Silksong: Are You Worthy?

I was watching Youtube reviews of Hollow Knight: Silksong and heard at least three channels call the process of reaching the game's true ending some variation of "bullshit." Most of the complaints focused on accessing the special wish "Silk and Soul" that opens up the 3rd and final act. To be fair Team Cherry definitely put some lofty requirements on accessing this particular wish but bullshit feels like a reach. Every single frame of Silksong feels meticulously crafted so I believe Silk and Soul's requirements were obfuscated on purpose. Assuming that's true why would Team Cherry intentionally put so much friction on such an essential part of the game and it's narrative? I think I know the answer and it takes the form of a simple question. "Are you worthy?"

I'm not mad at these critics for feeling annoyed by the way this quest is unlocked, it makes sense. The main pain points are that the requirements you need to fufill are not intuitive or well communicated and it requires a lot of backtracking and grinding to complete. These points are true on a surface level but these critics also make two assumptions; that the quest needs to be intuitive, and that extra backtracking is required¹. Both of these assumptions are false, but only if you play the game in a particular way. For instance my first playthrough reached the true ending and I was oblivious to the fact certain tasks were required to receive the "hidden" wish. I'm not saying I'm some super turbo elite gamer but there is one key difference between how I played Silksong, and how many of those reviewing the game played it. I played it slowly.

Just before offering Hornet the "Silk and Soul" wish the Songclave Priest comments on how much good Hornet has been doing around Pharloom. The subtext here seems obvious; Hornet's efforts helping the bugs of Pharloom are considered proof of her benevolence. The Priest decides he can trust her with the hope of Pharloom, his secret wish: "Silk and Soul." Critics also touched on the required wishes being "pointless" and honestly that only reinforces this subtext. These required wishes have paltry rewards and ask the player to donate large amounts of resources. Other required wishes ask players to assist bugs that need rescuing, rehoming, or moral support in difficult moments. Basically all of the required wishes are more important to the non-player bugs than the player themselves. Hornet chosing to fulfill so many wishes that are essentially favors without expecting a large reward is why she is judged worthy of "Silk and Soul." I think the subtext goes one layer beyond this though and it's the entire reason I'm writing this. The priest isn't the only one checking if the player is worthy, Team Cherry is too.

It makes sense from an in game perspective that the Priest witholds "Silk and Soul" from Hornet. He senses her ambition. Hornet even agrees, saying that some part of her desires power over Pharloom. This in game logic for keeping the wish secret doesn't automatically extend to players so Team Cherry bridges that gap by obfuscating the requirements. This way Team Cherry gets to judge the player's actions just like the Priest. They can see who a player is outside of the system of incentives, rewards, or checklists. What each player finds important when they believe nobody is keeping track. Players who go out of their way to fully engage with Team Cherry's painstakingly crafted world are rewarded with a less tedious and more organic transition into Act 3. Much the same as the Songclave Priest who gives you the quest, Team Cherry can see that you truly love their world and is ready to trust you with it's ultimate fate.

One thing I really love about this design choice is that Team Cherry is aware that we live in the future. 30 years ago I'd see this as a harsh punishment for players who chose not to do parts of the game that were presented as optional. In an offline world to find the way forward players would need to wait a month for the next issue of a magazine, or have a friend whos parents ponied up the extra dough for a strategy guide. In an online world anyone who gets stuck can find the information within hours, and sometimes seconds, of a game's release. Team Cherry knew nobody would miss out on the true ending of the game. However players who went out of their way to savor more of Pharloom would reach it easily, without taking out their phone or laptop. In contrast those who rush the experience will find themselves looking at a big list of quests they skipped and entrenched in tedium. I think it's fair to call this design annoying from the perspective of those who just wanted to see the end of the game as quickly as possible. I think it's also fair for Team Cherry to play a little trick on them for playing such a passionately developed game like it was a chore on a todo list.

There's a kind of poetry in how all these tiny details slowly build to a nearly 4th wall breaking meta commentary on the way people interact with games in the current media landscape. Also Team Cherry isn't explicit about it, they leave it up to interpretations like this one. Unlike the critics in those reviews however I refuse to believe it's an oversight or a QA testing issue. Even if my theory is proven wrong I can't imagine the true explanation will fall into the category of "incompetence" or "laziness." Regardless, I hope they never change how the Silk and Soul wish is unlocked. I'm not worried that they will though. If I'm right about their reasons for implementing it this way I doubt complaints could convince them to change anything. Would you change anything for those you've deemed "unworthy?"

Thanks for reading. Follow me on Tumblr @ThatLuckyBear and let me know which Youtuber is the first to plagarize this essay!