Bloody Hell, Silksong's Just Dropped and Speedrunning Wizards Are Already Done With It
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
While most of us are still getting our digital arses handed to us in *Hollow Knight: Silksong*, a few absolute wizard speedrunners have already zipped through the entire game in under 90 minutes, blowing our minds and showcasing the game's incredible depth.
Right, so listen up, fellow adventurers. I’ve been tinkering with the news feed all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than I first expected. You know that feeling when you finally get your hands on a long-awaited game, you dive in, and immediately get smacked around by the first boss like a broken spell gone wrong? Yeah, that’s me with *Hollow Knight: Silksong* right now. I’m still figuring out Hornet’s dodge timings, trying to remember where I left my last geo stash, and probably dying to the same bloody spike pit for the fifth time.
But get this: while I’m doing my best impression of a confused beetle, there are digital wizards out there who've already *beaten* the game in less time than it takes me to decide what to have for dinner. Seriously, under 90 minutes. My mind, mate, it’s officially blown.
**The Impossible Feat, Or Just Another Tuesday for Speedrunners?**
*Hollow Knight: Silksong*, by all accounts (and my own flailing experience), is a challenging beast. Team Cherry, bless their souls, clearly didn't pull any punches when it came to crafting Pharloom. Most of us are currently grappling with the early game, wrestling with new enemy patterns, getting lost in sprawling new areas, and generally just trying not to become bug-chow. The online forums, as you’d expect, are buzzing with tales of triumphant bosses and agonizing deaths – a proper baptism by fire for Hornet’s solo adventure.
Yet, even as the collective gaming community cries 'uncle' to the game's difficulty, a whole different breed of player has emerged from the digital shadows. These are the speedrunners, the folks who treat game worlds not as realms to explore, but as intricate, clockwork puzzles to be solved and, frankly, shattered. Just days after *Silksong* dropped, they're already absolutely *flying* through it. Yesterday, a YouTuber by the name of Onaku managed an 'any%' run (meaning, just get to the credits, no fuss) in a respectable 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 47 seconds. Impressive, right? But hold your horses, because mere hours later, another absolute legend, BlueSR, swooped in and shaved nearly twenty minutes off that, clocking in at an insane 1 hour, 26 minutes, and 20 seconds. And get this: BlueSR was apparently already aiming for an even quicker time today. That’s dedication, or perhaps just a mild addiction to breaking games – either way, it’s fascinating.
**The Magic Behind the Madness: What Drives a Speedrunner?**
It’s a peculiar magic, isn’t it? The art of speedrunning. For us mere mortals, a new game is an epic journey, a world to get lost in, a challenge to slowly overcome. For speedrunners, it’s a puzzle to be solved, a system to be broken, a clock to be defied. They don't just play the game; they *dissect* it. They're the digital alchemists, turning hours of intended gameplay into a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spectacle of pure, unadulterated skill and often, some truly bizarre glitches. It's like they've found a secret portal through the game's code that the developers never even knew existed, and they're politely (or not so politely) skipping ahead.
This rapid-fire record-breaking is a classic speedrunning phenomenon, especially in the early days of a highly anticipated title. It's the 'Wild West' phase, where routes are discovered, glitches are found, and optimal strategies are forged in the fires of endless restarts. The official speedrunning leaderboards won't even open until October 1st, giving these trailblazers a few more weeks of glorious, unregulated chaos to establish baseline strategies and push the envelope before the rules get locked down. It's a beautiful, competitive dance, driven by community and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
**Spoilers Ahoy! And a Glimpse Into Team Cherry's Mind**
Now, a quick word of warning for those still venturing through Pharloom: while I've linked to these incredible runs in the original article (go check it out if you dare!), be absolutely aware that watching them is essentially signing up for a full-on spoiler buffet. You'll see bosses you haven't even dreamt of, areas you haven't unlocked, and perhaps even the final confrontation itself. But for those keen to check out some expert strategies, or just revel in the sheer mastery, it's a goldmine of impossible feats.
Interestingly, the game’s own achievements offer a subtle nod to this speedrunning culture. There's an achievement for completing 100% of the game in under 30 hours (which, for a game like Hollow Knight, is already pretty swift!), but there’s also a dedicated 'Speedrunner' achievement for finishing the game in under five hours. It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Did Team Cherry build *Silksong* with the explicit expectation that players would, eventually, find ways to tear through it? It certainly suggests they anticipated a hardcore element to the player base, even if most of us will take a good deal longer than five hours to see the credits roll, let alone 100% it.
For comparison, the current World Record for the original *Hollow Knight* sits at just over 30 minutes. That’s half an hour, folks! It puts the *Silksong* times into perspective and shows the incredible depth of optimisation that can occur over years within a dedicated community. The fact that *Silksong* is already being conquered in minutes rather than hours, so soon after release, speaks volumes about both the speedrunners' talent and the game’s intricate design.
**So, What Does This Mean for the Rest of Us?**
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting we all immediately ditch our thoughtful explorations and start optimising every jump. That'd be like trying to turn every casual walk in the park into an Olympic sprint – exhausting and probably missing the point! But what it does highlight is the incredible depth and design of a game like *Silksong*. For it to be so challenging for the everyday player, yet so *optimisable* for the dedicated few, that's a testament to Team Cherry's genius. It's not just a game; it's a playground for mastery.
It’s a healthy reminder that gaming means different things to different people. For some, it’s the quiet contemplation of a new world; for others, it's the thrill of absolute, unadulterated skill. And for *Silksong*, it seems to offer both in spades. So, while I’ll be over here, slowly but surely making my way through Pharloom (probably with the help of a walkthrough, let's be fair), I'll also be cheering on these digital magicians as they push the boundaries of what's possible. The game’s only just begun, and already, the world records are tumbling faster than a poorly cast teleportation spell.
This wild tale of impossible feats comes to us courtesy of Eurogamer's Ed Nightingale, who originally reported on these lightning-fast runs. You can find the original article at
Tags: Hollow Knight: Silksong, Speedrunning, Indie Games, Gaming Community, Team Cherry
Original article: Eurogamer