Have you noticed video games changing in this way?

Warning: Skyward Sword spoilers below!

I am playing Skyward Sword and I am loving it, but I have noticed that it, like many recent video games, always seems to spell things out for the player very clearly, making it rather unchallenging.

I first noticed this phenomenon in Super Mario Galaxy, which I also love. But it seems the path you’re supposed to follow is quite linear. There are hardly any challenging puzzles or moments where you wonder where you should go next. Very much in contrast to Super Mario 64, there is no need to explore in order to be successful – just follow the path they lay out in front of you.

Skyward sword isn’t quite as big of an offender, but in comparison to Ocarina of Time everything seems so damn obvious. For example, here is an example of a stone tablet clue in Ocarina of Time:

“Giant dead Dodongo…when it sees red, a new way to go will be open.”

And in Skyward Sword:

“Bring light to each statue in accordance with the number of wings each possesses, from least to most.” In a room with multiple bird statues with different numbers of wings. Not to mention Fi is popping out every two seconds to advise you on how to proceed. Spell it right out for us, why don’t you?

Why do you think game makers have moved this way? Do they have less faith in the intelligence of the latest generation of gamers? I’m really enjoying Skyward Sword, but I have to say I miss the challenge the older games presented!