One last thing: I know the teleportation sounds lame, but it mostly isn't. It's not lame like teleportation in DS3 or Bloodborne or Aria is lame. It's relatively sparse and, interestingly, there are actually two interlocking fast travel systems (though one is small) to make pathing more interesting. In my view in substantially fixes that issue we discussed before about all the various dead-ends gated by powers, because the map is huge and it would be a pain to go all the way back to them. Instead, typically you have a teleport that's maybe 3/4 of a zone away from them, so you just need to go some of the way back to them.

Anyway, from what you've said I really think you'd really like Hollow Knight. I'll be sure to check out Rondo of Blood as penance for insulting your family lineage :)