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PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   1970 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for September 5, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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After seven long years, Hollow Knight: Silksong released and people could finally play it crashed Steam for several hours after which people could finally play it.

You'll remember that Dark Souls (2011) started a storm of Dark Souls buts -- Dark Souls but Scifi, Dark Souls but Roguelike, Dark Souls but Cooking Mama, etc. Of these, to my knowledge, the only pure success was Hollow Knight. (But Metroidvania.) It captured Dark Souls 1's best feature, which was a feeling of going on an expedition into the deep unknown, with no idea how to get back home. Likewise in Hollow Knight, very commonly players clear the game's tutorial zone and end up falling into a late game spiders' nest a hundred miles underground. Or swim through a hole in wall, but get lost in a complex sewer system with an abandoned city underneath. Or mess around platforming and find a secret level hidden above the cliffs of the starter village. The story, vibe, and lore were also very Dark Souls, although this is mostly because Hollow Knight just plain ripped it off.

Five hours in, I'm enjoying myself but I'm disappointed. It's ironically the exact same disappointment of Dark Souls 2. Silksong is much more linear and railroaded; the difficulty, even in these early areas, is a step up from the original, and this is mainly accomplished but lower player health, higher enemy health, and the liberal use of gank squads. And I suspect Silksong won't pull off a nifty meta-narrative like DS2 did, or at least not with such gravitas or panache.

We'll see if the game opens up once I reach the citadel, or once I finally get a freaking health or damage upgrade. Anyone else playing this? (Or any other Soulslike or Metroidvania, I guess)

We'll see if the game opens up once I reach the citadel, or once I finally get a freaking health or damage upgrade.

HK was also annoying to play until you got the cloak and the claws.

UPD: okay, I got to the second boss (right past the cartographer) and I need a break. I'm not good at bosses, especially early game ones when you can't tailor your build to them. Being able to heal only if your spool is full is punishing.

HK was also annoying to play until you got the cloak and the claws.

I think you know what I mean now based on your update, but early Hollow Knight was annoying-ish in the sense of "You don't get a dash or double jump for several hours." Silksong is annoying-ish in the sense of "I've died five times in a row to this gauntlet of ant mobs that take eight hits to kill each"

I do enjoy how mobile even early game Hornet is though. (Tip: Keep holding C after dashing to sprint)

I haven't gotten to the ants yet, I am currently trying to beat the big club miniboss, but so far I haven't really been punished by the regular mobs. The firebombing fliers are annoying, but not enough to kill me. Bosses and minibosses dealing two masks per hit are the biggest hurdle, as you die in three hits and recover three masks per spool, so even if you time your heal well, you will die in two hits the next time.

I've never been good at dodging in platformer games and my favorite builds in games that let you tailor your build have always been facetanks, so you can see my frustration. At least in HK I could combine Stalwart Shell, Soul Eater, Quick Focus and not worry too much about missing a hit.

Regarding the big club miniboss: When I realized he can't jump if I lure him into the tunnel, the fight went by really fast. If this was intentionally set up by the devs, kudos.

Yeah, now I'm past him and fuck platforming. I have explored the available map and it looks like I have two options: to beat the white fencer lady (and hopefully get some powerup that will let me find another path forward) or to learn to airjump on the red pods. The only game I liked airjumping in was the second Ori, and only because it had bullet time.

UPD: okay, the fencer lady is down, time for the big lava fight, reminds me of the Giant in Dead Cells. At least DC gave you lots of invisibility frames when dodging.

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