Initial area of Silksong added to soften player introduction: "Team Cherry opted for a more considerate player approach, avoiding a harsh start"
The Moss Grotto, a serene and verdant haven nestled at the base of Pharloom, has become a significant and intriguing part of the upcoming game, Hollow Knight: Silksong. Developed by the small Australian indie studio, Team Cherry, this area serves as more than just a starting point for players.
In an interview conducted by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and published on September 5, Team Cherry revealed that the Moss Grotto was carefully designed to cater to a specific need. The developers identified the need for a space that would allow players to easily acclimate to the game's control scheme and Hornet's complex moveset, while also providing a calmer space for players to familiarize themselves with the game's mechanics.
The Moss Grotto, therefore, serves as a soft, verdant platform from which Hornet will launch into various hostile environments. It's a rare patch of green at the bottom of Pharloom, outside the reach of the central citadel's corrupting influence. The area is populated by unthreatening caterpillar enemies that give players unreasonably kind expectations about the damage they will take in the game.
However, the Moss Grotto is not just a tutorial area. It also plays a crucial role in the game's foreground and background lore. The developers have subtly woven gameplay hints and challenges into the Moss Grotto to guide players without using game-y puzzles or button prompts. This design allows players to grasp the game's mechanics without being accosted with overt tutorials.
Silksong is designed to be harder than its predecessor, Hollow Knight. Hornet, the game's protagonist, is faster and more skilled than the Knight. The developers state that the difficulty in Silksong is a deliberate design choice, and players can potentially use Elden Ring logic to navigate the game's difficulty.
The Moss Grotto, originally intended to be The Marrow, was deemed a brutal introduction to the game. As a result, it was developed later to round out The Marrow, providing a calmer space for players to ease into the game's challenges. The developers aim to be respectful to players by not tutoring them but instead providing a world for them to explore without handholding.
Silksong is being designed as a world built from spaces, not a series of levels with clear design fingerprints. The Moss Grotto, as the actual first area of the game, is a significant location in the base of Pharloom, serving as a load-bearing column in the game's world. The developers added the Moss Grotto to provide a calmer space for players to familiarize themselves with the game's control scheme and Hornet's agility, making it an essential part of the Silksong experience.
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