Would you recommend playing the first before diving into this or is it safe to just pick this up and go?
That is, unless you really want to feel like you're part of the conversation these first few weeks after Silksong comes out.
That being said, from what I’ve played of Silksong so far, it doesn’t seem to be crafted such that you’ll get the most out of the gameplay only if you played HK. Full appreciation of the in-game lore you’ll discover in Silksong is probably another matter, but even then I think playing them in either order will be a good time. Enjoy!
Yeah, HK is a huge game and Silksong is probably bigger; it'll take a while to play through both. But that's a good thing. Play these games for the experience of playing them, no need to rush through them just to check them off a list.
There's nothing wrong with using a guide if that's how you have the most fun. But I think most people would have more fun playing Hollow Knight without one, which is why I don't think "if you [play Hollow Knight], use a guide or something" is good advice as an unqualified statement. I enjoy the experience of playing a game far more than the accomplishment of having completed it, so I'd rather enjoy a game fully and leave it unfinished than halfheartedly rush through it with a guide.
So, yes, I probably should have qualified my statement.
I meant this more if my parent wanted to get through Hollow Knight quickly, as a gateway for Silksong.
I say this because just thinking about playing Silksong immediately after finishing HK made me feel exhausted.
I wouldn't recommend playing HK in this manner though; it's more fun to explore, and use a guide only if you really hit a wall.
So, yeah in hindsight probably bad advice even after qualification.
If you don't like the backtracking (I hated it), then the game is probably not for you.
If someone enjoys playing a game with a guide, what's the problem exactly ?
"beating the game as quickly as possible" is such an obviously flawed reason to use a guide that I won't even respond to it. If you don't have the time to play the game, don't.