Hollow Knight: Silksong's Punishing Difficulty Problem

Much has been made about Hollow Knight: Silksong's difficulty. Of course, many of us expected it to be a challenging game, especially as it was not only coming off the heels of the original Hollow Knight, but also years of Metroidvania's that have increasingly ramped up the challenge. Silksong was released to an audience accustomed to a little difficulty, especially in the wake of the rising popularity of soulslikes.