Some games like to act as little moments of escapism, to grant us some downtime amidst the chaos of reality.


Others still just channel the struggles of the everyday into a super condensed format

My journey to the Citadel continues, as I join so many others in their arduous pilgrimage through Silksong, every new death an insight, every moment between hits a brief glimpse into respite. The breaths of fresh air are far and few between in Silksong, depending on your playstyle, as if one is more prone to speedrunning or aggressively wreckless sense of engagement, one will certainly not be in any shortage of endangering excitement to contend with, as most areas in Silksong represent a single misstep away from utter disaster, the dreaded “runback” to gather one’s fallen corpse, a staple of both Souls games, and ones who respectfully pay tribute to the design in modest homage to the genres engaging trappings. These happenings continue to remind us with defeaning silence that while your saving grace may be an ardency contingent on skill, patience remains a powerfully compelling virtue


As one can never be too sure of what stalks silently in the unsettling dark…

I’ve regularly bemused recently that I needed to get back to basics, in refocusing on meat and potatoes write ups with my articles, seemingly thriving when I’m addressing more moment to moment gameplay, the fingerfeeling semantics of the titles, and the metaphysical realities that permeate the deep dives into the virtual that my day to day may offer. I’m never surprised at this point, even with more difficult games that launch, to hear or see of those who have already beaten the titles within the first 24 hour cycle, or for slightly longer affairs, maybe within the first several days of launch. There is not only a real market for the kind of hyper-expeditious pacing one may strive for in beating games so quickly, others still are just so practiced and disciplined, no death/no hit runs are an effort not unlike breathing to them. I fancy myself quite adept at games in general, and yet still, even I pace myself most of the time when plotting a course through uncharted territory, realizing devouring an entire experience that is sometimes in development for seven years in a single night (or ridiculously short period of time, at least) almost seems as if cruel tragedy in it’s approach, but different strokes and all that.


Some gamers, much like the lyrics borrowed from The Foreigner song “Double Vision”, live all of their years in a single minute

Though I hesitate to use the term with any seriousness, the word miracle props up in my mind when I consider the notion of me playing through Silksong, let alone right from the jump on launch day, considering how hard I bounced off the first game and never looked back. There is something to be said about the hype machine I suppose, as it was the overwhelming sense of focus Silksong was getting, on the internet at large, that pushed me to pick up the game, due to the undeniable cultural event the launch represented. I don’t normally march to the beat of the same drum as most within the realm of gaming, but motivated by the pretense of attempting to relate, staying relevant, poising myself to be on the “cutting edge” of the latest and greatest, it seemed advantageous to jump on the band wagon, and contend with what Silksong had to offer.


Which is a great deal, as I’ve detailed before, just not necessarily one I was originally “in the market for”, as it were, Hollow Knight’s premo offerings not enough to keep me glued initially

The consideration to return to the realm was a worthy choice, by my estimation, as the game represents a bridge of empathy to many of those that surround me, in surmounting my own sense of alienation involved with the first game, and why a title of such mass appeal, one worshiped with such divine grandeur, and a Metroidvania no less (a favored genre of mine), would repulse me with such ease once upon a yonder. This contention was more easily deconstructed by my second session with Silksong, whereas I remained dubious with my first, as I started to truly grasp what others may revel in, in terms of the gratifications inherent within the Hollow Knight DNA, the makeup of the design structure, and the framework of mechanistic intent said title maintains, and this turned out to be polish and pacing, in many senses of both words. Silksong knows exactly how important timing is, in matters both great and small, from the opportune moment to upgrade ones traversal abilities, to a well executed attack on a boss, representing a coup de grace of sublime satisfactio, Silksong is aware of exactly how to enrapture ones better faculties with differentials that trade in mere seconds of value, helping to reiterate that it’s the small details that create the big picture.


The meticulous splendor of molecular structure giving way to vivid vistas and bodacious badlands unparalleled

I think one interesting preponderance I’ve had with Silksong, that may yet be worthier of a much longer article, is the general progression system of not just Metroidvanias, but the imbued standard of RPG like qualities that most games possess these days, even games you wouldn’t think of having them, like mainstream shooters ala Doom: The Dark Ages or Call of Duty, both having “abilities” or “powerups” one has to earn through exp, unlocking mechanisms, etc, CoD more so in relation to perks and unlocking better builds with which to utilize in multiplayer. I understand from a design standpoint why this occurs; a sense of progression, how it pads out the gameplay, pacing the experience, helping to reinforce and regulate the dopamine hits gamers get, telling a story through mechanics ala “narrative via design”. Most certainly with Silksong, and games like it, progression is part and parcel to the Metroidvania experience, even, of this I’m fully cognizant of. This articulated observation is not a negative critique nor condemnation on any of these games, or how they reasonably predicate themselves, I just find myself at a crossroads of impatience in confronting the notion of “starting over”, in a sense, going back to square one, and making the steep climb to regain full range of motion along the way.


Modern day games definitely have a penchant for coercing players into a restrained sense of “edging” vicariously through restricted ability acquisition and regulated adeptness beyond mere raw talent alone

Once again, I am aware there are standards for certain genres one must follow, and you have some games that represent time investments related to “number farming”; some titles totally luck based, other experiences strategically driven, sometimes RPG elements dictative of basic building blocks for a large stable of video games of course, with others still, purely reflexively based gameplay. It takes all kinds to make the gaming world go round. However, and I think, more so to my point, while fully acknowledging not every game can have the “purity of distillation” inherent in a skill based system, totally independent of story or progressive related focuses, ala a straight edged rhythm based game, a bare bones fighter, or even an old school platformer, where everything one needs is at the ready from the get go, all challenges surmounted by ones reflexes, ability to memorize, or cognitive powers full stop, there are other titles where one is severely restrained every step of the way in reaching their full potential, and it is at this point restlessness can set in. When playing a title that drip feeds abilities, like Silksong, one quickly realizes their own constitutive powers of patience and sense of will to accept the notion of taking it one step at a time, as one utilizes the unlocked advantages, ever so slowly becoming the full standard of entity the game is intending them to become…and still yearning for a more immediate sense of power wielding as a response.


(in reference to the yearning of already having arrived at possessing totally broken, god like overpowered abilities) ARE WE THERE YET?!?

Most certainly a character building exercise, I admit, and one that has the added benefit of creating a greater sense of immersion and run time on any given game that utilizes these notions, though I wonder in how many different ways these design compulsions deter others, who like me (in this instance, at least), desire nothing but their sense of raw skills to dictate the progression, eschew the idea of booting up a new game, slowly working up to fully powered, all the while creating a slight impatience and frustration in the sense of weakness the game enforces?

A delicate and complex speculation I will have to sit and ponder on for a future moment.

~Pashford