Watch: Gamer GloomShadows Beat Hollow Knight's 'Path of Pain' Using a Dance Pad
The female streamer is known for playing games using a dance pad among other unconventional methods of gaming

In a video that is already blowing up across gaming circles, streamer GloomShadows has achieved what many players would call impossible. With nothing but a dance pad under her feet, she completed the notorious Path of Pain from Hollow Knight, one of the most brutal platforming gauntlets found in modern games.
The video, titled I Beat PATH OF PAIN on a DANCE PAD, shows her navigating the deadly course with precision and grace feet first, leaving viewers stunned at her unconventional control scheme. She revealed in the description of the highlights video she posted on YouTube that she completed the run twice: first in segments over the course of a few days and another time in a single session.
The Pain of Hollow Knight Explained
For the uninitiated, Hollow Knight is a beloved metroidvania full of exploration, secrets, and punishing challenges. One of its most infamous optional sequences is the Path of Pain, a hidden area found deep within the White Palace.
This challenge forgoes typical combat in favour of relentless, ultra-tight platforming. Players must make split-second jumps over spinning saw blades, pogo up walls of spikes and thread the eye of impossibly small movement windows to reach the end.
It's a test of timing, muscle memory, and nerves that has humbled even seasoned players. In a genre where even button mashing can feel precise, completing the Path of Pain is a badge of honour.
Doing it with your feet on a dance mat elevates it into something iconic.
From Dance Mat to Legend
GloomShadows has carved out a niche in the streaming world thanks to her dance pad antics. Rather than using a traditional controller or keyboard, she plays action games with a full-body input method originally designed for rhythm games.
What seems like a gimmick quickly becomes awe-inspiring when she performs feats most gamers struggle with on a standard setup.
Her dance pad runs are not limited to Hollow Knight's merciless platforming. She has taken on a gauntlet of notoriously tough titles using just her feet with one of her most talked-about achievements including rhythmically stomping her way through Lies of P and Elden Ring, proving that foot controls can rival hand-held precision when mastered.
The Bloodborne community also knows her name. In a separate feat, she completed a challenging no-level dance pad run of the fast-paced action RPG in under 40 hours, an astonishing accomplishment that earned her mentions in major gaming outlets.
Showcasing Creativity and Skill
GloomShadows' latest run isn't just a quirky stunt. It highlights the creativeness of gaming culture and how players still find fresh ways to push boundaries in titles that are years old.
The Path of Pain has long been a benchmark for skill and patience. Witnessing someone complete it with a dance pad captivates both casual viewers and hardcore fans alike.
Some critics might shrug this off as a gimmick but for many it's a celebration of community ingenuity. Streamers like GloomShadows remind us that video games are not just tests of reflexes but canvasses for expression, experimentation, and defying expectations.
Whether you're a Hollow Knight fanatic or a spectator to gaming's wildest feats, this dance pad domination earns a place among the most memorable challenge runs of the year.
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