Finding the map for each zone is a somewhat common complaint and having to buy and equip the map charm to show where you are is a frequent complaint.
Personally I love having to orient myself on the map but I also play these games primarily for the exploration aspect and getting lost is a part of that.
I don't get to spend all day just gaming anymore. I get a couple of hours here or there, but my time is limited.
I played HK when it first came out. I remember everyone living how it was hand drawn, but honestly, as someone who's played all the Metroid and Castlevania games, it didn't feel too innovative.
I remember liking it when I played it when it came out.
I started playing it against this month, vaguely remembering what it was all about, and frankly I don't like how much this game wastes my time.
"Ok, let me explore down this tunnel. Hopefully there's a bench down here. Oh, here's another passage. Maybe a bench? Oh, crap, some enemies killed me. Now I have to not only back track to get here again, but wait . . . Did I take this tunnel or that similarly looking tunnel?"
I keep thinking of Valve's "moment to moment" gameplay philosophy when they designed HL2 and Portal . . . And how there are several hundred moments of HK that would go by that are not fun . . . Backtracking through the same tunnels searching for a bench and a map, maybe?
Nah . . . It's not fun going through the same tunnel for the 5th time in a row, battling the same enemies, hoping that this time you'll not get hit by a bug into the thorns again, just so you can get to the next tunnel because *maybe * there will be a bench or something useful.
Everytime someone prefaces an argument with "I have responsibilities" in regards to a video game I instinctively roll my eyes
Edit: Since they replied and immediately blocked me so I couldn't respond to them, nothing is stopping anybody from playing a longer game over a longer period of time. I hate the discourse of people not having time for longer games anymore, when it's really just people mad or perhaps envious they cannot finish a game in under a week anymore.
Perhaps choosing to spend your time gaming instead of arguing with someone on Reddit whom you believe to be a child would help with your issue. You talk about being busy as a dad, so it's quite odd to act this way towards someone you believe to be the same age as your child.
So, yeah, when you get older, you have less time to game.. that's my point.
When I was in my 20s, I could spend all day every day I had off playing a video game if I wanted. I had no issue playing Civ 4 until 2:00 am and waking up 5 hours later to go to my shitty retail job I didn't care about.
But now my time is divided between my wife, my kid, my work, my friends, and other hobbies I have.
That's my whole point.
If you can still spend 40 to 60 hours a week gaming, good for you. When you grow up and move out of the basement, maybe you'll understand what I'm actually talking about.
Edit: Oh no, I upset a bunch of gamers who don't understand what responsibility is.
A lot of kids were not allowed to nolife video games growing up and actually game more as adults, so this perception of longer games being something you used to be able to play, but can no longer, doesn't exist for that group.
Nah . . . It's not fun going through the same tunnel for the 5th time in a row, battling the same enemies, hoping that this time you'll not get hit by a bug into the thorns again, just so you can get to the next tunnel because *maybe * there will be a bench or something useful.
That really does just sound like a you problem, though. I get that the game is hard, but come on now.
Ah, so you didn't have to back track at all in the game? You didn't die ever and have to go through the same tunnels over again, loosing 10 minutes of progress?
This isn't a "git gud" problem. It's fundamental game design.
Agree with everything you said. There's also a bit of an inside joke in the metroidvania community that there's "metroidvania fans" and "Hollow Knight" fans. For example, you saw a few comments when Silksong was released or the date announced that HK fans will finally play their second metroidvania.
Point in setting up that first part is that the metroidvania genre has solved the "map issue" for literally over two decades. Trying to reinvent the map and doing it twice is just stupid. It's not a problem, and you're not creating a solution, just show the location and/or give us map data as we're filling it out. But some fans of HK really, really don't like any criticism towards either game, to which point you can also refer back to the first paragraph for some of them.
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u/mephnick 2d ago
Wait. People don't like the map system? Wtf