Way back in 2020, Team Cherry reckoned Hollow Knight: Silksong would "sit alongside" Hollow Knight in difficulty. Ari Gibson and William Pellen told Edge magazine that it could be anyone's "first Hollow Knight game," and that they didn't go out of their way to ramp up the difficulty. I have been pondering Gibson and Pellen's words each time Silksong has pummeled me into Hornet mash without even having the good grace to blink.
I don't know what they're putting in the water in Australia – snake venom, probably – but the first few hours of Silksong feel way harder than Hollow Knight's. I'm not complaining, but it's not even a question. I finished a 112% replay of Hollow Knight the day before Silksong came out, and that was my first time ever playing the Pantheon boss gauntlets, as well as my first time clearing the Path of Pain platforming challenge in over seven years. It's all very fresh in my mind, and it's abundantly clear that Silksong's opening hours – I've had one good five-hour marathon so far – have more in common with the mid-to-late-game portions of Hollow Knight.
