The promotional environment that grew around the sequel to Hollow Knight is a sight to behold, especially for other indie developers. The attention and the excitement that gradually built up around Hollow Knight: Silksong were more than able to rival AAA titles, despite the fact that the whole game was created by a small team. However, the story turned a bit sour for Team Cherry (pun intended) after the game launched in early September. The game was celebrated as an indie masterpiece initially, but quickly after, reviews and player experiences began focusing on the game’s difficulty.
While the first game was well-known for its demanding nature and soulslike boss fights that require dozens of deaths before their defeat, Silksong appeared to be a different beast altogether. Instead, the game's level of challenge proved to be a source of endless frustration for many players. From a stellar start, the game quickly descended into the hell of Mixed reviews on Steam, until it bounced back up again to Very Positive.
But the rollercoaster of the same experience does provide a valid question. It simply states - when does a hard game become too hard to be enjoyable? Even though Silksong had a legion of fans prior to its release, the fact remains that Team Cherry pushed their balancing too much into the realm of difficulty. At the same time, the process might be good for the souls like genre overall, signaling to other developers that piling on difficulty is not a one-size-fits-all solution for everyone.