Should it be considered hand holding if a game gives you what you need?
The Legend of Zelda series (at least from A Link to the Past to the present) is a prime example of this device.
You're in the room before the boss in the dungeon where you found the bow, but you're out of arrows. No problem, enemies drop arrows, or the friendly pots hide them within.
Or you're in the room before the one that houses the Trinexx fight in Turtle Rock in A Link to the Past, but are almost out of magic. No worries, the skulls dotting the room in lieu of pots can be broken to find a few magic jars.
Is this sort of set up tantamount to a game saying "Hey, you'll need to use this item on this boss"?
And if it is, what about areas like the outside of Hyrule Castle in The Wind Waker, where you can find all manner of items in the grass? Do places like that suggest anything about what's to come, or are they just benevolent zones?
Whatever your answer to these questions is, I think that this sort of level design should be used instead of the tutorials found in most modern games. Some things merit a little extra explanation, but if you find item x (or ammunition for item x) outside of boss room (or puzzle room) y, then that should be clue enough as to what to do up ahead - no Navi-esque companions necessary.
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