Hollow Knight: Silksong Player Conquers Title With an Electric Saxophone, Adding Extra Challenge to Inherently Tough Gameplay

Numerous interactive experiences present considerable difficulties, however passionate gamers constantly find ways to amplify the challenge through unusual methods. Throughout gaming history, we've witnessed extraordinary achievements like the challenging RPG being conquered using a instrument-based input device, online personalities reaching level 100 in the popular MMORPG while employing a dance pad, and multiple other challenging title/atypical input matches.

Most recently, popular digital entertainer the saxophone player managed to beat Hollow Knight: Silksong with an digital sax.

Technical Qualifications

The streamer uses an "electronic wind instrument with the same control scheme as a conventional saxophone" for his playthroughs, as he explained through email. The "Doctor" in his online handle is not merely for fun - he has actually obtained the title; The gamer possesses several formal music educations, one being a doctorate in musical arrangement.

He started playing the electric sax during COVID quarantines, when working together physically together with other artists became challenging. He also started entering online broadcasting around this period, and promptly incorporated his new instrument into his broadcasts.

Technical Configuration

He uses a joystick-style "adjustment dial" on the reverse side of the electronic instrument for character movements, and specialized music-to-input conversion program that "translates the electronic notes sent from the instrument to the PC into standard computer controls" for all other actions.

When starting out, he discovered it "would let you control games by playing notes on the device."

He experimented with the beloved adventure game and the notoriously challenging the run-and-gun platformer, "discovered it proved somewhat effective, and then finished an All Bosses Playthrough of Dark Souls 3 as my initial serious instrument-driven endeavor."

Gaming Achievements

The musician has attempted other challenging action games on the digital saxophone, like the award-winning title, and his most recent accomplishment is finishing the platformer with 100% completion.

However, his first experience resembled numerous players' struggles: "White-knuckling through Hunter's March on release day. I spent HOURS trying to beat Savage Beastfly essentially without improvements — it was incredibly difficult."

Technical Difficulties

Part of the reason it was "absolute hell" — in addition to the game naturally being a challenging game — is because the program Dr. Doot uses "precisely detects how inaccurate my playing is" and a wrong input may result in failure.

Still, the musician says "it's surprising how minimal delay there is between the electronic sax and the game, which is what enables me to do various actions that different skilled players can do with a traditional gamepad."

It's flawed, however, as "erroneous actions" are something he has to deal with, and the air-pressure sensor in the controller is so responsive "somewhat noisy environments (like human sounds) can sometimes initiate the mechanism and play notes without my face contacting the saxophone."

The streamer says those incorrect commands have made him "unintentionally leap from a ledge or strike a character unintentionally."

Extra System Challenges

Executing other programs at the concurrent period as the input program can cause it to get "temperamental," creating problems for controls while streaming.

In addition to that, the streamer's biggest challenges are the same as "all expert gamers would face when mastering a quick finish/perfect attempt, which is simply mastering the title on a very deep level."

Next Plans

The content creator mentions playing through Lies of P on the electronic sax was his toughest challenge to date, while "Sax Solo Nightreign attempts were extremely tiring."

He's completed perfect attempts for the sequel and the final chapter and was attempting a no-hit run for the original game before Silksong was released, which he'll be returning to after he's completed Hornet's journey.

Although he's invested dozens of hours into Silksong, the "remarkable creation" Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is nevertheless his top choice of the present period.

However, shouldn't anticipate him to attempt it on the instrument, as its command structure doesn't lend itself to instrument control; it would be "somewhat tedious to doot."