In truth, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was probably the first game to pull me into this genre (even if it has a top-down world map to explore). Unlike the Super Mario or Ninja Gaiden games on the NES where I first built my video game skills, A Link to the Past allowed for more patient exploration while still including precision platforming and a variety of combat techniques. It also gave a sense of growth in power as Link found new abilities to tackle the many challenges he faced.
Lately, I've found myself immersed in Metroidvania games again. I just recently finished the indie hit Hollow Knight (I put a review in my reviews section), and have now started on the new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The story and combat in both are interesting, but it's the exploration and growing abilities that really pull me in. I really appreciate the mapping feature that these games now include. They make the games much easier to pick up again if I leave them for a bit ... not that I want to put the controller down. There's always one more thing that I need to check.