Hollow Knight is a gorgeous metroidvania that gets right into the game. It does not spend forever on tutorials, and when you get something new, it gives you one screen telling you how to use your new ability. The game encourages exploration, with many ways to get from place to place, and a non-linear power-up unlock sequence. It is not like some Metroid games, where each powerup gives you access to just one other powerup. In Hollow Knight, when you find a powerup, you have a variety of new areas that you can now access with your new ability. Combat in the game is fast and focused. You have a melee attack that you can swing in four directions, and unlock a couple of more ranged/aoe magic attacks through the game. Enemies have simple patterns and telegraph their attacks, so getting through any enemy is just a matter of learning the pattern and having the skill to exploit it. Attacks being so simple, and lacking combos, means that learning your own abilities is easy. The game's main weakness is how abstract the story is. I read an outline on a wiki before playing the game, and I think I enjoyed it more, knowing all what everything is hinting at and finding where the wiki is getting some obscure lore piece from. It does not explain enough in the game to understand on your first playthrough. Great game, I ended up buying it again for the Nintendo Switch because I liked it enough to want on the go.
