My favorite thing to do in games is explore, and exploring has never been as mysterious, tense, surprising, and satisfying as in Hollow Knight. The way the maps connect together is so smooth, with treasures and secrets and lore hidden everywhere, and yet I never had the feeling of tediously retracing my steps in order to find out where to go next. The mapping system, where you have to explore uncharted until you can hear Cornifer's familiar humming, keeps the game feeling fresh and mysterious as you explore Hallownest. And the world you're exploring is filled with such beauty and wonder, all tinged with a deep sadness. This perfectly captures the feeling in Metroid games of being completely alone in the ruins of a long-dead civilisation, and yet the touches of life along the way, the other little bugs you meet along your journey, akl bring a beautiful hope to this haunted world. You are alone together.