Most metroidvanias have a sense of place. Brinstar, castlevania, and here: hallow nest. Hollow Knight arguably has the strongest sense of place out of any metroidvania I've played. It's storytelling is spilled throughout the world, waiting for you to find. As you explore, you gain a larger picture of what hallownest is and who you are. Each piece of the world has it's own lore, it's own atmosphere, and it's own stuff to do. This, combined with great foreground and background detail allow hallownest to feel like a living, 3D space even though it's in 2D. The upgrades, collectibles, and general map coverage produces a good, tangible sense of progression, the wealth of secrets encourage exploration, and the boss fights are a ton of fun. Overall, it's got all the great aspects of a metroidvania. However, levels are designed by making room, making platforms in room in a basic pattern, and enemies on some of those platforms. There is some variation, but if you took out all the visual flair then the game would be pretty boring. This poor level design holds the moment to moment gameplay back. Overall, Hollow Knight succeeds at almost everything on a macro scale but is held back by issues on a micro scale. Very good despite these issues though.