Four Months and 40 Hours Later: My Epic Battle with 2025's Most Difficult Video Game
I've come to realize that my most recent encounter with suffering wasn't as daunting as I initially thought. The year began with a painful discovery – chronic arm and shoulder pain that had been building for months, making even the simplest tasks unbearable.
Diagnosed as brachial neuritis, inflammation of the nerve path, I was told it usually gets better in one to three years, but there's nothing much to be done about the pain in the meantime. Traditional pain meds don't really do much for nerve pain, and after trying a few options, I discovered that they all sent me on a downward spiral.
As the weeks turned into months, I found myself searching for an escape from my suffering – one that I could control. That's when I stumbled upon Silksong, the highly anticipated follow-up to Hollow Knight. Its developer, Team Cherry, had been teasing its release date for years, and I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement.
Silksong's world is a bleak, beautiful nightmare, with a narrative that mirrors Dante's journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. The game's protagonist, Hornet, is on a perilous quest to reach the Citadel, a place where bugs have been making pilgrimages for generations – but rarely survive.
As I embarked on my own pilgrimage, I realized that Silksong felt like a parallel dimension, one where I could slip into not just on my Nintendo Switch but in my mind. The game's attention to detail is extraordinary, from the writhing maggots carpeting the ground to the eerie silence of its desolate landscapes.
But despite the game's beauty, it was also brutally unforgiving. Hornet's journey is a never-ending gauntlet of challenges that test her resolve and push me to my limits. The pain I've been experiencing feels like a constant companion, one that I'm forced to confront head-on.
As I navigated Silksong's twisted world, I began to realize that the game was teaching me valuable lessons about resilience and perseverance – lessons that have helped me cope with my physical suffering in ways I never thought possible. However, it also showed me that pain is not something that can be overcome with sheer determination.
Instead, I've learned that acknowledging pain is the first step to learning to live with it, and that modifying your life around it is what it actually means to overcome it. It's a painful but liberating realization that has given me a newfound appreciation for my own capacity and limitations.
After four months and 40 hours of playtime, I've finally reached the game's final boss – a milestone that represents more than just perseverance; it represents the power of embracing suffering as an opportunity to learn and grow. Silksong may have taken its toll on me physically, but it has also given me a new perspective on the nature of pain and how we can overcome it.
As I look back on my journey through Pharloom, I'm reminded that suffering doesn't need to be tied to a narrative of perseverance or redemption – but rather to finding ways to work around it. Silksong may have been my most difficult video game yet, but it has also become one of the most transformative experiences of my life.
I've come to realize that my most recent encounter with suffering wasn't as daunting as I initially thought. The year began with a painful discovery – chronic arm and shoulder pain that had been building for months, making even the simplest tasks unbearable.
Diagnosed as brachial neuritis, inflammation of the nerve path, I was told it usually gets better in one to three years, but there's nothing much to be done about the pain in the meantime. Traditional pain meds don't really do much for nerve pain, and after trying a few options, I discovered that they all sent me on a downward spiral.
As the weeks turned into months, I found myself searching for an escape from my suffering – one that I could control. That's when I stumbled upon Silksong, the highly anticipated follow-up to Hollow Knight. Its developer, Team Cherry, had been teasing its release date for years, and I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement.
Silksong's world is a bleak, beautiful nightmare, with a narrative that mirrors Dante's journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. The game's protagonist, Hornet, is on a perilous quest to reach the Citadel, a place where bugs have been making pilgrimages for generations – but rarely survive.
As I embarked on my own pilgrimage, I realized that Silksong felt like a parallel dimension, one where I could slip into not just on my Nintendo Switch but in my mind. The game's attention to detail is extraordinary, from the writhing maggots carpeting the ground to the eerie silence of its desolate landscapes.
But despite the game's beauty, it was also brutally unforgiving. Hornet's journey is a never-ending gauntlet of challenges that test her resolve and push me to my limits. The pain I've been experiencing feels like a constant companion, one that I'm forced to confront head-on.
As I navigated Silksong's twisted world, I began to realize that the game was teaching me valuable lessons about resilience and perseverance – lessons that have helped me cope with my physical suffering in ways I never thought possible. However, it also showed me that pain is not something that can be overcome with sheer determination.
Instead, I've learned that acknowledging pain is the first step to learning to live with it, and that modifying your life around it is what it actually means to overcome it. It's a painful but liberating realization that has given me a newfound appreciation for my own capacity and limitations.
After four months and 40 hours of playtime, I've finally reached the game's final boss – a milestone that represents more than just perseverance; it represents the power of embracing suffering as an opportunity to learn and grow. Silksong may have taken its toll on me physically, but it has also given me a new perspective on the nature of pain and how we can overcome it.
As I look back on my journey through Pharloom, I'm reminded that suffering doesn't need to be tied to a narrative of perseverance or redemption – but rather to finding ways to work around it. Silksong may have been my most difficult video game yet, but it has also become one of the most transformative experiences of my life.
, its like, u gotta feel it to know how bad it is 
, and honestly, Silksong was like that too - brutal but beautiful 
, but at least in the game u can be like "ugh, I'm stuck here" instead of actually being stuck with debilitating arm pain 
.
u r so brave 4 sharing ur story!!! chronic pain sounds like a nightmare 
, but it's amazing how gaming can help u cope & find new perspectives 
silksong seems like such a challenging game, but also super rewarding in the end 
i can imagine how tough it must've been 2 navigate through that bleak world & confront ur pain head-on 
but u came out stronger on the other side, which is really inspiring 
keep being u & know that u're not alone in ur struggles 
they're still making games like Hollow Knight and Silksong that are so dark and eerie, I'm surprised anyone can play them without losing their mind 
. I also feel bad for the devs who have to deal with people like me who can't even handle a few hours of gameplay without needing to take a break 
. I'm just glad I finally beat the final boss, it was such a relief 
.
. what i think is so cool about silksong (and games in general) is how they challenge us to be better versions of ourselves, even when it feels like we're getting torn apart from the inside out. the game isn't just about beating the boss, it's about learning to work with the pain and find a way to move forward... it's like, i was so focused on finding an escape from my suffering that i forgot how to live in the moment 
. silksong is like a mirror, reflecting back at us our own strengths and weaknesses, and helping us to see that we're capable of more than we think we are 
.
But what's crazy is that games can actually make us more aware of our own pain and limitations 
but maybe in a good way? 
Like, it's not about overcoming the pain but learning to live with it and finding new ways to manage it 
. They're right, pain is like a constant companion, and it's crazy how something as painful as brachial neuritis can make you appreciate the little things in life 
. It's actually really refreshing to see someone acknowledge their limits and learn to work around their physical suffering 
.
. And I think it's awesome that they finally reached the game's final boss without getting defeated by their physical pain 
. Anyway, I'm gonna go give Silksong a try now 
. The thing is, games are like therapy sessions – they let you process your emotions and deal with stuff in a safe space 
.
), but also about understanding and accepting yourself. Like, our protagonist Hornet is literally trapped in this never-ending nightmare and she has to find a way out – it's like we're all stuck somewhere too 
), but about how it affects us emotionally. Games can be super intense and overwhelming, but they also give us a way to cope with our struggles 
.
The idea that we need to "overcome" our pain is kinda played out, you know? I mean, have you ever tried just accepting that your arm might not be as spry as it used to be and finding ways to adapt? Like, instead of pushing yourself to do crazy things, why not try just doing the same stuff, but a bit more slowly?