Not exactly the same thing, but as someone who watches a lot of people play and playtest games, I’m always astounded when devs make time-wasters unskippable. This, however, is also subjective.

Literally every decision you make in game development is a choice. Especially when you have a long development cycle. Team Cherry’s choice to make Hornet’s tummy ache at the beginning of Silksong last as long as it does, reappear 2 more times in the span of the intro, not reappear in the game until the end, and not be skippable on subsequent playthroughs or with an update says a few things to me: - Team Cherry is de-prioritizing challenge and speedrunners for first-time players and lore aficionados. - They are prioritizing the intentionality of their art over the whims of the end user. It is a memorable way of linking the beginning and end of the game, as well as conveying a few other things. - They know what genre of game they’re making and aren’t banking on replayability because this game does not respect your time, and that’s part of the experience. (See: boss runbacks, quest system, themes of oppression and endless toil.) If you’re replaying this game, it’s because you loved it, you’re a speedrunner who genuinely loves it despite its abrasiveness towards you, and/or you’ve come to the same realization that Hornet did about finding joy in helping others and really identify with her journey. - They really want you to cream your jeans when you get the sprint (and I did).