A stunning soundtrack, art style, and lore density combine with tight responsive skill based gameplay to make Hollow Knight just the thing I need as an avid Metroid fan to satisfy my lust for exploration and upgrade hunting. If you love exporing and getting lost in a winding decrepit fallen kingdom of borderline zombified bug people then you'll love Hollow Knight. If you enjoy tight fast paced boss centered gameplay where every second could spiral out of control resulting in you losing your last sliver of HP or barely healing 1 of your precious hits right before dodging a blob of pain ala Dark Souls then you'll love Hollow Knight. Are you a lore nerd who yearns to dig through obscure logbook entries, hidden dialogues, and the inner thoughts of the lowest enemy to find a clue as to what happened here? Trust me, there's plenty of deep lore to go over stretching across different ages, civilizations, and a sentient mushroom that heralds doom between worlds. Bottom line, want a great metroidvania? This is it.

Genuinely one of the best games I've played in over a decade. I'm mixed on platformers, but I like speed games and I adore games that give me a hardcore challenge that's completely optional. Within a few months I was enthralled by the fluid movement, charming animations, 10/10 soundtrack, and at times genuinely hilarious jokes. This is not only a love letter to the great mid 2000s cartoons like Ed Edd n Eddy, but it's an amazing platformer, an outstanding speed game, and welcoming enough to both experts and casual players. All for cheaper than any overpriced trash pushed out nowadays.