This I think sums up the problem with modern game design. That's the design philosphy of most "dumbed down" games and Naughty Dogs are masters of it, that they always want the player to feel in control.

They design each encounter so the player tends to naturally make the best choice, or they design an encounter so that you can approach it in many  different ways and they all work. The player feels good about himself, seldom frustrated.

To me this is deception and I always get a very artificial feeling when playing this kind of game.

Instead, classical masterpiece games like Half-Life 2, Thief, Deus Ex and Dark Souls didn't make the player always feel in complete control. You often made the wrong choice, you felt frustrated, it was challenging. And that's what made them great.

Like the demos they've showed for say the latest Hitman or Splinter Cell games. They show how you can approach each mission in three different ways - pure stealth, lethal stealth or guns blazing - and we're supposed to be sooooo impressed. But if the level is very consciously and cynically designed with all of this in mind, that the player will always feel in complete control, then the end result will feel artifical and not satisfactory.

The fact that you always feel in control, and that the encounters feel so immersive and lifelike thanks to the AI, doesn't mean that the game isn't challenging. Not in the slightest. Especially when you did not have any back up from companions. Playing on hard, without a proper plan, when you have more than 3 enemies at you, and just go and give it a try, you're dead. They will outsmart, outgun, or outnumber you in one way or another.

You certainly don't naturally come with the best choice, because there are so many variables. Very limited supply, ammo, etc., smart AI, usually outnumbered. You need to make a decision, whether it's worth of shooting and using ammo, or try your luck in melee, with a bigger chance of getting damaged. Using your shivs, to effectively kill an opponent, or save it for a Clicker, or a jammed lock. And you have to keep in mind that you may not find the items to craft them afterwards, when you will need them.

You have to be aware of the environment. Check where you can hide, or flee, when the situation gets heated. See whether you have a spare brick or a bottle when you run out of them during. You need to see where you can cover, so you can craft some things on the go, heal yourself using a health kit, and change your weapon , taking it from the backpack, all this, because it takes a lot of time, when you are in the middle of a battle.

That shows, that you only watched the game, not played it, cause all this "dumbed down" gameplay as you call it - accusation is invalid.

The fact that you always feel in control, and that the encounters feel so immersive and lifelike thanks to the AI, doesn't mean that the game isn't challenging. Not in the slightest. Especially when you did not have any back up from companions. Playing on hard, without a proper plan, when you have more than 3 enemies at you, and just go and give it a try, you're dead. They will outsmart, outgun, or outnumber you in one way or another.

You certainly don't naturally come with the best choice, because there are so many variables. Very limited supply, ammo, etc., smart AI, usually outnumbered. You need to make a decision, whether it's worth of shooting and using ammo, or try your luck in melee, with a bigger chance of getting damaged. Using your shivs, to effectively kill an opponent, or save it for a Clicker, or a jammed lock. And you have to keep in mind that you may not find the items to craft them afterwards, when you will need them.

You have to be aware of the environment. Check where you can hide, or flee, when the situation gets heated. See whether you have a spare brick or a bottle when you run out of them during. You need to see where you can cover, so you can craft some things on the go, heal yourself using a health kit, and change your weapon , taking it from the backpack, all this, because it takes a lot of time, when you are in the middle of a battle.

That shows, that you only watched the game, not played it, cause all this "dumbed down" gameplay as you call it - accusation is invalid.

No I haven't. I am tempted though because of all the praise and because my scepticism towards that praise.

I want to be proven wrong.

Exactly how much of the prompts and hints can be disabled? I love such a feature.

It certainly sounds like an intelligent and challenging game by your description, but I've heard the same stuff been said about Uncharted. And IMO the gameplay in Uncharted is mediocre at best.

The problem for me, is that it's the same people praising this game who also lifted Uncharted to the skies. People who often seem unable to distinguish gameplay from an emotionally engaging experience.

Yes I've watched it on YouTube. To me it seems there's an unnaturally easy and smooth flow when they play, even the people who play on Hard mode, they seem to always know the right way to handle situations, and they seldom die.

This to me suggests that the game is designed to make the player feel in complete control, that it subtly (but cynically) directs the player to always choose the optimal solution in each encounter and that it's too careful to protect the player from frustrations.