Horizon Forbidden West is the latest AAA game to realize players aren’t idiots who immediately need puzzles explained to them
Horizon forbidden west: Burning Shores players were quick to realize that Aloy is a lot less talkative in the puzzle sections of the DLC, and they were just as quick to celebrate because constant puzzle spoilers in the main game were really annoying.
This is partly due to the fact that there are fewer puzzles in Burning Shores, although the DLC patch notes don’t mention this change. But it seems like other PlayStation Studios hits God of War: Ragnarok Before that, Horizon Forbidden West intentionally gave players more time to solve puzzles on their own.
Reddit user Petran1420 (opens in new tab) says it best: “Honestly, there were a couple of times it would take me like 45 seconds to figure out how to progress in a platform area or building with electrical issues, and it wasn’t until after I was done that I realized, ‘Hey , Aloy did ‘don’t tell me what to do right away, that was pretty nice.'”
“I noticed that too,” adds Animator_K7 (opens in new tab). “I got stuck on one of the steps in the Gildun quest. But that’s okay, I finally figured it out. I appreciated the change.”
In fact, how nice it is that a game doesn’t ask a question in the form of a puzzle only to cut you off the second you start answering that question. How refreshing that you respect your intelligence and agency as a player and have the opportunity to engage with puzzles in a meaningful and satisfying way. bitter, me?
See, I generally like puzzle hints. If I’ve been staring at a cave wall for 15 minutes without making any progress, I have no problem with a character sharing an indirect suggestion. life is too short you know This type of support can smooth out a potentially frustrating bump and can be a huge boon to players who are struggling with puzzles for one reason or another (timing, visibility, etc.). I think puzzle hints are best when treated like a setting – something you can tweak as needed or just turn on. A comment by Redditor Pheoenix_Wolf (opens in new tab) shows this in a helpful way:
“I didn’t really like the change. Note that I go blind and have trouble seeing things when they are high in the air or in a dark corner. These hints, which may have annoyed you, were the reason I was able to play the game on my own, without the help of my siblings.”
That being said, every cell in my body rejects the disturbingly dominant notion – particularly in broad-based action-adventure games – that puzzles should be explained simply from the start. God of War: Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West aren’t the first offenders here, but they may be the worst and most prominent AAA offenders of the past year. I swear sometimes the characters in these games spoil environmental puzzles before you can feasibly identify all the pieces. I like puzzles, video games and I want to have fun your Puzzle. Please let me.
Turns out those were Ragnarok’s outrageous puzzle spoilers a total oversight that was only reported after launch.