Hollow Knight isn't interested in spoon-feeding you a story or holding your hand. You'd be forgiven for confusing its stunning style for simplicity though hand-painted in a dark, muted palette, your explorations are accompanied by a masterful score, the cartoon-like visuals are shockingly deceptive.

Hollow Knight is effortless in its presentation of a tragic world secreted within a subterranean kingdom. But as I adapt to the natural ebb and flow of Hollow Knight's rhythm and concentrate instead on what lies ahead, that anxiety melts away. As I wander through Hollow Knight's early hours it becomes more troubling still, and I start to worry that I may miss huge swaths of lore and collectibles - even whole areas, maybe? - if I'm not thorough enough. Even though I'm the kind of player that naturally double-backs on where I think any given game wants me to go - someone who instinctively scours for secrets - the dozens of pathways and possibilities trouble me.

This lack of direction is overwhelming at first.