Hollow Knight: Silksong can feel punishing for more than one reason: it asks for precise combat and platforming, makes failed attempts costly through repeated approaches, and can leave useful abilities or alternate routes difficult to spot. Which part feels hardest varies by player. Team Cherry explained why it made enemies more demanding, but that design rationale does not mean every difficulty spike will feel fair or rewarding to everyone.
Why Silksong can feel harder than Hollow Knight
Team Cherry’s explanation starts with the difference between the protagonists. In pre-release interview coverage published in September 2025, cofounder and game designer Ari Gibson said: “Hornet is inherently faster and more skillful than the Knight—so even the base level enemy had to be more complicated, more intelligent.” Cofounder and game designer William Pellen gave a striking example: “The basic ant warrior is built from the same move-set as the original Hornet boss.”
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Hollow Knight - For Nintendo Switch | $42.20 | Buy on Amazon |
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Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code] | $14.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Hollow Knight: Silksong Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code] | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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HOLLOW KNIGHT [E10] | $33.43 | Buy on Amazon |
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Shadow Labyrinth Nintendo Switch Standard Edition | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The reasoning is that Hornet’s greater mobility calls for enemies with more complex behavior. That helps explain why combat may feel demanding early on; it does not settle whether a particular encounter is balanced well. Gibson also said players “have ways to mitigate the difficulty via exploration, or learning, or even circumventing the challenge entirely, rather than getting stonewalled.” Those are options the developers described, not a promise that every frustrating stretch can be bypassed.
Three different kinds of difficulty
Calling a game “hard” can blur together the skill it asks of a player, the cost of failure, and how clearly it signals what to do next. Separating those factors helps explain why fans can have very different reactions to the same stretch of Silksong.
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- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
- Leap into minds with the Dream Nail. Uncover a whole other side to the characters you meet and the enemies you face.
Execution: combat and movement
Bosses can require players to read brief attack tells, move precisely, and counter quickly. An Ars Technica analysis notes that there is no general-purpose, spammable invulnerability dodge, so positioning matters. Platforming can impose its own demands: early aerial down-attacks and repeated bounces may be difficult to aim. The same analysis notes that later movement upgrades and optional attack upgrades can ease some of that challenge; how difficult the controls feel will still depend on the player.
Failure cost: what a mistake asks of you
Difficulty is not just whether an attack is hard to avoid; it is also what happens after a mistake. Death returns the player to a save point rather than restarting the whole game, but lost progress and the need to make another approach can make a failed attempt feel expensive. A fight that feels manageable with a nearby retry may feel much harsher when getting back to it takes time.
Rank #2
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
Legibility: finding the tools and routes
A player can be stuck because they have not mastered a fight—or because they have not found a useful ability, mechanic, or alternate route. Gibson’s suggestion to explore, learn, or take another path speaks to this dimension of difficulty. But an option only helps if the player discovers it and can reach it; obscurity can therefore feel like part of the challenge rather than a relief from it.
What changed in the post-launch patches
Team Cherry’s first post-release patch, version 1.0.28497, described a “Slight difficulty reduction in early game bosses Moorwing and Sister Splinter.” Its notes also reduced Sandcarver damage, slightly increased a pea pod collider, adjusted some Bellway and Bell Bench prices, and increased certain Rosary rewards. The wording and scope point to targeted adjustments, not a broad difficulty mode or a claim that the whole game became easy.
Rank #3
- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
The official announcement history also lists version 1.0.30000, dated March 15, 2026. Its listed notes include fixes and other adjustments, rather than a broad new difficulty mode. Read the patch notes for the exact changes in each version; the early-game adjustments do not, by themselves, establish how every later encounter feels.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Players do not all mean the same thing by “too hard”
Nintendo Life’s coverage records some players describing the game as “way too difficult to be enjoyable” or “harder for the sake of being harder.” Those are examples of individual reactions, not a consensus. In a Nintendo Life poll, 1,551 people voted in 2025, with responses ranging from wanting an easier mode to finding the challenge satisfying. Because it was a self-selected poll among that publication’s readers, it is a snapshot of those respondents—not a representative estimate of what all Silksong players think.
Rank #4
- Includes four giant bonus content packs: Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all modern trimmings
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash, and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds, and ruined cities
- Forge your own path. The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face, and find your own way forward
That distinction matters when comparing reactions. Someone may enjoy learning boss patterns but resent repeated runbacks; another player may be more frustrated by precision movement or by not noticing a useful route. Disagreement does not require one side to be wrong: players can be reacting to different parts of the game’s challenge.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Includes Base Game
- Search the remnants of an age-old intergalactic conflict, started long before your arrival, and discover new powers and abilities
- Master the fluid combat and combine powerful skills to create a playstyle of your own
- Team up with PUCK, and dive deeper into the maze of a mysterious alien world
Sources and scope
- Team Cherry’s game listing and official announcement history: Steam and Steam announcements.
- Pre-release interview reporting and player poll: PC Gamer and Nintendo Life. The poll and quoted player reactions are illustrative, not representative of all players.
- Analysis of combat, platforming, failure costs, and progression clarity: Ars Technica.
- Nintendo Life lists Switch and Switch 2 editions; availability and format can vary by retailer and region.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
