In the depths of The Marrow, the second major area of Silksong, there\u2019s a particularly nasty midboss. I eventually beat him, but my reward wasn\u2019t a new ability, item, or a bench where I could rest and save my progress. All I got was pain, suffering, and death. In Silksong, the only way out is through, but the \u201cthrough\u201d is a tunnel lined with spikes that occasionally spew gouts of flame.<\/p>\n
I should have given up right then and there, but I have not abandoned Silksong the same way I do other unfun games. For the life of me, I couldn\u2019t figure out why I didn\u2019t just put Silksong down and chalk it up as another \u201cnot for me\u201d game the way Hollow Knight just wasn\u2019t for me. I enjoy Metroidvanias a great deal \u2014 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was one of my favorite games of last year. And for Silksong, I wanted to try Team Cherry\u2019s work again and see if it would finally click. It has, and it\u2019s because of the community (and a lot of spite).<\/p>\n
I came to Hollow Knight late, long after the buzz about it had left my social media circle. With Silksong, I\u2019m playing it at the same time as everyone else. My social media feed is full of people who love the game much more than I do, posting tips, commiserating about its moments of bullshit (hello, lantern fruit pogo platforming), and gushing over the adorable Sherma.<\/p>\n
When I post lamenting the game\u2019s bullshit, I get excited messages from my friends giving me advice on what I should do next. It\u2019s like we\u2019re all doing our own personal let\u2019s plays together while being in each other\u2019s chats. It feels good. I am not alone in my misery, and better yet, I\u2019ve got friends to help. For Silksong it\u2019s worked in such a way that\u2019s kept me playing longer than I would have if I were going this alone.<\/p>\n
This kind of collective, collaborative gaming experience has also taught me a new trick: taking a break. I\u2019ve never been the kind of gamer that stops playing when I can\u2019t overcome an obstacle. I either do something else in the game or keep running at my problem until I figure it out. Now, when I feel myself getting even the slightest bit mad because I was so close (or I thought I was so close) to surmounting a challenge, I turn off the game and come back later. It\u2019s so silly that, once again, the \u201ctouch grass\u201d people are right, but the strategy has gotten me through some of the game\u2019s most egregious moments. (If the vendor Shakra wants to leave her post in Greymoor because of something I did, that\u2019s fine. But taking her bench with her that\u2019s in a room right before a brutal combat gauntlet is a unique and dastardly flavor of Silksong bullshit.)<\/p>\n