This is one of those games I heard about for a long time before actually seeing it. I have been close to purchasing it many times but I am fickle with Metroidvania style games - I kind of got into, and out of, them with the Castlevania game on PlayStation. I have tried many over the years but none struck me as amazing. One day, I will try out Hollow Knight. Great review by the way.
I don't have a ton of experience with this genre but this is definitely the best one I've ever come across.
If you don't like this one it might be time to abandon the genre entirely.
I keep telling myself that it might be time to give up the genre and just play Symphony of the Night when I want that fix but I keep trying new games hoping one will be the one that I cannot put down. I have played a few indie Metroidvania style games, mostly short affairs, that were fun for a little while but I quickly got bored when I had to backtrack to the some miniscule room somwhere on the map no where near where I was at the time.
Yeah that was a huge annoyance point in Hollow Knight as well if you want to 100% the game.
But it's also very easy to skip all that and just beat it.
There's also a fast-travel tunnel system that makes it a bit more forgiving.
So you don't have to run everywhere on foot.
There's even an NPC who comments on how weak you are for refusing to walk everywhere.
Pretty funny: so many references to the genre.