8 hours in and this game captures that sense of exploration and discovery better than any Metroidvania since at least Symphony of the Night. I thought I was burned out on the genre after feeling luke-warm about Axiom Verge, but no, it turns out Axiom Verge was just kind of mediocre.
Not to shit on Axiom Verge too much, because it's fine, but it really exemplifies the kind of design choices that sap the genre of its potency. In Axiom Verge, there is at any given moment exactly one correct path that does not immediately terminate in a dead-end holding an uninteresting upgrade. This turns exploration into a rote, algorithmic kind of process -- you get a new upgrade, and then you just check each spot on the map where your route was blocked until you find the right one. Hollow Knight, on the other hand, does it right -- after the first few hours, at any given moment I've had multiple potential avenues for investigation, and instead of all but one being a perfunctory dead end, each one is surprising, exciting, and rewarding.
On top of that, the game has absolutely top-notch mechanics and level design. At first I was put off by the complete lack of momentum and perfect air control, but the game really makes you take advantage of that precision.
