Instead of attempting to evolve Metroidvania design beyond the well-established template, Hollow Knight doubles down on its oppressive atmosphere and deep world-building, and it's all the better for it.

The endlessly charming and memorable moments of Pokemon Snap are successfully preserved in this "new" entry, though there's a lot of excess here that absolutely should've been trimmed.

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die could've been one of its generation's most legendary head-trips had it gotten a proper completion, but as it stands right now, Season 1 is a weird little experiment whose core mechanics are just a bit too under-developed.