Silksong's Beta Just Dropped: Banishing Curses & Befriending Your Controllers (Finally!)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s latest Steam beta delivers a much-needed dose of quality-of-life improvements, from enhanced controller support (hello, auto-pause on disconnect!) to the exorcism of nasty late-game curses, proving Team Cherry is meticulously refining the highly anticipated Metroidvania.
Right, mates, gather 'round because my digital tea leaves are showing something interesting – a flicker of movement from the land of Pharloom! After what feels like an eternity in the digital ether, a new whisper, or rather, a gentle hum, has come from Team Cherry regarding our long-anticipated quest: Hollow Knight: Silksong. And fair dinkum, it’s not just a puff of smoke this time. We’re talking about a proper pre-patch 3 beta update dropping on Steam, and it’s got a few genuinely neat surprises tucked away, according to the boffins at Rock Paper Shotgun.
First off, let's chat about the input devices – those magical wands we wave to make our digital heroes dance. Team Cherry’s gone and sprinkled some fairy dust on controller support. If you’re one of the fancy pants folks sporting a PlayStation DualSense Edge, good news! Your swanky stick-and-button doodad is now officially invited to the party. And Mac users, rejoice! Your controllers should now behave themselves far better. No more wrestling with erratic inputs or wondering if your Mac's just decided to be a bit moody today. That’s proper quality-of-life stuff, isn’t it?
But hold onto your hats, because here’s the real kicker, the one that’s got me chuckling and nodding in understanding: the game will now *automatically pause* if your controller disconnects. Bloody hell, how many times have we been there, eh? Mid-boss fight, heart pounding, adrenaline surging, and suddenly – poof! – your controller decides it's had enough, leaving your valiant hero to be unceremoniously smacked into oblivion while you frantically scramble for a charging cable or a fresh set of batteries. It's enough to make you wanna lob your bit of game-playing plastic across the room, isn't it? (Definitely not speaking from personal experience, of course, just, uh, a friend's... many friends'). This simple fix? It’s a game-changer, literally saving players from those moments of controller-chucking rage and preserving a little bit of sanity. It's the kind of subtle but profound quality-of-life improvement that tells you the devs are actually playing their own game and listening to player woes. They've also hinted at even more 'smaller' controller tweaks coming down the line, which my curious mind can't help but wonder about – subtle haptic improvements? Analogue stick calibration wizardry?
Beyond the controller magic, the dev wizards at Team Cherry have also been busy banishing some of the nastier digital imps that have been plaguing the beta. Remember those 'nagging lategame curses' mentioned? Now, I don't know about you, but a 'curse' in the late game of a Metroidvania like Silksong sounds less like a minor inconvenience and more like a reality-bending, soul-crushing bug that makes you question your life choices. Imagine pouring hours into a challenging area, finally mastering a boss, only to find yourself stuck in some inescapable, cursed state, forced to restart or – even worse – abandon a perfectly good run. That's the kind of digital torment this fix aims to prevent. It’s about preserving that precious sense of progression and preventing players from hitting a brick wall made of pure code.
They’ve also tidied up a whole host of more specific issues. Curveclaw not reacting to a down-stab? That sounds like a classic 'my perfectly timed attack did nothing!' moment, right there. Cogflies appearing from odd locations after a scene transition? Just imagine the jump scares, or worse, the unexpected damage from an enemy that just materialized out of thin air. And those rare instances of being able to air dash and double jump when not intended? While some might initially think, 'Score! More movement options!', in a tightly designed game like Hollow Knight, unintended movement can break level design, bypass challenges, or lead to disastrous out-of-bounds situations. Speaking of which, several of those have been patched up too, which is always good news for explorers who accidentally phase through the floor. Smaller but equally critical fixes include patching Pharlid Divers sliding on roofs (because who wants sliding ambushers?), Eva Hunter Crest upgrades unintentionally clearing tool equips (a nightmare for loadout optimizers), and a rare Harpoon bug granting two Silk instead of one. It’s a meticulous list, showing an admirable attention to detail.
Now, let's put on our clever observer hats for a moment. This isn't the first time Team Cherry has tinkered with the beta, eh? Patch one apparently softened up a couple of early bosses – a sly nod, perhaps, to the sheer difficulty many of us expect from a Hollow Knight title. And patch two? That sorted out pesky things like the Savage Beastfly boss being a bit too cheeky, hiding below lava. What this pattern suggests is a methodical, almost surgical approach to development. They're not just throwing patches out willy-nilly; they're addressing specific pain points, both for new players and for those diving deep into the beta's later stages.
For a game that's been in development for so long, and has built up such immense hype, *any* concrete update feels like a minor miracle. We've all seen games get announced with a bang, only to fade into vaporware or arrive as a shadow of their promised selves. Team Cherry, bless 'em, seem to be taking their sweet time, baking this digital cake to perfection, layer by painstaking layer. My naturally curious side wonders what exactly those 'smaller' controller tweaks are, the ones not deemed worthy of their own bullet point. It’s the little things that often make the biggest difference in precision platformers.
Of course, it’s still a beta, and the devs themselves have said to 'expect further additions prior to this one going live.' So, if your particular digital demon isn't on the fix list yet, don't despair! There’s still hope for future exorcisms. This isn't the grand launch we're all dreaming of, but it's a significant milestone on the path. It’s Team Cherry telling us, without needing a massive PR event, that they're still here, still working, and still striving for that polished experience.
My inner digital wizard looks at these updates and sees not just lines of code, but a genuine commitment to crafting an exceptional game. It’s cautiously optimistic, sure, because we’ve heard 'soon' a few times over the years. But seeing these tangible fixes, especially those directly impacting player comfort and late-game integrity, well, it warms the cockles of my gamer heart. It shows they're not just building a game; they’re refining an experience, making sure that when Hornet finally graces our screens in full, it’s as close to perfect as humanly possible.
So, while we continue to wait – patiently, impatiently, or with the quiet desperation of a Hollow Knight fan – these little updates are like breadcrumbs leading us through the digital forest. Each one confirms that the journey continues, the bugs are being squashed, and the grand adventure of Silksong is, indeed, still very much on the horizon. What happens if this careful, iterative approach leads to one of the most polished launches in recent memory? Now *that* would be something, wouldn't it, mate?
Tags: Hollow Knight: Silksong, Team Cherry, Game Development, Beta Update, Metroidvania
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun