Let me be real with you: I am, to put it mildly, absolutely rubbish at Hollow Knight: Silksong. I have been playing since launch day and I have only just reached Greymoor, which is, let's be honest, still basically the opening stretch. I have died a frankly embarrassing number of times. I stopped counting how many attempts it took me to beat Lace, and there is a 100 percent chance I will whiff a jump and faceplant into a pit at some point today. But am I going to throw a hissy fit on social media or write a whiny Steam review about how the game is just too tough for little old me? Nah. I am going to grind it out, practise until I scrape through the next boss fight, and enjoy Silksong in my own stubborn, clumsy way.

I was never good at the original Hollow Knight either. I bumbled my way into what the community affectionately calls the 'worst' ending, and I still managed to fall in love with the hand-drawn character models, the dripping atmosphere, and that absolutely gorgeous soundtrack. So I reckon I walked into Silksong with my expectations already set to 'struggle but appreciate.' Team Cherry has put an absurd amount of care into every corner of this game, and even when I am getting my shell handed to me, I catch myself just vibing with the background art or humming along to a new area theme.

The FOMO Is Real, Though

This time around, the vibe hits different. When I played Hollow Knight, it had already been out for a while, so the hype had cooled down. Now it is 2026, and it feels like literally everyone is playing Silksong. My friends are miles ahead of me, some are already speedrunning, and my feeds are stuffed with memes I do not fully understand because I have not reached that part yet. There is this weird underlying pressure to be good at the game just to keep up with the conversation.

From that angle, I completely get why some players want to mod the game to make it easier. They want to be part of the community, share clips, laugh at the same jokes, and not feel left behind. That is valid, full stop. But I also think we need to be okay with taking a game at our own pace. That is the whole point of playing something instead of just watching a movie, right? No two people will play Silksong the exact same way, and honestly, that is kind of beautiful.

More Than Just a Difficulty Flex

Yes, I still get tilted when I am fighting a boss for the umpteenth time or flailing through a tricky platforming section. I have had moments where I genuinely wished I could pull off some slick Hornet tech or fast-travel to that exciting thing I saw in a social post. But in those moments, I remind myself that Silksong is so much more than a difficulty measuring stick.

You can spend hours just wandering the environments, piecing together lore clues, or simply vibing with the art and music. The game is dripping with atmosphere, and the reason we all keep coming back, even when a section is driving us up the wall, is that the world itself is worth the pain. Difficulty is just one ingredient, not the whole meal.

What keeps me sane when I am stuck:

• 🎨 The hand-drawn animation and little background details.

• 🎵 The soundtrack that somehow makes dying feel cinematic.

• 🕵️ Lore crumbs that reward you for poking around.

• 🐌 The sheer joy of finding a new bench after a long, cursed run.

Can we also retire the idea that struggling means you do not 'get' the game? That is such a gatekeepy take. Metroidvanias are about exploration, patience, and persistence, not just raw reflexes. If you need to slow down, soak in the vibes, and come back to a boss after lunch, that is a perfectly valid strategy. I have a chronic case of skill issue, and I am learning to live with it.

When I finally beat Silksong—and let's be real, that might be months from now—I will have my own memories tied to it because I took my time, struggled, and persevered. I have a ton of hours ahead of me, both fun and frustrating, and I am genuinely excited about that. Even if I never beat a boss on my first or second try, I am cool with it. Some of us are just built for the slow, stubborn route, and honestly? That is a whole vibe. 🎮