If you're looking for a Souls like, you won't find it in Hollow Knight. As it is, the game is unplayable and enjoyable without a scale back on the difficulty, maybe with a easy mode added.
Overall I think this game tries so hard to be a 2D souls but falls flat due to all of the above, instead being nothing more than an over hyped poor attempt with pretty aesthetics. You have to grind your ass off to buy basic game mechanics, like maps, map pins, etc.
The area maps that you have to purchase, which is incomplete when you buy it, also updates new areas you've been through while resting at a bench. Some enemies respawn while you rest at a bench, others respawn if you exit an area, making making it feel very inconsistent. Add to that tight jumping sequences where you are harassed by enemies you cant avoid.
HOLLOW KNIGHT PC ENEMIES ARE INVISIBLE ARCHIVE
The platforming is probably the worst offender, it has this this awful downward attack that you have to use to get through some parts which is a pain to archive on the Joy-con. There's none of the here, as the game is very straight forward. In short, the combat is abhorrent! There is no learning curve like what you had in the Souls games, where if you could overcome a difficult enemies/sequence you could get past it by learning from mistakes, learning new moves and strategies. The enemies are very agile and have a long reach, you yourself are very small and cover a short area, which leads to a lot of cases where you are being hit while trying to hit. No block, no dash/evade, no way to avoid getting hit and as I've mentioned getting touched means getting hit. You start with a little guy that has 1 attack (3, if you count directional attacks as well), a heal spell and a jump. I found the challenge here to be gimmicky at best, with cheap mid-boss enemies, damage model based on hits and touches by enemies and awkward controls/platforming made even worse on the Switch thanks to the Joy-Cons. You start with a little guy that has 1 attack (3, if DO NOT BUY! Honestly as someone who is used to challenging games, I found Hollow Knight to be one of the worst. DO NOT BUY! Honestly as someone who is used to challenging games, I found Hollow Knight to be one of the worst.