Hollow Knight: Silksong's Approachability Won't Be For…

I've never had an issue with difficult games. I swear, I'm not bragging, I'm going somewhere with this. I've platinumed almost every FromSoftware Soulslike, I replay Cuphead every other year, and as a kid, one of my favorite GBA games was the infamously unfair (and awful) Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon. All that to say, Hollow Knight's objectively challenging combat was never a turn-off for me.

It was a steep learning curve for sure, but overcoming the challenge of Hollow Knight's assortment of bug foes and bosses boiled down to learning and memorizing their attack patterns, and getting familiar with the environmental hazards surrounding them. But Hollow Knight is home to a gameplay element I have always struggled with, and it's one that Hollow Knight: Silksong manages to circumvent almost entirely. And while I'm sure this change is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, I'm incredibly thankful.

The Double-Edged Sword of Hollow Knight Dropping You In At The Deep End

Hollow Knight White Palace Minecraft recreation

2017's Hollow Knight literally throws players in at the deep end – the deep end being a huge hole in the ground. Upon entering Hallownest for the first time, players are given the choice of turning left or right. Both tunnels lead to a sprawling multi-level cavern filled with branching paths, many of which lead to their own set of multi-layer caverns filled with their own plethora of branching paths.

A fair number of these branching paths end in some kind of blockage that requires a specific upgrade to get past, requiring the player to backtrack and check out the other pathways available to them in search of the critical path forward. On paper, this non-linearity sounds incredibly freeing, and obviously, this gameplay formula is classic Metroidvania fare. But to me, Hollow Knight's opening is a bit of a personal nightmare.

I really like Metroidvanias. Or, I should say, I really like Metroidvanias after the first hour or so. When I'm dropped into a Metroidvania for the first time, I'm usually filled with excitement over the potential of the open world in front of me. But very quickly, that excitement will turn into anxiety, and that anxiety can quickly lead to an overwhelming inability to enjoy the virtual world at my feet.

I find it difficult to remember which pathways I've already explored, and the sheer size of the map usually fills me with a creeping sense of dread and a nagging feeling I can't shake that tells me I'm missing something vital in that one path I forgot about an hour ago. That's especially true for a game like Hollow Knight, where you're given immediate free rein over a large map densely packed with open routes to explore.

I know I'm likely in the minority here; one of Hollow Knight's most revered features is its sprawling world filled with secrets and optional content. And I know people adore those first few hours expressly for being so hands-off. But I personally find Hollow Knight's opening just a tad too overwhelming, especially as the game doesn't give you a map, compass, or quill for a little while, which can make navigating the world feel even more daunting.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Has a More Linear Opening, And That's Great News For Me

Silksong Get Unlock Map Hornet Reading Map Animation

Much like the rest of the world, I was incredibly excited for Hollow Knight: Silksong, but I did have this fear in the back of my mind that its opening hours were going to cause me some stress. Thankfully, I was proven very wrong.

Hollow Knight: Silksong's opening few hours are surprisingly linear. After following a fairly straight path to the Bone Bottom hub, players are presented with two intertwined areas called 'The Marrow' and 'Mosshome'. Both of these biomes deliver a variety of optional pathways, but I never found these networks of tunnels overwhelming.

Unlike 2017's Hollow Knight, the pathways in Hollow Knight: Silksong's opening areas rarely result in a dead end. Instead, most pathways connect to a different part of the level, often one that loops back to where the player started. Shortcuts can also be opened up, allowing for easier travel back to a previously explored part of the map, and rewarding players for their knowledge of the area's layout.

NintendoSwitch2_Hollow Knight Silksong_Screenshot-4 — Hollow knight silksong gameplay screenshot

I'm sure this interconnected level design and lean into linearity will disappoint fans who prefer to be given free rein over a huge Metroidvania world from the get-go, but for me, Hollow Knight: Silksong's opening is an incredibly welcome surprise. I didn't need to fight my brain to struggle through the first hours of this Metroidvania, and that's made falling in love with Hollow Knight: Silksong's world all the more easy.

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