Silksong's brutal Steel Soul mode can be unlocked without beating the game – here's how

• A Silksong player has discovered a way to unlock Steel Soul mode early
• It requires a code to be entered on the game's Extras menu
• Steel Soul usually unlocks after clearing the game once

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a hard game, perhaps a little too hard for some people's tastes, but what if there was a way to make your first playthrough even more difficult?

As hundreds of thousands of players have flocked to the long-awaited Silksong for the first time this week, one user on the game's subreddit has discovered that the unashamedly hard 'Steel Soul' mode can actually be unlocked with a good ol' cheat code.

Usually (and as was the case with the first Hollow Knight), Steel Soul mode unlocks once you've beaten the game for the first time. On a Steel Soul playthrough, death is permanent, rendering your save file completely unusable if Hornet kicks the bucket. And yes, there are achievements tied to clearing Steel Soul mode (one of which requires 100% game completion, because I guess Team Cherry are sickos like that).

So let's say you're somehow unsatisfied with Silksong's relatively high level of difficulty and you want to jump into Steel Soul mode right away. You can do so by entering a slight variation of the iconic 'Konami code' in the game's Extras menu.

In the Extras menu, simply enter Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right on your controller or keyboard. The screen will flash, and Steel Soul will prematurely unlock. I tested this myself and it does indeed work; the next time you go to start a new save file, you'll have the option to choose Steel Soul mode before beginning your new playthrough.

It goes without saying that I absolutely would not recommend Steel Soul for your first playthrough.

The code is likely included here for players buying the game on multiple platforms not having the clear the game again just to unlock the punishing mode rather than those playing for the very first time.

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