Hunter’s March Made Me Respect Optional Doors in Silksong

I know it is 2026 and I am late to the Silksong party, but I finally understand why every conversation about this game sounds like a support group with a side of insect trauma. I expected a challenge. I did not expect Hunter’s March to treat my confidence like a vending machine treats a crumpled dollar bill: it accepts it, makes a concerning noise, and returns something that wants to bite me. 🐜

For the first hour or two, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a surprisingly polite host. Bone Bottom, Mosshome, and The Marrow introduce enemies that hit hard but are easy enough to read, and the interconnected paths quietly teach you to look for secrets and shortcuts without dumping a sprawling map on your lap. The early bosses, like Moss Mother and Bell Beast, feel tough but fair. I was nodding along, thinking I had this Metroidvania thing figured out. That was adorable of me.

Then I took the obvious, enticing branch between The Marrow and Deep Docks and walked into Hunter’s March. This area is the Metroidvania equivalent of a restaurant that seats you, hands you a menu, and then sets the table on fire. It is optional, it is early, and it is absolutely not interested in my feelings.

The Skull Ant guardian is the first big warning sign. He is not even a full boss fight, but his one-two punch can delete four chunks of health in a single go, and his burrowing habit makes retaliation feel like trying to argue with a doorbell. Ant soldiers are faster and meaner than anything before them, flying bugs hide around every corner to knock me off course, and the red flowers demand pinpoint accuracy from an air attack that feels like it was tuned by a mischievous gremlin. The Skull Ant fight felt like trying to fold a fitted sheet while someone throws bees at me. Not impossible, but deeply personal.

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