pellen's view, there's also "at least one element that's not exerting constant pressure on you" while you're dodging exploding bugs and whatnot. It's the wistful, almost melancholic music. A sad piano, a crying violin, and a ghostly choir do a lot in the context of Bilewater. And, as Pellen says, "it's a trick that worked in White Palace," the first game's infamously tough level.

Silksong devs say it's "unfortunate" their release date caused so many panicked indie delays: "We didn't even know the date until basically a week or two before"

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES Xbox Series X PS5 PC Gaming Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Switch Platforms Xbox PlayStation Nintendo Kaan SerinFreelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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