I've just reached Act 2 and the game is absolutely incredible. I really really recommend it very heavily. It is a very clear evolution of the first game where every aspect of it was iterated on and improved. From unlockables to items to npcs to story to interactions with the world and even currency, everything is just perfectly tuned and a true evolution of the first game. If you've read the negative reviews constantly bashing the game's difficulty then I'd like to address those:

The game's more punishing, but your toolset is also much wider. Fighting as Hornet is nothing like fighting as the Hollow Knight (they've also made parrying so much easier it's an actual combat mechanic to do so). And if you're worried about the complaints on too much double damage/8 hits to heal, you can hit far more often against every boss in this game than you could in the original hollow knight, and healing is so safe that I've yet to find a single boss that makes it even slightly difficult to heal. There are like 2 normal enemies (flying chasers) that makes it difficult to heal but I've managed even against those with careful positioning. In the original Hollow Knight it was not only more dangerous but also less rewarding to heal than it is on this one by a far margin. Also runbacks in this game are really fun (first game ever), they're really enjoyable because movement in this game is so satisfying.

And for those complaining about currency, it is really a non-issue. I've yet to have problems with it, it is really just people that have either not played the game enough or want it mouthfed to them.

EDIT: Use your currency whenever you want to, spam your tools, buy whatever you want, save your inventory currency for maps/benches and emergencies and you should be fine.

I've just reached Act 2 and the game is absolutely incredible. I really really recommend it very heavily. It is a very clear evolution of the first game where every aspect of it was iterated on and improved. From unlockables to items to npcs to story to interactions with the world and even currency, everything is just perfectly tuned and a true evolution of the first game. If you've read the negative reviews constantly bashing the game's difficulty then I'd like to address those: The game's more punishing, but your toolset is also much wider. Fighting as Hornet is nothing like fighting as the Hollow Knight (they've also made parrying so much easier it's an actual combat mechanic to do so). And if you're worried about the complaints on too much double damage/8 hits to heal, you can hit far more often against every boss in this game than you could in the original hollow knight, and healing is so safe that I've yet to find a single boss that makes it even slightly difficult to heal. There are like 2 normal enemies (flying chasers) that makes it difficult to heal but I've managed even against those with careful positioning. In the original Hollow Knight it was not only more dangerous but also less rewarding to heal than it is on this one by a far margin. Also runbacks in this game are really fun (first game ever), they're really enjoyable because movement in this game is so satisfying. And for those complaining about currency, it is really a non-issue. I've yet to have problems with it, it is really just people that have either not played the game enough or want it mouthfed to them. EDIT: Use your currency whenever you want to, spam your tools, buy whatever you want, save your inventory currency for maps/benches and emergencies and you should be fine.