Talking Point: Is Hollow Knight: Silksong Too Difficult?

The original Hollow Knight was no pushover, but it’s safe to say that its sequel is hitting a whole new level of difficulty.

You only need look on social media to see that some folks have been struggling with their journey through Pharloom. A few are even going so far as to say that Silksong is “way too difficult to be enjoyable” or “harder for the sake of being harder”. Team Cherry is well aware of players’ struggles, with an upcoming patch looking to fine-tune the difficulty in key areas.

While we here at Nintendo Life are more or less in agreement that the game is significantly more taxing than its predecessor, we have varying thoughts on how this has affected our overall enjoyment so far (if at all).

So with that in mind, let’s see what Team NL thinks about Silksong’s difficulty so far…

“a natural progression” (PJ O’Reilly, staff writer)

I’m perhaps not as far into the game as most of the rest of the gang here, but I do think that, without the difficulty where it’s at (and it does feel fairly tough compared to the first one, getting started), Silksong would lose quite a bit of what makes it so special, and so uniquely engrossing.

I wouldn’t like to see anything get any easier, especially for long-term fans who are back and wanting to be challenged more than last time. It’s a natural progression, really. I can see how it’s frustrating and rage-quit-inducing for some, too, but no more so than most other serious contenders in this genre. Indeed, my faves of late, stuff like Dead Cells and whatnot, are easily just as hard as anything I’ve approached here thus far.

It can be a little annoying even to me at times, mind, with some boss runbacks in particular irritating me as I have to trek a little too far through enemies to get back at it after a death.

That’s all part of the fun, though, with these intense, and intensely clever, platformers. What’s the point of an uphill battle without a good hill or any proper battles? Something like that, innit. And when death is my fault 99.9% of the time, it’s all good.

“struggle and persistence” (Alex Olney, video producer)

I mean, it’s certainly no secret that the game is hard, it’s expected given how tough the previous game was. What I think is most jarring for a lot of players who were familiar with the original is that you’re most likely coming from end-game The Knight to basic early-game Hornet, which is a marked difference. A big part of the game’s identity is struggle and persistence, and I think it would be a disservice to fans to dilute that.

Having said that, so many enemies dealing two damage in a hit does perhaps feel a bit cruel. But if you’re efficient with your traps and all the extra moves at your disposal, you should find that if you could get through Hollow Knight, you can get through Silksong.

“masks of damage” (Alana Hagues, deputy editor)

I’m deep into Act 2 now, and I may have gotten a little mad at this game a few times. But on the whole? I’m loving the difficulty.

It ramps up much quicker than it did in Hollow Knight, but almost every single boss fight (so far) has felt incredibly well designed and extremely fun to fight that I’m rarely, truly annoyed with any single fight — more just at myself for making a silly mistake.

As Alex said, some enemies (and most bosses) do two masks of damage. But there are also numerous little traps and punishing little tricks that Team Cherry has tucked away — Pharloom is dangerous, and I’m constantly surprised by the horrors and laughs it brings me. I also think the game expects you to know Hollow Knight. Even the platforming is trickier early on.

But the real trick is, if you’re struggling, just walk away and explore. It’s a Metroidvania, and there are Quests to complete, Tools to discover and buy, and ways to upgrade your health. As the world opens up, your options expand and I’ve already chopped and changed my progress multiple times because I know something would be easier if I had a different Tool or Art.

So yes, Silksong is tough, and it may bring out my awful stubbornness and frustration, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

“a few expletives” (Ollie Reynolds, staff writer)

My time is often quite limited these days, so I have to admit that if a game is proving particularly taxing for me and I’m having to replay sections over and over, I’ll sometimes put it down and do something else for a while. There’s something about Silksong, however, that keeps me coming back for more.

It’s definitely a lot more challenging than the first game. But it’s all about learning patterns and recognising when might be the best opportunity to launch your attack. Once you’ve nailed that, then you’re basically 99% of the way there. There have been a couple of moments where I’ve let out a few expletives at my inanimate electronic gaming device, mind you.

I expected Silksong to be difficult, and honestly, I’m quite glad it is. After such a long wait, I didn’t want to just breeze through the game and forget about it after a single weekend. Team Cherry has crafted something that begs to be savoured, and if that means restarting from a bench every now and then, so be it.

“the right equipment” (Felix Sanchez, video producer)

Personally I feel the difficulty has been great 18 hours in. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve already played Hollow Knight, but I never feel I’m stuck because of a tough fight. Sure, I’m dying quite a lot in some places, but I eventually learn the patterns, and I also think choosing the right equipment has a lot to say.

The design of the bosses and their phases are honestly maybe my favourite in any game. I’m excited to see what the rest of the game has to offer, but as for now, it’s absolutely perfect!

So that’s what we reckon, but what about you? Be sure to vote in the poll above and leave a comment with your thoughts on Silksong’s difficulty so far.