Hob

One of the most beautiful and memorable games you've never heard of. The original creators of Diablo made an isometric Zelda-like and it's every bit as good as that sounds.

This is a pretty game but dont mistake this to be like a zelda game. Yes, people call it zelda-LIKE and it kinda is but if zelda was more about the puzzles and less about the fighting. there's also a bit of backtracking but the game does marks things on the map so you have an idea where to find stuff later. During gameplay you can find sword bits, life parts, mp parts, and currency (for abilities and outfits you find). The story is told without intelligible dialog (some things make noises) so it's mainly told though character actions, wall pictographs, and a bit of interpretation.
my thoughts about the story (not a spoiler): I feel the game is saying technology can't coexist with nature or they are just naturally at war. I feel this is fundamentally wrong. Yes, most of OUR tech is anti-nature but we also have some that isn't. I also feel using to much anti-nature tech leads to a dead end for that species (like a skill check). If that's what the devs are saying that is fine (it's their game) and anything that gets people thinking/talking about this subject is good.

I cannot recommend this game enough. It is very much more puzzle oriented than hack and slash. The dialogue is some of the best I've ever experienced. There are no tips, which especially for puzzle games is incredibly refreshing. FITFO at its purist. The levels are flawlessly designed to include enabling shortcuts to prevent repetition. The environment is dynamic and engaging/engageable. Exploration pays off, even accidentally. Lastly, it flows. There never seems to be a stopping point and you can quickly lose yourself in the game, yet with the significant amount of autosaves, you can stop and pick up whenever. Highly recommended.

This game is the definition of a hidden gem, everyone should know about for all kinds of reasons and yet if is completely forgotten. For it has an absolutely gorgeous cell shaded art style and pretty much everything looks incredible. It is essentially a 3D metroitvania, a 3D plarformer, a puzzle game and it even has some sweet combat. The result is a beautiful adventure that is in many ways one of a kind.

Absolutely love this game!
I wanted to replay it on Steam Deck, but unfortunately, it lags even on the lowest graphics settings (especially sad that the studio has closed, so I don’t think we’ll ever see a patch for Steam Deck support) I ended up playing HOB on Switch. They released the Definitive Edition there, which includes collectible concept art, that I adore!
The game is still beautiful and fun to play! For everyone who likes search on the every corner for all the secrets - it's a great little open world game, with no hard puzzles or battles at all, but with beautiful mysterious, transforming world, where you'll find no dialogues, but yet, there're a whole story!

Underrated game. A relic that actually reminds you of what a game is supposed to be like. Sort of lacks a modern game's polish tho.

In the end, yes I liked it, though I did bother not to 100% it. Combat is very simplistic, so don't bother playing on higher difficulties, it's just not worth it and does not add anything, since you just respawn and carry on where you left off.
The camera _always_ shows you what you need to know to proceed. If you don't find a path _you_ did no pay attention. Though there is some backtracking, esp. until you get the only ability that matters - the grappling hook.
The game marvels with visual storytelling and ambient, so if you don't appreciate curious exploration, this game is not for you. The game also lacks some enemy variety but natural environmental puzzles makes up for it. Luckily the number of jumping puzzles is very low, too. It never really overburdens you with anything and has a rather relaxing pace, so don"t worry, except for some (optional) sword upgrades you cannot miss anything important.
It took me 1 or 2 hours to get into the mood but then I was hooked to exploring this world.