Silksong's Bosses Are Brilliant, But Their Rewards Feel Hollow
https://dealnesthq.com
I really, really want to love Hollow Knight: Silksong. And in so many ways, I do. The long-awaited sequel is gorgeous, ****** ery smooth to play, and packed with more content than I ever expected from Team Cherry. I have stopped mid-air just to stare at Pharloom's fungal cathedrals, and I have grinned like an idiot at its weird, colorful residents. But after dozens of hours, I have to admit something uncomfortable: my first playthrough is being hampered by one specific problem. It is tied to difficulty, yes, but it is not just that the game is hard. It is that the game's hardest moments often give me nothing back. Now in 2026, months after launch, the conversation around Silksong has not cooled down. Players are still arguing about the difficulty spike between Hollow Knight and its sequel. The platforming can be finicky, standard enemies hit surprisingly hard, and the bosses are the main event. From the Bell Beast onward, most boss fights strip two chunks of health per hit. When you start with only five Masks, that is terrifying. Compared to the early game of the 2017 original, it feels like a huge leap. The Difficulty Spike Is Real That spike has left many players stuck for hours. The notorious early-game walls include Moorwing, Sister Splinter, Last Judge, and Savage Beast Fly. I have seen people report spending three hours or more on a single one of these fights. You memorize attack patterns, learn when to counter, and adapt, only to die and face a rigorous runback. It can be exhausting. I felt that exhaustion firsthand. Victory Without Reward Here is the part that really gets me. After hours of ramming my head against the wall, I finally beat my nemesis. Relief floods in. Excitement, too. But then the adrenaline wears off, I look around the battlefield, and I realize I have been given nothing for my effort. Most bosses in Silksong do not drop Rosary Beads. They do not even drop Shards. Often, the only reward is the ability to progress to the next area. In rare cases, you unlock a pathway that eventually leads to a new item or skill. Very few bosses actually hand over a tangible reward. Boss My time spent Tangible reward Moorwing ~2 hours None Sister Splinter ~1.5 hours None Last Judge Hours for many players None Savage Beast Fly Hours for many players None That makes Silksong's victories feel hollow to me. I grew up on Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. Those games
https://dealnesthq.com
I really, really want to love Hollow Knight: Silksong. And in so many ways, I do. The long-awaited sequel is gorgeous, ****** ery smooth to play, and packed with more content than I ever expected from Team Cherry. I have stopped mid-air just to stare at Pharloom's fungal cathedrals, and I have grinned like an idiot at its weird, colorful residents. But after dozens of hours, I have to admit something uncomfortable: my first playthrough is being hampered by one specific problem. It is tied to difficulty, yes, but it is not just that the game is hard. It is that the game's hardest moments often give me nothing back. Now in 2026, months after launch, the conversation around Silksong has not cooled down. Players are still arguing about the difficulty spike between Hollow Knight and its sequel. The platforming can be finicky, standard enemies hit surprisingly hard, and the bosses are the main event. From the Bell Beast onward, most boss fights strip two chunks of health per hit. When you start with only five Masks, that is terrifying. Compared to the early game of the 2017 original, it feels like a huge leap. The Difficulty Spike Is Real That spike has left many players stuck for hours. The notorious early-game walls include Moorwing, Sister Splinter, Last Judge, and Savage Beast Fly. I have seen people report spending three hours or more on a single one of these fights. You memorize attack patterns, learn when to counter, and adapt, only to die and face a rigorous runback. It can be exhausting. I felt that exhaustion firsthand. Victory Without Reward Here is the part that really gets me. After hours of ramming my head against the wall, I finally beat my nemesis. Relief floods in. Excitement, too. But then the adrenaline wears off, I look around the battlefield, and I realize I have been given nothing for my effort. Most bosses in Silksong do not drop Rosary Beads. They do not even drop Shards. Often, the only reward is the ability to progress to the next area. In rare cases, you unlock a pathway that eventually leads to a new item or skill. Very few bosses actually hand over a tangible reward. Boss My time spent Tangible reward Moorwing ~2 hours None Sister Splinter ~1.5 hours None Last Judge Hours for many players None Savage Beast Fly Hours for many players None That makes Silksong's victories feel hollow to me. I grew up on Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro. Those games
12 days ago
