Hollow Knight: Silksong’s highly anticipated release has captivated worldwide players. Despite this, a significant contending point seems to be emerging in the community. There are many who are voicing some strong criticisms regarding the repetitive and lengthy boss runbacks in the game, which are hampering their enjoyment and raising questions about the accessibility of the game.
Hollow Knight Silksong’s tedious, long journey back
Central to the entire criticism is the implementation of boss runbacks in the game. After getting defeated by a Pharloom’s challenging boss, players are required to trek a significant distance from the nearest save points, called a bench, to just re-engage the foe. Such retracing of the steps quite often involves navigating through previously cleared areas that remain filled with enemies, which players find punishing and unnecessarily tedious.
The design is getting criticised for artificially inflating the difficulty of the game in a frustrating manner. Instead of the challenge stemming from learning the patterns of boss attacks, it gets compounded by the time-consuming and repetitive journey that is required for every new attempt.
Many players have even argued that it transforms the process of improvement and learning into a test of patience. It ultimately detracts them from the combat experience’s core, heightening frustration and making the process tedious instead of rewarding. The runback in itself, therefore, becomes the primary obstacle and not just the boss fight.
Last Judge exemplifies the core issue
The problem of players has been perfectly illustrated by their run to act 1’s boss, The Last Judge. Quite interestingly, a high number of players find the boss fight to be manageable. The consensus amongst many is that the path to the arena is more difficult than the encounter. It has led to accusations of artificial padding, and it extends the length of the game, not with meaningful content, but just with repetitive traversal.
While some players appreciate the added challenge, and they do see the journey to the boss as a singular test, a large portion of the players disagree. Such disparity amidst players’ sentiment highlights some significant design divide. For one’s struggling, the desire for the benches closer to the boss’s location is a major accessibility concern and not just the request for an easier game. It has sparked discussions on the potential for mods to address the issue directly.
Community feedback showcases a dividing line
Negative reviews on platforms including Steam consistently cite runbacks and the high cost of fast travel as the fundamental flaws. A player described it to be an experience that is torturing. Others have even pointed onto the perceived lack of balance in it. Criticism suggests that these elements bring an experience that players are finding annoying, instead of fun. This overshadows many praised aspects of the game, including soulslike formula.
The feedback offers a clear picture of players who are alienated by a specific design philosophy. As many players complete the game, the discussion around accessibility and difficulty is expected to grow. Conversations will ultimately determine if the elements are seen as a challenging hallmark or just some frustrating misstep in this acclaimed sequel.
