Hollow Knight: Silksong

im gonna be real with you if you dont like metroidvanias, platformers, hard games, or are not a patient person this is NOT the game for you. it's difficult and long winded. most enemies do double damage. it's harder than hollow knight by (IMO) a long mile... BUT! it is also one of the most rewarding, gorgeous, fun, fast paced games i've ever played. its art style is beautiful, the soundtrack is a blessing, and there is SO much to discover. this is a game that will keep you occupied for a long time. and if you're reading this review on steam you're likely playing on pc so if you're struggling you could just mod it with quality of life mods. invincibility, no double damage, weaker enemies, the mods are there to make it easier. its not cheating if it helps you play a game you otherwise cant.

---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☑ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☐ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }--- ☐ Check if you can run paint ☐ Potato ☑ Decent ☐ Fast ☐ Rich boi ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer ---{ Difficulty }--- ☐ Just press 'W' ☐ Easy ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master ☐ Significant brain usage ☐ Difficult ☑ Dark Souls ---{ Grind }--- ☐ Nothing to grind ☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks ☐ Isn't necessary to progress ☑ Average grind level ☐ Too much grind ☐ You'll need a second life for grinding ---{ Story }--- ☐ No Story ☐ Some lore ☐ Average ☐ Good ☐ Lovely ☑ It'll replace your life ---{ Game Time }--- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☐ Short ☐ Average ☑ Long ☐ To infinity and beyond ---{ Price }--- ☐ It's free! ☑ Worth the price ☐ If it's on sale ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money ---{ Bugs }--- ☑ Never heard of ☐ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ ARK: Survival Evolved ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ---{ ? / 10 }--- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ☐ 7 ☐ 8 ☐ 9 ☑ 10

I've obtained 100% game completion but am still missing a few achievements (steel souls, speed and true hunter). It was an incredibly amazing sequel to hollow knight. I'm not sure how to put into words my experience in a way that justifies the game or is fair to other people. Is Silksong truly harder than Hollow Knight? That's a good question and I don't think there's a simple answer. I think the fairest answer is that they are completely different games in the same universe created by Team Cherry. If you only play Silksong like Hollow Knight it will be more difficult. But if you embrace Silksong for what it offers you, I think you will find a new love for it that can coexist alongside Hollow Knight too. I absolutely love silksong and, dare I say, I love it more than hollow knight. Silksong symbolizes my growth from a rather terrible unskilled gamer that struggled even properly jumping from platform to platform in the beginning section of Hollow Knight. I wasn't good and it would have been painful to watch. Hollow Knight is a place I grew from nothing to horrible to eventually 100% all achievements, completing radiant hall of gods. I also needed more so I did all bindings in pantheons. Playing Silksong, completing a gauntlet, I remember putting my controller down and exclaiming, "Wow, I love this game so much!" Who would have known that someone like me could actually complete the deeds I have done in Hollow Knight and Silksong?! Initially, I was worried about silksong because people said it was frustrating, difficult, punishing, and that Team Cherry made gauntlets, runbacks, and 2 mask damage which will make you want to stop playing the game. Admittedly, when I first started I went "the wrong way" and I hadn't gotten a key traversal ability. This made traversal in this optional area a nightmare. I also didn't really "need" to go there yet. While there. I made it to a gauntlet that I definitely should not have been doing without my traversal ability. That gauntlet plus the runback to it definitely made me frustrated. That's probably what made me stop playing the first time. That along with I was already in the middle of playing another game when silksong released that I wanted to finish. In retrospect, I wouldn't go there first and will avoid the area on my speedrun/steelsoul until I do get the key traversal ability. As for the 2 mask damage, I initially was upset about that too. However, I just beat the game (100% completion) and I was thinking. I would never have beaten the final boss SPOILER [spoiler]Lost Lace[/spoiler] as quickly if this game was Hollow Knight and not Silksong. I think I would have taken many more attempts. Why? Because Hornet is so incredibly agile and acrobatic. Most importantly, I can heal quickly and while airborne. I recorded the fight I finally beat the game with and it was far less impressive than the fight I beat Hollow Knight with. However, I'd argue it was also more fun because of Hornet's quick movement. I took so much damage in Silksong at the end but I was able to heal while remaining mobile, switching between being aggressive and defensive until healthy. I never really was able to do that in every fight in Hollow Knight. There were some fights I knew I could heal up in Hollow Knight but in Silksong? It's almost every fight I have an opportunity to weave (get it?) heals in while fighting. In Hollow Knight, I usually just fought until I died and only in Pantheons with bindings, radiant fights or speedruns did I actually use my heals (if I messed up) but in silksong healing became a natural part of my rotation during combat. I always sought out heals since they were so accessible. That to me, is the reason I'd say the 2 masks of damage make sense. Lastly, I know originally when comparing the game to hollow knight, I was mildly upset that I couldn't heal 1 mask at a time because I hated the silk waste of overhealing without it not costing less silk (or refunding it). However, after finally beating the game, I feel like that point doesn't matter as much to me anymore especially if you have 3 blue slots filled with specific options. In conclusion, I love Silksong and it is absolutely worth the purchase but only if you commit to playing it with an open mind. If you struggle and find yourself frustrated, you should consider trying to go a different path because there might be an easier one. Once you finish the game, you could try harder paths earlier but for a first time I wouldn't recommend it. That being said, you will die, often times a lot before "it just clicks" in bosses, gauntlets, the environment, and maybe even to your electricity going out or your controller dying. That is definitely something you have to accept. But if you look at the game and ask yourself if it's worth it? I absolutely think it's worth it. It was an incredibly amazing ride just like Hollow Knight was. Silksong is definitely one of my absolute favorite games ever and Team Cherry deserves the positive review for the game. Wonderful job Team Cherry! Thank you!!!