some of my favorite games made me slightly embarrassed at how long i wandered before figuring things out. but there’s a point where confusion just turns into friction for no good reason.
i keep wondering where people draw that line between discovery and respect for the player’s time. what’s a game you think got this balance exactly right?
the “good lost” feeling for me is when you can spot the mountain/clocktower/whatever and you’re basically doing a little Zelda breadcrumb hunt to get there, not just spinning the camera like a confused Roomba.
as for balance: Outer Wilds nailed it for me. you’re never really hand-held, but the ship log is just enough “respect my time” that you don’t have to re-solve the same mystery every session.
I always think of it like audio gain staging: give me a quiet hint first, then turn it up only if I’m clearly stuck.
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