Hollow Knight: Silksong has quickly become one of the most talked-about releases of 2025, but the excitement around Team Cherry’s long-awaited sequel is being tempered by rising frustration among players. The main complaint centers on lengthy “runbacks” to boss battles, with many fans accusing the design of adding artificial difficulty.
Released on September 4, Silksong debuted to such overwhelming demand that it briefly overloaded Steam, the Nintendo eShop, and the Xbox Store. Starring Hornet in a brand-new setting, Pharloom, the game has already earned a strong 93% approval rating on Steam. Yet, even amid critical praise, many players are voicing concerns on forums like Reddit about the amount of backtracking required after defeat.
In Hollow Knight, benches serve as the only save points, meaning progress is lost until players reach them again. In Silksong, some feel these save points are placed too far from boss arenas, forcing players to repeat long stretches of the game’s dangerous environments before retrying a fight. The Last Judge boss in Act One has become the prime example, with players arguing the path to reach the battle is more punishing than the boss itself.
While some fans defend the challenge, claiming the runback adds to the game’s identity, others argue it undermines the fun of mastering tough boss patterns. Modders have already begun creating fixes, with speculation that unofficial tweaks could shorten runbacks or reposition benches. For now, the debate highlights the fine line Team Cherry walks between rewarding difficulty and unnecessary frustration.
