A large portion of the game's appeal is discovery. Thinking, "I wonder if this will work" and being in absolute disbelief when your crazy idea actually pays off. The feeling of uncertainty and the wonder of seeing something new.
While playing, if you see something that catches your eye, go there. You might be surprised by what you find. You see a place you've never been? Go there. You may find something useful. Even a hundred plus hours later, you'll still be discovering new things--IF you trust yourself as a gamer. And you'll marvel at how good you've become with your skills. The same stuff you do at the end of the game will be the same things you had the ability to do at the end of the game (minus a few gifts). You just didn't know you could do them.
And that's the magic of this game. We all want you to have the joy that we had back when we played it but, by telling you too much, we may be robbing you of that sense of discovery.
