all these retro style games that are like "NO tutorials NO handholding" apparently forgot about the little books that used to come with your game that detailed all the mechanics, controls, special moves, lore, maps, collectables, means of unlocking additional content, character bios, etc
i remember there were a few games that would even include what was essentially a walkthrough/strategy guide for the first level or two, i dont get what these retro devs are on lmao
hadnt actually considered that. much to think about
Can I add something else, tangentially related?
I always find it funny when people rage against difficulty options and accessibility features and the like, with the argument that "older games didn't have those either!"
Because it's like... yeah, you're technically right, they didn't have those. Know what a lot of games did have though?
Cheat codes.
How many games in the 80s, 90s, and even the 00s had built-in codes for shit like level skips, unlimited ammo, invincibility (IDDQD, anyone?) and such? Not to mention all those games that used a password system to save the game. I remember back when me, my sister, and my mom were struggling with the original Rayman (a notoriously hard game, despite the cutesy artstyle), and then one day, my dad showed us a list of level passwords he had found online, including one that let you go directly to the end credits!
And how many of those codes became iconic memes in themselves? I already mentioned IDDQD, the code for Godmode in the original Doom, but what about "JUSTIN BAILEY"? What about "Rosebud" and "Motherlode"? Naming your file "ZELDA" in the original Legend of Zelda? What about the goddamn Konami Code?
But no, as soon as you stop hiding these things from players in the form of special codes and button combos, and simply slap them in the main menu to toggle on off as you please, you suddenly "go against the spirit of the game" or whatever.
