I’ve played 100s of hours of Soulslikes, and I think Hollow Knight Silksong is harder than Elden Ring – but what makes games difficult anyway?

by

Back in the day, I used to find most games quite challenging because they didn’t really have an ending. It wasn’t the type of challenge you get from Hollow Knight: Silksong; it was more about the endless quest for higher scores and gobbling up coins – a trend that started with arcade games as far back as the ’80s. You see, these games were designed so that no game could truly be considered beaten before a ‘kill screen’ broke the code. Donkey Kong would always come back, the Centipede kept descending, and Pac-Man was constantly chased by ghosts. And we all know, video games have certainly evolved since those early days of Pac-Man.

Silksong draws inspiration from.

The bigger they are…

In simpler terms, while challenge is a defining characteristic of Soulslike games, it’s not the only factor that sets them apart. As a player, you can easily notice this aspect, and as a game designer, it’s something you might want to emphasize. However, not all games that try to emulate this genre achieve the same level of quality – I’ve played many of them – often focusing excessively on difficulty for its own sake, neglecting other elements that make FromSoftware’s games so enjoyable to play.

One reason Hollow Knight and Silksong are highly regarded is because, even though they are 2D games and blend the DNA of FromSoftware’s Soulslike series with Metroidvania-style gameplay, Team Cherry truly grasps the essence of what makes FromSoftware’s games compelling. Instead of exploration merely leading to advancement, it serves as a means to reveal the secrets of a mystifying world and gather fragments of information to construct a clearer image of a realm in decay. Characters that seem peculiar aren’t just there to be defeated but offer essential hints and add vibrant elements to the storyline. The insect kingdoms of Hallownest and Pharloom in Hollow Knight don’t merely rival Dark Souls’ worlds; they are steeped in so much atmosphere that at times, they can eclipse them entirely.

Significantly, the challenging boss fights in Hollow Knight and Silksong, though they may appear large and daunting like those in Souls (both series featuring exceptional one-on-one combat encounters as well), aren’t merely designed to make you fail. Instead, these dramatic moves come with distinct signals that help you figure out the appropriate response, and a manageable number of moves that you can actually recall. FromSoftware occasionally struggles with this themselves – I’m pointing at you, Dark Souls 3 DLC.

In contrast to its predecessor, Hollow Knight: Silksong appears to be significantly more difficult. This difficulty seems to draw inspiration from the original game’s tougher post-launch updates, making it demanding right from the start. The game introduces challenging platforming sections and bosses that deal double damage, almost as if they’ve taken advantage of a two-for-one offer they couldn’t resist.

Compared to its predecessor, Silksong is definitely harder.

One method of rephrasing the given text in a more natural and easy-to-understand manner is as follows: Many bosses require players to repeat challenging ‘runbacks’ when they die, and a system that relies heavily on currency can make it necessary to grind through screens just to regain an equal position for boss fights. This aspect of the game can sometimes create an unfriendly atmosphere and detract from enjoying Silksong’s most memorable moments, as I noted in my Hollow Knight: Silksong review.

As a seasoned gamer who’s dabbled in FromSoftware’s masterpieces, I can attest that the intricacies of their gameplay are well-known to me. Dark Souls and I go way back, and it’s no secret that it delights in challenging players mercilessly. Bloodborne, a darker, gothic spinoff, pushes this even further, as you, lacking shields, need to tread carefully. Sekiro, focusing on a unique ninja character, follows suit, requiring you to deplete your resources for its own set of ninja tools.

In earlier titles from FromSoftware, even the longest treks back aren’t excessively challenging to conquer. Managing to evade groups of respawning enemies across multiple dimensions and strategically descending ledges as needed makes the journey to the boss battle less likely to result in damage.

Despite growing up playing challenging 2D platformers such as The Revenge of Shinobi, Rocket Knight Adventures, and even Sonic The Hedgehog 2, I must admit that the epic combat encounters and side-on platformer style of Hollow Knight: Silksong make it particularly difficult for me. The memories of prickly thorns and untimely deaths in Silksong bring back battle scars from my past experiences, leaving me longing for a rematch with Metropolis Zone, Sonic’s infamous level.

Bell to pay

The enchanting atmosphere of Silksong may persuade a great number of people, even those unconsidered for challenging platformers, to join the game.

In Hollow Knight: Silksong, there’s a sequence near the end of Act 1 that leaves many players, including me, scratching their heads. This part requires me to link numerous bounce jumps over hazards that deplete my health rapidly, dodge strong enemies that fire projectiles that reflect off walls, and steer clear of some beefy opponents as well. I can usually nail it 90% of the time, but it takes around 30 seconds each try. And to do it every time before attempting a boss fight? It’s grueling, even for someone like me who’s used to these high-skill jump challenges. The fact is, few popular games venture into this challenge-heavy platformer territory. The appeal of Silksong as a cultural phenomenon may draw in many gamers who wouldn’t even consider playing a tough-as-nails platformer otherwise.

In Elden Ring, you don’t always need superb consistency in dexterity when attempting something over and over. While there are challenging jumps throughout your exploration, they typically don’t require repeated perfection, instead focusing on careful landing and positioning rather than acrobatics or precise timing. Good reflexes are beneficial in Elden Ring, but they aren’t as crucial as they are in Silksong, where reaction times play a more significant role in the game themed around insects.

In the realm of boss battles, Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn’t cut me much slack compared to Elden Ring. The 2D dimension strips away some evasion tactics, making it a struggle to navigate around or behind the massive adversaries – all while dodging relentless attacks that seem to close in quickly. There’s no circle strafing here, friend, so you’ll need to be nimble and precise with your movements. To top it off, Hornet doesn’t have the fluid invincibility frames you might be accustomed to in Elden Ring, meaning I better time my escapes perfectly or end up taking a hit.

In a straightforward manner, Elden Ring and its games similar to Dark Souls offer diverse gaming experiences, even though they both present demanding challenges. While online cooperation is one option, you can also customize your character within the game by leveling up and adjusting stats. For example, you could emphasize agility for quick dodges alongside heavy damage output, or take a defensive approach, absorbing as much damage as possible.

Essentially, Elden Ring showcases the culmination of FromSoftware’s extensive experience in creating these types of games. They’ve managed to eliminate unnecessary difficulties just enough to keep players hooked on mastering its intricate challenges. Most battles in Elden Ring have eliminated the need for repeated runs thanks to the Stakes of Marika, which offer separate respawn points from the main checkpoints, allowing players to quickly re-enter the battle. However, when Elden Ring lacks a Stake of Marika, the frustration of repeating the same runback is intensely felt, as is the case with Dragonlord Placidusax. Fortunately, we no longer experience the distress of running out of Sekiro’s Spirit Emblems.

Silksong incorporate some of the user-friendly features that FromSoftware has introduced throughout their game series. Given the significant rebalancing efforts by Team Cherry for Silksong, there’s a chance they might do so. However, the unique, ancient magic found in Hollow Knight: Silksong makes its challenges particularly tough – similar to feeling utterly overwhelmed when you need to remove the cartridge from a Sega Genesis and replace it with something less intense, like Columns, to calm down.

Read More

2025-09-11 17:14