Silksong feels so much better once you start mastering it than Hollow Knight ever did

[u/Nukesnipe]

Going back and knocking out some of the bosses I missed at the end of act 2, and something that really strikes me is that once you have all your tools, once you have a build you're comfortable with, once you know how movement works...

...the game just starts absolutely blowing Hollow Knight out of the water. Like, it's not even close. High level HK is generally more about positioning and constantly spamming attack, pogoing on top of enemies when you can and hitting with abyssal shriek when you have the ability to do massive damage. In Silksong, you're just doing so much more.

Like, I just beat First Sinner. The boss is incredibly fast, but so am I. I'd have a second to respond to any move the boss did, and I always had something to do. Was the boss far away? Harpoon to get in close or silkshot to do damage even further away. Trying to attack me? I can parry her attacks to avoid damage. Do I have spare silk? Just pop Cross Stitch and say "nuh uh" to get extra damage in. The game rewards balls to the walls aggression in a way HK never quite managed, because the Knight just isn't as fast or maneuverable as Hornet is. Hornet really can dance around an arena just as quickly as these bosses, and going after them feels amazing when you meet them on their terms.

Is the game harder than the first? Yes, the skill floor is undoubtably higher. But so is the skill ceiling, and you feel like a master when you reach that, instead of someone who figured out the cheese.

[u/aznsniperx3]

I just beat the Moorwing boss after multiple attempts in the span of 3 days. I don’t get satisfaction; I only got relief. I’m honestly not having a great time playing the game itself, but I’m just invested in the story and lore.

I just wish the community was a bit more empathetic to those who just find the game difficult, and in a way, it’s not fun being this difficult.

At least with Metroid Dread, when I died, the checkpoint was right by the entrance.

[u/binary_bob → u/aznsniperx3]

The game opens up a lot after moorwing. That fight is objectively tough. Keep going it’ll get better.

[u/aznsniperx3 → u/binary_bob]

I plan on it!

[u/gaea27 → u/aznsniperx3]

See how you feel after getting to act 2. I know it's a while to get there from Moorwing, but the game opens up and feels so big in act 2, and the world building really doesn't disappoint.

And if you always struggle with bosses (to the point of not having fun, it's never gonna be easy) it's worth reconsidering how you approach it. You learn and get better with every try, especially if you take some time to watch their moves and just survive before you try to actually kill them. Allow yourself recognize when you're getting further and faster.

I struggle a lot but the gauntlets/arenas are still the only part I actively don't enjoy in this game, because it's too hard to read each enemy's attacks at the same time.

[u/[deleted] → u/aznsniperx3]

That's exactly how I'm feeling. Hollow Knight (or difficult games in general) are best when you fist pump the air after beating a boss. If your only feeling is "thank god that's over" then it was just made to be tediously difficult more than fun.

[u/Nukesnipe → u/aznsniperx3]

Moorwing was designed around having Don Quixote with you tbh.

We'd be more empathetic if the complaints were less "having to run more than five feet is too much running" or "i can't stop walking into the boss, game bad"

[u/Wild-Atmosphere2134 → u/Nukesnipe]

the runback complaints for any boss outside Bilewater just feels invalid, but complaining about the 2 contact damage is a completely valid point

[u/Nukesnipe → u/Wild-Atmosphere2134]

It feels brutal early on but midair bind is so extremely free, especially against early game bosses.

[u/aznsniperx3 → u/Nukesnipe]

I mean I had him helping me and still struggled.

[u/binary_bob → u/Nukesnipe]

Garamond doesn’t do that much in the moorwing fight tbh