Things That Make Silksong Harder Than Hollow Knight

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Due to its hand-drawn style, Hollow Knight might initially seem like a sweet game. But once played, it reveals itself as one of the most challenging Metroidvania games available. Featuring Soulslike elements, players may find that they lose their progress upon death and if they’re not cautious with saving, they could permanently lose certain items.

In contrast to expectations, Hollow Knight: Silksong didn’t address all the difficulty-related concerns raised by fans. On the contrary, Team Cherry amplified the challenge, making the follow-up title even tougher, which has resulted in a split opinion among players. Despite being generally well-regarded as a solid game, its increased demanding nature is worth exploring.

Paying For Benches

The Citadel Is An Especially Hard Joke

Finding a rest area or bench in Hollow Knight offers players a welcome break from battling enemies and dodging traps. These resting spots are beneficial even in Hollow Knight: Silksong, though many of them demand payment to use. If a player doesn’t have enough Rosaries, which is the primary currency in Silksong, they will be unable to rest. The situation becomes more challenging when players reach The Citadel, as most of the benches require Rosaries and are only temporary. Unlike Hollow Knight, there are more paid resting spots in Silksong, but not as numerous.

You Have To Fight The Fast Travel System

With A Lack Of Nearby Benches

In both games, there’s a quick travel mechanism, although the transport methods vary. In the initial Hollow Knight, players encounter a colloquial Stag Beetle who, upon unlocking a gateway, can carry The Knight around Hollownest for travel. However, in Silksong, players must first defeat the Bell Beast before they can utilize it for transportation. This added challenge may make the game more difficult at first compared to Hollow Knight, as Bell Beast stations lack benches that are commonly found in Stag stations in Hollow Knight.

Two Currencies Splitting The Difference

Rosaries And Shell Shards

In the game Hollow Knight, the primary currency is Geo, whereas in Silksong, it’s Rosaries and Shell Shards. Notably, only Rosaries will be obtained when players meet their untimely demise, which can be an advantage. Shell Shards primarily serve as ammo but they also hold value as a form of currency within the game.

In the game ‘Hollow Knight: Silksong’, it might be challenging to obtain both Rosaries and Shell Shards as some enemies exclusively carry one type. Gathering both can prove time-consuming, especially when completing tasks or shopping excursions, due to their separate availability.

All Enemies Hit Harder

Take It Easy On Us, Team Cherry!

Silksong” is noticeably harder than its predecessor, as minor adversaries can reduce Hornet’s health by two points. Since Hornet starts with just five health points, this amounts to significant damage. Remarkably, not all boss attacks inflict this level of damage. However, if Hornet had more health icons from the beginning, it would be logical. Yet, she shares the same health level as The Knight initially.

No Lifeblood Cocoons

Powering Up At A Cost Plasmium Phial

In the style of games such as The Legend of Zelda, players gather items (Mask Shards in this instance) that boost their health once they’ve amassed four. Similarly, Hollow Knight features Lifeblood Cocoons which provide temporary health enhancements for The Knight. While it may be inconvenient, locating a Lifeblood Cocoon before a boss battle can make things easier.

In Silksong, you won’t find Lifeblood Cocoons, but instead, there’s the Plasmium Phial. This item surpasses the Lifeblood Cocoons in terms of power, however, it comes with a catch. Unlocking it requires some time, and recharging it for future use can be expensive and time-consuming since there isn’t an easy or quick way to reach the alchemist Zylotol.

Players Use All Silk To Heal

It Can Go To Waste

In the follow-up game, the healing system has been revamped, causing quite a stir among fans. Unlike the original “Hollow Knight,” where a small amount of Soul would restore one complete shard of health and completely restoring three required all of the protagonist’s Soul, the new game, titled “Silksong,” demands that players consume an entire bar of Silk to instantly heal three health shards.

In essence, both games require healing with a health shard when players have enough Soul or Silk, but some players find the risk-reward dynamic different in the new game Silksong. Specifically, in Hollow Knight, healing using one shard doesn’t significantly deplete resources, whereas in Silksong, players might hesitate to spend a full Silk shard for only one health restoration because it can drain Hornet’s entire Silk supply, regardless of the amount of healing Hornet is receiving.

The Diagonal Slash

Looks Cool, But…

One approach to rephrase the given text could be:

Team Cherry designed Hornet’s initial attack to resemble moves she performs within Hollow Knight, making her stand out from The Knight. Hornet is a swift character, and her striking pose as she descends diagonally towards targets is quite captivating. However, there’s a trade-off: using this downward starting option for Hornet makes platforming significantly more challenging.

In the game “Silksong”, you can alter this attack using items known as Crests, such as the Reaper Crest or Wanderer Crest. However, these crests require time to unlock, which means that the initial part of the game could be quite challenging, potentially taking around three to four hours to become less difficult.

The Boss Run

It’s A Long Road

In the game Hollow Knight, there were some demanding stretches between benches and bosses. However, the sequel, Silksong, ratchets up the difficulty significantly. Battling either the Savage Beastfly or the Last Judge in Silksong might make players want to pull their hair out. Both of these bosses are formidable on their own, but the journey to reach them can be even more difficult and demoralizing. Fortunately, the Savage Beastfly is optional, but the Last Judge is not, and these are just a couple of instances.

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2025-09-09 14:05