Hollow Knight

I think that I have 500 hours into this game, which is what it took for me to earn all of the achievements and defeat Radiance in the Pantheon of Hallownest. I was more of a puzzle gamer before playing this one and am forever converted. The expansiveness of the map is incredible. Throughout your conquest, you gain access to a seemingly endless labyrinth of lands and gain powers that help you to reach even farther into their secret portals. There is so much battling and so much dying needed to perfect your skills, but it is so worth it. It seems like you find something new each time you play the game. You will want to immediately go back and play again. You might take a break until you feel that gnawing desire and you're right back at it again. And again. And again. The characters and the landscape are undoubtebtly the most creative and unique that you have seen. The musical composition is heartbreaking and beautiful. My family eats dinner with this soundtrack playing in the background for God's sake. The artistry and attention to detail are unmatched. Congrats Team Cherry.

Yeah, this game is frustrating. Yeah, you will die a lot of times. Yeah, you will curse every boss you'll find. Yeah, you will lost yourself in a labirintic underground world. Yeah, you will have to walk a lot, and suddenly you will killed by a trap and you have to walk a lot again to arrive at the same point and probably die again. And even after all this, you will love it anyway. Because everything is fantastic here. Cute characters wandering in a dark world, full of secrets never explained but that you have to discover bit by bit from small hints of lore. The combat mechanics are fantastic; you can build your hero from a large choice of powers and find your ideal setting. Imagine to translate darksoul's difficult and lore mechanics on a metroidvania platform/action. Maybe not for all players, but still a wonderful experience. A masterpiece, without doubt. (I have to admit: since I have no much time to dedicate to games, and since for 2 optional bosses - not the last - frustration won over me, I used some cheats. Yeah, yeah, unfair. But I loved this game so much that I didn't want to lose any crumble of it)

It's not an easy casual experience. Don't pick this up if you are looking for that. Progress can be challenging, figuring out difficult parts might require finding a walkthrough, and it takes a bit of time investment. It is not a bad experience. The game is well made for what it is and if you put the time in there is a lot of content and an enjoyable atmospheric journey. Just know what you are getting into and recognize it's not a light or casual type of game. It's not one of those simple platformers you can pick up and put down. It kind of draws you in and I decided to commit to finishing it anyway, just make sure you have an accurate idea of the depth, challenge, and complexity you're getting before you pick it up. It has a bit of a frustrating start. If you want something casual this might not be it.

It's one of only a handful of games I would consider perfect. Challenging, but never unfair. Hard, but never cheap. Cryptic, but never needlessly arcane. The art is neautiful to look at and the sound effects and music a delight to listen to. Best gameplay controls in this kind of game, ever. Lots of options to play different ways, find the combination of charms you like for your style, there's no wrong or right way to play, just find what works. Deep lore and a wonderful story complete this masterpiece of a game. The mechanic of losing your "money" when you die is a bit of a surprise to some the first time, but it's easy to get it back, or just get more. The key is to spend it as soon as you have it, and this game has no shortage of merchants who will take it (don't trust the "Banker" though!). Saving is done via sitting on benches scattered throughout the world, and they are usually located near fast travel points. Some reviewers have complained about the difficulty, but this is far easier than most of the platforming titles that populated the classic NES library. It's hard but fair, not hard because it's cheap. In other words, git gud.

I usually don't write reviews, but this game deserved one. Everything in this game is simply amazing: from the soundtrack, level designs, artwork and fluid combat. I don't understand complaints from others about the difficulty. In my ~80 hours of gameplay I've never experienced that the game would be unfair to me - whether it's combat or platforming. Also- the world seems so alive and connected. There's huge ammount of interactions between different characters and charms (wearable items that enhance you combat abilities). The game truly rewards exploration of the world and after all the time that I've put into it I still haven't found all of it's secrets. The game is also free of any game-breaking bugs. 4 free DLCs (3 if you don't count Lifeblood) are just a cherry on top of it! :) AND it's priced well. There's a lot AAA studios can learn from Team Cherry. There is only one minor thing that bothered me: no native ultrawide support (but there's nothing hex editor couldn't solve). Apart from this - all around an excellent game. 10/10 :)