Hollow Knight: Silksong devs believe "the real world generally underestimates players," but Team Cherry trusts fans to "engage" and figure the Metroidvania out: "You can guide them a little bit, and that's enough"

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"It certainly underestimates their capacity to deal with things"

Hollow Knight Silksong screenshot of Hornet sitting shocked in a chair
(Image credit: Team Cherry)

Hollow Knight: Silksong is "noticeably harder" than its predecessor, but that doesn't mean the Metroidvania sequel misjudges its players' capabilities – in fact, developer Team Cherry's design of the new game relies on fans' capacity to quickly pick things up with just a little push.

Speaking in a recent interview with ACMI, co-directors William Pellen and Ari Gibson dive into the process of development – one Team Cherry was admittedly "having fun" with – and cover everything from level design to world-building. Towards the end, Gibson explains how Hollow Knight: Silksong doesn't misjudge its players' ability to get through the game, even with how challenging it may be at times.

That's because the players feel inclined to "engage" with everything without being instructed on how to do so – there's no need for them to be. "The real world generally underestimates players – especially young people – and it certainly underestimates their capacity to deal with things, and their ability to glean information, or be interested and be engaged," states Gibson. "But with our players, you can guide them a little bit, and that's enough."

Here's to one very dedicated community that "will dig in" indeed, and even more Silksong shenanigans in the future – I'm sure there'll be plenty, especially with Team Cherry previously teasing ambitious DLC for the sequel, too.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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