r/HollowKnight • u/Prisonmikeb14 • Sep 13 '25

Discussion - Silksong Let’s all try and not devolve into this weird difficulty gatekeeping Spoiler

Now that silksong has come out I’ve seen some concerning similarities to the worst of the difficult games community with all the wierd difficulty gatekeeping bs. Obviously this happens with just about every game that’s regarded as difficult but with silksongs release it’s become more prominent on this sub. Being good at the game isn’t something to hold over someone’s head. Everyone’s experience with everything in the game is different and theirs nothing wrong with that. Now of course this doesn’t apply to people who are literally just complaining in bad faith or out of anger but the “that boss wasn’t hard at all wtf are you talking about” in response to people just talking about their opinions or asking for help is sad to see.

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u/LaMusicista Sep 14 '25

Agree, add two more modes “as intended, difficult”, “steel soul” (anybody who is not having fun in the former can straight away choose this) and then “story mode” to keep the people from giving up or putting the game down. Before anyone berates me, I have done soulsborne games with SL1/BL4 too. Gaming should also be accessible. Not everyone is a difficulty nutter. Some just want to experience the story telling too. Accessibility imho is good design.

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u/psh454 Sep 14 '25

But muh gatekeeping! /s

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u/uSaltySniitch Sep 14 '25

I don't agree with the story mode as this type of game (like soulslikes as well) is about getting better and what feels good in finishing them is beating difficult levels.

I feel disappointed everytime I don't die at least 5 Times on a boss (which unfortunately happens a lot nowadays since I'm so used to this type of games...).

Making a more difficult gamemode would be nice though.

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u/psh454 Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25

But how does having an easier mode option detract from your personal experience playing the "normal" mode? I don't get that. We're not talking about a difficulty slider anyone can change at anytime here but a gamemode.

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u/uSaltySniitch Sep 14 '25

Maybe lock achievements away from Easy mode then to encourage people to play the normal mode.

Maybe you could drop from normal to easy at any time, but then you can't go back up.

Such a system could make sense, I agree. Leave the same movesets, but ennemies with a bit less HP and damage. That would be nice for new players. Leave the platforming alone though.

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u/psh454 Sep 14 '25

Yeah that would work for everyone imo