hollow knight is a god damn masterpiece and does everything right in the metroidvania front. it's been so long since I've wanted to 100% a game that badly, and the atmosphere of each unique zone made backtracking through them an absolute joy. shoutout to the transition from the dingy crossroads to greenpath for being my Gamer Moment of the year. this song just slowly creeping in as you progress:
I didn't really have any trouble with anything apart from the final boss of the grimm dlc, but that was probably because I finished the main game at like 70% completion, having a high amount of health an upgraded gear just from exploring. Path of Pain was a bitch too.