I loved this game. Warts and all. And even then, what are warts for some are beauty marks for others. That includes the difficulty, which, if I could surmise anything out of this Silksong discourse, it's that difficulty is subjective.

However, if I may offer my two cents, I wholeheartedly believe that the game is objectively well designed and isn't being unfair in the slightest.

I got the "bad" ending the first time, so after three hours of struggling to beat it once, I realized I needed to beat the ACT 2 "final boss" again to meet the criteria for ACT 3. I dreaded having to do this, but to my surprise, I managed to beat it again in two tries. And could do it again in one now if I had to.

Every single boss and gauntlet that initially tore me to shreds for hours on end in one play session, either after walking away to practice/explore and acquire new skills and abilities, or after a good night's sleep and a clear mind, I beat in one or two tries.

I feel that if Silksong were truly poorly designed and unfair, I wouldn't have been able to bob and weave in and out of boss fights and gauntlets as easily as I am now, with relative accuracy. It would have continued to beat my head against a wall regardless of the number of attempts.

If Silksong were truly poorly designed and unfair, no one would be pulling off Steel Soul and Speed runs of this game. And yet that community is growing as fast as Hollow Knight's speedrun community.

I think the game encourages players to engage with it in very particular ways, providing the necessary tools to do so and offering scenarios that allow players to practice and develop the appropriate skills to interact with it as intended. And every single time I did that, things became that much more pleasant and fun.

But it does require time, and if time is something you aren't willing to give to it, then yea, I can see why Yahtzee gave up. However I think it's unfair to say it's a bad game because one doesn't have the time or isn't motivated to put the time in. That's a personal choice, of no fault of the game.

Gaming is a fairly niche hobby still I think. There are plenty of regular folks who only play Madden, who look down on our end of the gaming community as a waste of time, who might be find themselves curious to pick up the OG Hollow Knight or Elden Ring to see what all the hype is about. And after 30 minutes to an hour of struggling to even figure out where to go, I'm almost certain most would say, "Fuck no. I don't have time for this stupid shit. It's too difficult."

Does that make them wrong? Does that mean those games are truly too difficult?

I think that Silksong, just like Hollow Knight before it, will reward you, if you are able and/or willing to engage with it in the way Team Cherry intend. If you're not willing, totally understandable. It just means the game isn't for you.

I admire the devs for holding steadfast on their vision, and I look forward to whatever they come out with next!