Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the most infuriating gaming experiences I’ve had over the years. Imagine making decent progress, getting damaged by a number of tough enemies, barely making it through them, only to be killed by one of those low-level scrubs. Seriously, how was I able to kill the spear-wielding farmer, but not those worms with small leaps?
Yet, here I go again, attempting to find Hornet’s most recent body without a map, and trying to retrace my steps in hopes of making some progress. I was able to flick a lever, open a door, and make my path to this area a lot easier. That doesn’t sound like much, but it actually made my day; I can now head back to the save bench and fast travel zone with less hassle.
Isn’t it crazy how Silksong can punish you over and over, but the little rewards you get from bearing through the pain make it all worth it? This is probably the appeal of all those Souls games people like so much (I’ll play one of them, I swear), because small progress should be a pittance, but it feels amazing.
Throw Everything You've Got
Okay, I actually don’t want Silksong to be any harder than it is. You can activate a cheat code that turns permadeath mode on, and that’s not something I’m going to put myself through. Gaming masochists can have fun playing that mode and streaming their reactions, but I’m content playing on the default “easy” difficulty.
That default difficulty is ROUGH, though. Honestly, there’s something horrifying and charming about how this game can still surprise you with its enemies.
During my travels, I encountered this enemy type that has scissors as a weapon. It’s pretty difficult to kill, as the foe can parry your attacks and deal out damage. Dashing and jumping are usually enough to get through this enemy, but it's never easy to defeat them, no matter your approach.
So imagine my surprise when this enemy used its scissors to dash upwards and head to the lane I was in, catching me off guard. This type of relentlessness puts Resident Evil’s Mr. X to shame, because it breaks the rules players thought 2D games abide by; you only fight enemies who are in the same lane as you. Now, these enemies can just invade your lane like a motorcycle in Cainta (I’m Filipino, btw).
Keep in mind that I’m only a few hours into the game, so more of these foes are going to surprise and kill me. That’s just the Silksong life, it seems. You’re never safe, no matter where you are. I’ve seen videos where a save bench is actually a trap, and I’m still not prepared for that gut punch.
But here I am, still playing the darn thing. Now that I know these bugs can invade me, I can try slashing them in advance or dashing away just as I hit my lane. It’s punishing, sure, but this feeling of hopelessness will go away once I reach map maker Shakra or a save point.
Small Victories, Amirite?
If there’s something grand I’ve learned from Hollow Knight: Silksong, it’s that any victory, no matter how small, is still a victory.
Remember when I mentioned finding that switch and flicking it? That should be the bare minimum, but it felt like some form of nirvana to make my journey feel worthwhile. Just being able to make my difficult quest a little bit easier, even if it’s just another way to move forward, felt more rewarding than beating someone in Street Fighter 6 or getting a shiny Pokemon.
Let me remind you, this is just a switch that opens a door.
Your progress in Silksong is important, no matter how minuscule. The pretentious part of me thinks this is what these games have been trying to tell us all along; you play as literal bugs for Pete’s sake. It’s not even the most original message out there, as Elden Ring and other games of the Soulslike genre have echoed the same thought to numerous players.
But not all Hollow Knight fans like Soulslike games. I, for example, don’t particularly care for the Soulslike genre. My favorite 3D Soulslike game is Code Vein because it has sexy anime girls who barely wear anything. Despite that, I did enjoy the original Hollow Knight, and I am currently having a great time with Silksong.
Progress is progress, no matter how small it feels. It’s kind of funny how a game with relentless enemies and difficult platforming is teaching me that, but I don’t consider it a bad thing. Silksong is a punishing mistress, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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