No rush to complete Hollow Knight: Silk (or any competition)

On September 4, I was one of many eager Hollow Knight fans who hurriedly opened each game store to experience the long and long waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong is finally over. Like everyone else, I've experienced it The collapse of these storesbut in the end, to my pleasure, I managed to install Silksong on my Nintendo Switch 2.

I've hardly touched the game ever since.

Notable for more than three weeks after the launch, my progress in the game was significantly behind my friends and peers. Some have earned points and have long, spoiler-marked conversations in discord, just like the CIA. Meanwhile, I just beat Bell Beast, a significant but fairly early boss you meet in the first hour of the story.

It's common for me to download the latest, hottest video games, just briefly introduce them before moving on to other things. Over the years, it has been determined why this is a challenge. While there are certainly many different factors that contribute to this, I eventually realized what’s behind the blocks of silk: I was afraid to play with it.

I'm not afraid of the game itself or its contents – while there are some incredible attractions in the world of Hollow Knights, it's not a particularly scary game. Instead, I was afraid of getting lost. I worry about undetermined events as I travel through the maze involved and the hesitation that comes with each split path. I was afraid to know where the next bench would be, as I was getting further and further away from the safe haven, as the possibility of sudden death and loss of the rosary increased.

This is a phenomenon I often encounter on Metroidvanias – in which fear and worry overcome logic because I reached what I think is a dead end, which made me give up this way of playing for a long time. However, this seems to contradict the fact that the vest would be one of my favorite video game genres. From Ori and the Blind Forest to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, I revel in the opportunity to explore a huge and intricate map. There are few moments in the game, comparable to the satisfaction of unlocking the power to open a new door or finding shortcuts that make exploration easier. Actually, I really like backtracking, especially when you gain more abilities and skills, and thanks to any game that can revisit older areas through a new perspective, and new sports techniques.

But for my weird and special brain, all of this has to be done at some slower pace, so as not to overwhelm my anxiety above. For better or worse, both Hollow Knight games are the biggest culprits in evoking this uneasiness, as well as the multi-step process (and currency) required to create a feature map that helps you explore.

Even so, I still want to explore every corner of the slide weaving, expand the map by recording every corner and gap, and squeeze out as much activity as possible. My cautious approach to the game has led me to a more patient approach – I feel content to let others enjoy it and record their findings and ideas before getting into depth.

There is a whole The online community of “patient gamers” Or at least it's a whole year before someone who plays the popular champion. Although I am not a member of this community, I do like some of its tenets. Bug fixes, balanced changes and the promise of DLC versions are a good reason to wait for any game – Silksong has seen meaningful changes that can give you a better experience with new content along the way. But this is the prospect of more documentation, tips and walkthroughs that inspired me to play Silksong at a slower pace.

After sitting in the original Hollow Knight for a long time, I actively returned to the game once it was obvious. I had given up on it when I was trapped in the Soul Master Boss battle about a year ago, but through countless attempts – YouTube Guide– I finally beat it and was able to move on. And, thanks to the interactive map, endless YouTube tutorial videos and countless forums, I feel more confident and authorized in the recent Hollow Knight loophole.

Maybe this isn't the “right” way to play Hollow Knight, but I believe it's a valid approach – or any game. Yes, I rely more on external help and observe other players’ experiences, but I am still fully involved in the game itself and use this knowledge to figure out how my own attitude toward the Hollow Knight is to me.

The developer team Cherry, like any studio and its games, has made Hollow Knight and Silk in a deliberate way to evoke certain feelings and behaviors you play. I understand the argument that taking the time and constantly checking the maps and videos to make sure I'm on the right track, which hurts the selected experience, but I'm still surprised and awe. The way I see it is, I'm playing the game in a simple mode.

For example, during the time I played with velvet, I walked into a room and saw Notorious Mini Boss Skarrgard On the other end – I spoiled myself by reading words about that encounter, and I shrunk the heck of that room.

Before watching the theater, I compared it to how I researched horror movies to make sure I was ready for any intense or bloody scenes. Yes, this might destroy the weapon’s critical moment, but it also ensured that I was ready for the shock – at this moment, I still found myself very upset. I can still appreciate it for the rest of the story. No matter how it was made, my experience with the artwork was unique to me and although I might be different from what I expected, I still get the satisfaction I need from it through my own methods.

I admire anyone who specializes in the new version, who skipped the job and dived into the rabbit hole, aspiring to be one of the first players ever to discover its secrets and have a complete, unauthorized experience. For games like Silksong, that's not me, I don't think it's OK.

Recently, we felt very stressed to finish the game as soon as possible, whether due to internal pressure or looming, an imminent release schedule for the next big game is about to be released. In tidal waves, it is important to remember that it is entirely your choice of when and how to interact with them. First go through the door and compare with everyone else because they all delve into the unknown, but this collective hype doesn’t have to decide your game (or spending) habits.

One day, sooner or later, I returned to that silk rabbit hole myself, despite some guardrails. Regardless of how you choose games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, just remember that they are always there and you should play the way you want and complete them completely.