Kinda Funny Games Daily (09.18.25)

Episode Title: Why Hollow Knight Silksong is So Hard, Team Cherry Explains
Hosts: Greg Miller, Blessing Adeoye Jr., Barrett
Date: September 18, 2025

Episode Overview

The Kinda Funny crew dives deep into the biggest stories in video game news, with the headliner being Team Cherry’s explanation for Hollow Knight Silksong’s difficulty. The hosts also review Dying Light: The Beast’s reception, discuss a high-profile Sony/Tencent lawsuit, reflect on the political climate’s impact on gaming communities, and share hands-on impressions of recent games. A lively, insightful, and honest episode that balances industry analysis with the show’s signature banter.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Hollow Knight Silksong is So Dang Hard

(Main segment: 07:42 – 26:18)

• Team Cherry’s Insight:

  • Co-director Ari Gibson explained that the challenge stems directly from protagonist Hornet’s speed and skill:

    “Hornet is inherently faster and more skillful than that of Knight, so even the base level enemy had to be more complicated, more intelligent.” – Ari Gibson (07:55)

  • Enemies must match Hornet’s agility, leading to increased complexity.

    “…we maybe did so a bit too much as the game’s first patch made some bosses slightly easier to tackle…” (08:30)

  • William Pellen emphasized the new enemy AI is designed to catch up with Hornet’s maneuverability.

• Exploration as Difficulty Modulation:

  • The Metroidvania structure encourages players to circumvent tough spots through exploration:

    “It’s fine if players are stuck on a challenging boss or encounter, as they have ways to mitigate the difficulty via exploration or learning… rather than getting stonewalled…” – Gibson (08:46)

  • Blessing likens it to Elden Ring’s approach, saying that freedom lets players engage with difficulty at their own pace and feels less punitive than linear Souls games. (09:39)

• The Hosts’ Experiences:

  • Blessing and Greg compare notes, with Blessing only 2 hours in and Greg noting he’s about 10-12 hours deep but bouncing due to “review season” (14:00–14:54). Barrett jokes about spending 74 hours on the final boss, illustrating the game’s demanding endgame. (10:32)
  • Relatable Frustrations & Joys: Barrett and Andy’s marathon boss attempts spark debate about skill checks and perseverance.

• Big Takeaway:

  • All agree that Silksong, like Souls or The Witness, is rewarding because it respects players’ intelligence and demands “aha” moments rather than mindless progression.

    “Games are at their best with aha moments…” – Greg (19:50)

  • There’s a thoughtful tangent about the difference between “frictionless” modern games and the satisfaction from overcoming adversity in more challenging titles (21:20–25:21).

• Memorable Quote:

  “I love the shit out of those 10 hours, those 12 hours, whatever. But no, I’m not like, I gotta get back.” – Greg (14:05)

2. Sony v. Tencent: The Horizon Clone Lawsuit

(Segment: 26:25 – 32:42)

• Legal Skirmish:

  • Tencent fires back at Sony’s claim that its game Light of Moriam is a “slavish clone” of Horizon Zero Dawn, arguing that Sony is attempting to “monopolize an entire genre.”

    “Sony seeks an impermissible monopoly on genre conventions.” – Tencent legal statement (27:42)

  • Tencent’s rebuttal lists other relevant games (e.g., Enslaved, Zelda, Far Cry) to argue that the shared tropes are “ubiquitous genre ingredients.” (28:05, 29:34)
  • Blessing and Greg laugh at the spectacle, recognizing the wildness of gaming IP lawsuits.

• Visuals & Opinions:

  • Hosts comment on how similar the footage actually looks to Horizon, but acknowledge Tencent must make legal arguments regardless.

    “By suing over an unreleased project that merely employs the same time-honored tropes… Sony seeks an impermissible monopoly…” – Tencent (27:42)

• Notable Moment:

  “If I was on the jury, I would say, bam.” – Greg (31:08)

3. Dying Light: The Beast – Review Roundup

(Segment: 36:06 – 41:10)

• Critical Consensus:

  • Metacritic: 78, OpenCritic: 82
  • Reviews praise the “rampage” mechanic but critique the story and repetitiveness.
  • Hosts note it delivers “more Dying Light” — but it feels less essential in the current crowded release window.

• Hosts’ Reflections:

  • Both Blessing and Greg admit the game’s mid-to-high 70s score means it’s likely to get lost amid bigger releases, lamenting that launch timing isn’t as advantageous as for Dying Light 2.

    “It does suck that it’s coming out right now. I wish this came out in a February, March…” – Blessing (38:19)

• Humor:

  • Barrett and Greg riff on the game’s zombie imagery (“zombie titties were blurred in the trailer”—Greg, 37:47)

4. Industry Politics & Community Discourse

(Segment: 43:28 – 56:40)

• Sucker Punch/Sony Artist Fired Over Social Media Comments:
  • Senior texture artist Drew Harrison fired after jokes about Charlie Kirk and political posts.
  • The crew discusses PlayStation’s cautious PR culture and the dangers of online harassment campaigns.

    “You know the company that you’re working for and you know how they would respond to something like this…” – Blessing (45:11)

  • There’s a broader, nuanced conversation about polarization, activism, and responsibility in both gaming and society.

    “Don’t give in to nihilism, please, as always… Think globally, act locally, get involved…” – Barrett (51:01)

  • Reflects on how hyperconnectivity (a la Death Stranding) amplifies negativity — “Maybe we weren’t meant to be this connected.” – Greg (52:34)

5. Quick Hits & Community Updates

a. Borderlands 4 Console Performance Issues

(Segment: 56:40 – 59:43)

• Players on PS5 Pro notice degrading performance; Randy Pitchford confirms the workaround is to “quit the game and restart until we patch.”

  “Known issue of performance dropping… workaround until we patch, quit game and restart. Sorry for the friction.” – Randy Pitchford (57:58)

b. Games Industry Good Deeds

(Segment: 60:01 – 61:42)

• Itch.io bundle: $8 unlocks 400+ indie games for Gaza relief; $82k already raised.
• Hosts praise the initiative and encourage donations.

c. Small News/Wee News

(Segment: 61:43 – 64:48)

• Quick headlines:

  • Dark Math Games’ Disco Elysium Spinoff now titled Tangerine Antarctic
  • Marvel Cosmic Invasion reveals new characters but no date yet
  • Lumo 2 and Skate Story release news
  • Foldies OS Quest retro platformer demo gets the hosts’ stamp of approval

• Birthdays & Community Interaction:

  • Multiple listeners celebrated; hosts acknowledged and riffed on indie/fan projects.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Games are at their best with aha moments.” – Greg (19:50)
• “I love the shit out of those 10 hours, those 12 hours, whatever. But no, I’m not like, I gotta get back.” – Greg (14:05)
• “It’s fine if players are stuck on a challenging boss… they have ways to mitigate the difficulty via exploration…” – Ari Gibson (08:46)
• “If this is what it cost me to stand up to fascism, I’ll do it…” – Drew Harrison (47:53, paraphrased by Greg)
• “You gotta make—if somebody’s saying something and you don’t agree… you have to have a conversation, you have to get off the bench.” – Greg (55:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-------------------------------------------| | 07:42 | Hollow Knight Silksong: Team Cherry explains design and difficulty | | 14:05 | Greg’s hands-on take and time constraints | | 21:20 | Friction in games and meaningful “aha” moments | | 26:25 | Sony/Tencent lawsuit over Horizon clone | | 36:06 | Dying Light: The Beast review roundup | | 43:28 | Sucker Punch artist fired/political climate in gaming | | 51:01 | Barrett: “Don’t give in to nihilism” | | 56:40 | Borderlands 4 performance woes | | 60:01 | Itch.io Gaza relief bundle | | 61:43 | Wee News/small headlines |

Final Thoughts & Episode Tone

This episode is a robust snapshot of the current gaming landscape, balancing enthusiastic celebration of new releases with sobering analysis of industry and socio-political developments. The mood swings from celebratory and irreverent to introspective and frank, with the team openly discussing both the magic and shortcomings of modern games, workplace realities, and responsibilities within passionate communities.

For newcomers and fans alike, this episode is a quintessential slice of Kinda Funny’s voice: heartfelt, informed, and never afraid to keep it real—whether it’s about boss fights, burnout, or building better communities.