Silksong's Haunting Echoes: Have Boss Runbacks Finally Run Their Course?
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
The resurgence of boss runbacks, particularly in *Hollow Knight: Silksong*, has reignited the debate: are these frustrating treks a valuable design choice for focus and mastery, or an archaic, time-wasting relic of game design past?
Right, gather 'round, mates, because we need to talk about something that's been rattling around my digital skull like a loose bolt in a particularly rusty mech: the boss runback. You know the drill, don't you? That moment when Vlor, Despoiler of the Night (or some equally melodramatic moniker), has just turned you into a puddle of sad gamer goo, and you're staring at the respawn screen, knowing full well you've got a five-minute-long, obstacle-laden hike back to his fancy Palace of Desolate Ruin. All for another crack at him. It’s like some cruel cosmic joke, innit?
This whole discussion has been dragged back into the digital spotlight, kicking and screaming, thanks to the long-awaited (and still-waiting-for-some-of-us) *Hollow Knight: Silksong*. And bloody hell, if ever there was a game to stir the pot on this particular bit of game design, it's *Silksong* with its reputation for punishing difficulty. So, the big question on my mind – and seemingly everyone else's – is this: are boss runbacks a vital piece of the gaming puzzle, or just archaic, infuriating time-wasters that should've been consigned to the dustbin of history alongside dial-up internet and console exclusive peripherals that nobody bought?
For a good chunk of my digital existence, I reckon I would've been an evangelist for the boss runback. My old argument, forged in the fires of FromSoftware's brutal worlds, was that calmness isn't just a virtue; it's practically a cheat code. Anger breeds impatience, impatience breeds carelessness, and suddenly you're sporting more giant spears than a medieval pincushion. The runback, then, was this almost sacred pilgrimage – a chance to breathe out the rage, re-centre your focus as you traversed a familiar, often deadly, path, preparing to face your formidable opponent with perfect mental equilibrium. It was like a forced meditation, a digital zen garden before the storm of another boss fight.
But even the wizards at FromSoftware, the undisputed masters of this particular brand of delightful sadism, seemed to start easing off the throttle. By *Dark Souls 3*, the series' runbacks were noticeably less severe. And then *Elden Ring* arrived, practically showering us with Sites of Grace and even Stakes of Marika right outside boss doors (let's conveniently forget that one particular runback in Raya Lucaria, eh?). It felt like From had finally decided that the whole 'torturous trek back' thing was a bit of legacy faff, and you know what? I didn't miss it one bit. It felt like they were saying, 'Look, we've established you're tough; now let's get back to the good bit – punching that gargantuan dragon in the face.'
Yet, as often happens when something becomes popular, other developers started looking to capitalise on the 'Souls-like' formula. And with the good bits (tense combat, cryptic lore, glorious boss battles) came the… less universally adored bits. Runbacks, along with world-resetting rest points and the classic currency-drop-on-death mechanic, started proliferating like digital fungi in a damp dungeon. We've seen 'em everywhere, from *Nioh* to *Lies of P*, *Mortal Shell* to *Blasphemous*. Some studios went for maximum authenticity, trying to ape the formula as closely as possible. Others, thankfully, either ditched runbacks entirely or trimmed them down to little more than an obligatory nod, a wink and a shrug to their inspirations.
For a while, it genuinely felt like these long, winding returns might be falling out of fashion, like micro-transactions for cosmetic loot boxes (well, maybe not *that* far out of fashion). But then *Silksong* waltzed in, apparently saying, "Hold my Silk-nectar!" With its punishing difficulty and, reportedly, often lengthy runbacks, the conversation has been resurrected. Is this a deliberate design choice, a dynamic challenge, or just, as one mate of mine put it, "sadistic for sadism's sake"?
Now, some folks reckon that *Silksong*'s approach is actually quite clever. They argue that the paths back to the boss aren't just autopilot stretches of nothingness. Enemies might react differently, projectiles might intercept your jumps, making the runback itself a mini-test of skill and awareness. It forces you to think, to react, to stay awake. It's a 'waking you up' mechanism, a chance to refine your movement and dodging before the main event. From a pure design perspective, you can almost see the digital wizardry behind it – every inch of the game is a challenge, even the 'travel' bits.
However, from a player perspective? Well, that's where the collective sigh, bordering on a frustrated groan, comes in. For every player who appreciates the 'dynamic' nature, there are three who find it needlessly long, messy, and a massive interruption to the flow. It reminds some of the more infamous runbacks in *Dark Souls 2*, which, let's be fair, was an acquired taste for many. The argument is that the mean-spirited challenge should be confined to the actual boss encounters and dedicated puzzle areas, not seeping into the connective tissue of simply getting back to the fight.
It's a strange dichotomy, isn't it? Dying repeatedly to a meticulously designed boss, learning its patterns, mastering the dance – that's the core loop, the satisfying grind. But dying repeatedly to some tiny, irritating critter fluttering just out of reach on the way back? That's when the rage-quits start bubbling to the surface. Where's my fly swat, indeed!
And let's not forget, the concept of the 'runback' has a legacy far beyond the hallowed halls of Soulslikes. Remember those ancient massively multiplayer online role-playing games? Back in the day, if your raid group wiped in a dungeon, you weren't just respawning at the entrance. Oh no, mate. You were often running back to your corpse, through a completely respawned dungeon, hoping to resurrect your mates without getting annihilated again. It was a perilous, often frustrating, but undeniably communal experience. Roguelikes, too, stretch the concept of the runback to its absolute extreme, making death a reset not just to a bonfire, but to the very beginning of a run. And they're still wildly popular!
So, it's not a new idea. It’s an old one, re-contextualized for different genres and player expectations. *Silksong* bringing it back so prominently forces us to confront it again: is this enduring design choice still valuable, or are we just clinging to an aggravating tradition? Are developers using it to genuinely enhance the challenge and deepen mastery, or is it sometimes just a convenient (and irritating) way to pad out gameplay and difficulty? I reckon the answer, as with most things in this wild digital world, probably lies somewhere in the murky middle.
Personally, I'm always for anything that enhances the player's journey and feels intentional. If a runback genuinely serves to teach, to reset, to build tension, and isn't just a punitive slog, then fair dinkum. But if it feels like pointless busywork, designed to artificially inflate playtime or frustration, then maybe it's time we collectively cast a 'Teleport to Boss' spell and let those poor digital feet rest. What do you reckon? Have boss runbacks had their day, or is there still some magic left in those long, winding roads to redemption?
Tags: Gaming Debate, Souls-like, Hollow Knight Silksong, Game Design, Player Experience
Original article: Eurogamer