I think I have a real problem with linear bottlenecks in games with a vast amount of (currently accessible) locations.
Things like “you have to do x” to be able to progress, because “X” is required for some narrative purpose, and until that area of the narrative is uncovered, then everything else is blocked, often for completely arbitrary reasons.
Now if “X” is clearly signposted, like, “gain access to a cave”, get money for the bus, and if you have several ways to discover your current goal, then it’s exponentially less annoying.
It’s even less satisfying when the game isn’t waiting for a creative act (such as figuring how to solve a puzzle), but waiting for something silly (talking to the landlord of a pub a second time).
The game is essentially paused pending a mind-read of the author.
I find that the most interesting games are one with:
- A small pregame
- Distinct phases, with multiple puzzles that can be solved at any one time.
A good indicator of if your game is going to frustrate the player is if the puzzle dependency chart is mostly a linear straight line from top to bottom.
I think that Ron Gilbert’s blog on puzzle dependency charts puts it better than I possibly could: