Hollow Knight: Silksong is a game designed to crush the human spirit, with one enormous exception: the optimistic pilgrim named Sherma. Sherma’s a charming little bugger who piously sings and plays music, and he’ll occasionally appear throughout the game as fans make progress. Sherma might be cute, but it’s hard to imagine him in the middle of any type of conflict whatsoever. This pacifist streak alone will likely make fans wonder how in the world Sherma keeps up Hornet at all. And that suspension of disbelief is pushed to its limit when players find Sherma inside the Citadel.
You see, getting into the Citadel is one of Silksong‘s hardest first-act skillchecks. Players have to beat The Last Judge, a mighty boss whose entire purpose is to stop the unworthy from entering the holy city. This is no easy task! The boss itself is incredibly tough, but you could say that of many of Silksong‘s encounters. What truly sets The Last Judge apart from other challenges is that getting to him at all is a nightmare. The runback goes through a perilous segment of the Blasted Steps that’s lined with tricky platforming and annoying enemies. It’s one of the worst runbacks in the game, and that’s saying something in an experience full of cursed runbacks. Personally, I was stuck in this segment of the game for a full 24 hours, which was long enough to start losing my mind. I’d die before I got to Last Judge after missing too many bell pogo jumps, or I’d get torn up by all the baddies along the way. Sometimes, I’d get to The Last Judge with a blip or two of health only to die before the golden demon left his first phase.
Eventually, I locked in and made short work of The Last Judge. This is Silksong in a nutshell. Bosses make you lose the will to live; eventually you notice their patterns and persevere.
But right after you accomplish this monumental task, the player will discover Sherma waiting nearby. Getting into the Citadel was his aim all along, and he told the player as much immediately after meeting one another. Still, one can’t help but wonder: what the hell? I’ve had fun watching people debate how this is possible online, and there are a number of theories which could explain how Sherma completed his pilgrimage. Let’s go through them, shall we?
Shema incapacitated The Last Judge
One of Sherma’s earliest appearances is the Far Fields, where players discover that he’s basically the Pied Piper of monsters. There’s an enemy nearby, but it’s not hostile. Instead, it seems to have been calmed down through the power of Sherma’s song. When the player comes back later, Sherma is gone, but the monster is still there — only this time, it’s angry, and you have to kill it. Is it possible, then, that Sherma pacified The Last Judge through the power of love and song? I’m skeptical, but it’s a fun thought. There we are, fighting for our lives, while Sherma just had to clang some metal together and sing like a Kindergardener to accomplish the same thing. Meanwhile, I don’t think TLJ would appreciate Hornet pulling out her needolin very much. Hmmph.
Plausibility: 5/10
Sherma walked in after us
Another possibility: Sherma never had to face The Last Judge. We only see him after the fight, which could mean that Sherma came along after Hornet defeated The Last Judge. While this seems like a realistic answer, Sherma’s penchant for showing up in unlikely places suggests that he doesn’t need Hornet at all to make his way through the world. If anything, Sherma might be a more skilled adventurer than Hornet is, or at least I got the impression that Sherma arrived in some places well before we did.
Plausibility: 7/10
Sherma took a different route
Most players will get into the Citadel through the front door, which requires facing The Last Judge. But this actually isn’t the only way to get into the Citadel. You can also get there through Sinner’s Road, a portion of the game connected to Greymoor. But arguably, that route is even harder than simply fighting The Last Judge. You have to make your way through Bilewater, a huge area where falling into the water will eat away at Hornet’s silk. Then there’s the Mist section, where players have no access to a map. Also, you still have to fight other bosses along this route. Some players consider these the worst areas Silksong has to offer. Could Sherma truly have bumbled his way through all of that intact?
Plausibility: 3/10
Sherma is the best boy
And now we arrive at the simplest answer: Sherma never had to fight The Last Judge. I know, it’s hard to imagine. But there are a ton of enemies inside the Citadel, all of whom are bugs who once made the pilgrimage there. Presumably, they had to get through The Last Judge as well. At least, the in-game codex makes it sound like TLJ has been a thing for a long time. “The huge Judge likely stood through countless generations, never defeated, never wavering in their charge,” it reads. Here lies another critical detail, which is implied by the name of the boss. “Final arbiter of the Blasted Steps, tasked to ensure only the sinless ever step beyond the Grand Gate,” the description says. Some bugs must have met the sinless criteria, right?
And if anyone fits the bill here, it’s going to be the pure-hearted Sherma, who has never done anything wrong in his entire life. [Extremely Rihanna voice] We found love in a hopeless place.
Plausibility: 9/10
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Author: 360 Technology Group
