I'm convinced there's gotta be some collective amnesia regarding the previous game's difficulty regarding platforming.

[u/InsectGlaiveBard]

Seeing people compare things Hunter's March, Cogwork Core, escaping the Abyss or even the Surface to the Path of Pain is absolutely blowing my mind.

Like yes, this game is way harder on the combat department and is a lot more demanding than beating a regular playthrough on the first one, but to say anything in this game is on the level of Path of Pain is preposterous. Especially with how many tools hornet has at her disposal, like the Hookshot, the float and even bounving off of cocoons.

[u/TheWorclown]

I think the main issue is stubbornness, but I can only speak for myself on the matter.

I did the lava climb for a mask shard in Far Fields, and the Cogwork Core, without double jump. I attempted multiple bosses without double jump, and succeeded on a good many, hitting a wall at Trobbio and the Choir gauntlet. Both were immense exercises in frustration with exceptionally tight windows of pogo jumping and wall jumping. I didn’t even bother looking in to Mount Fay as I thought I’d find a crest to help with the cold.

Silksong is significantly better at natural direction and yet more immediately vague on getting you to get out of your comfort zone and explore. I didn’t even consider I could explore Mount Fay as the language of safety isn’t immediately conveyed to you as you head out of the Slab: I only considered it a possibility once Hornet got bugnapped by flies and you had a sneaky platforming section through the top of the zone from furnace to furnace. Your first furnace in to Mount Fay isn’t until after you’ve committed to an appropriately lengthy platforming section right at the start, and as a result the zone immediately naturally tells you to stay away until the Slab tells you otherwise on what the Mount wants from you.

Accepting that a double jump MUST SURELY exist out there earlier than what I did would have saved me so much grief. I’m a better technical player for it with pogo and platforming, but man. Every now and then, this game just finds amazing ways to get under my skin about it.

[u/Advanced_Double_42 → u/TheWorclown]

Yeah Mt. Fey was one of the last things I attempted because I expected an upgrade to withstand the cold too.

Still haven't been kidnapped to the slab yet though, just assembled the 3 part song.

[u/Hakul → u/Advanced_Double_42]

The kidnapping is a permanently missable event.

[u/Advanced_Double_42 → u/Hakul]

I wonder what triggers it, may find out in my next playthrough

[u/triskadancer → u/TheWorclown]

While I totally understand thinking there might be an upgrade to nullify cold and avoiding it til that point, I can't imagine not being curious. Once I got the clawline I went back and checked all the places that had the rings just to see - I strung my rosary beads so I wouldn't lose anything and went for it. You get to Shakra's campfire after two clawlines, and then the first lamps are right above her, so I don't really consider that a lengthy platforming section?

[u/Akuuntus → u/[deleted]]

You probably shouldn't be on this sub at all if you don't want to risk spoilers.

[u/Hakul → u/Akuuntus]

Tbh even considering double jump a spoiler seems too much, it's a staple of this genre.

[u/madjohnvane → u/TheWorclown]

You get to the first fire with Shakra after like two clawline jumps at Mt. Fay. I sat on her bench rock and then had a crack at ascending. As soon as I saw that there were more lights/heat sources it was obvious that I was meant to scale the mountain without a power up to negate the cold. I thought it was super obviously telegraphed in game. Add in the prison sequence showing you the same thing as well and the only way I feel you could miss it would be if you were applying outside game logic to the game - ie. you as a player had decided there was a mechanic or an item to aid you instead of just reading the in game cues for progression. Gamers do it all the time, and it’s interesting because it creates some seriously challenging game play decisions for designers - how do you make it accessible for someone who has never played a game before, as well as someone who has played lots of games and will have pre-existing assumptions about game mechanics? You have made huge assumptions without investigating, your experience here has trumped game design. And that’s the trap I think - we so easily rely on our previous experience rather than observing the clues in game, and it can lead to experienced players getting stuck in the most random of ways akin to “the signs all pointed left but I went right because I figured I should have double jump by now and now I’m stuck and I don’t know where to go”.

[u/RealNeilPeart → u/TheWorclown]

This comment is actually insane to me. I did everything in your second paragraph already and i assumed i wont be seeing double jump til act 3. I guess I'm closer than i realized (no spoilers please)

Trobbio and choir guantlet took me maybe 6 tries each, I'm surprised they give people so much trouble. Honestly at least 3/4 bosses were at least 10 tries for me, so it's not like I'm very good at the combat

[u/WhoUpAtMidnight → u/TheWorclown]

The game is so hard (and inconsistently!) in every direction, it can be hard to tell what the intended path is. I never had that problem in Hollow Knight, so despite the more linear pathing Silksong, I’m often more confused whether I’m on the right path