Which I find has such incredible atmosphere and charm that it is actually fun to play and explore the setting.

I get the feeling they were going for a kaufmann sort of thing from silent hill 1
but in that game all the elements are there as part of the natural progression and exploration of new areas, you just need to actually look around and follow the hints to stumble onto it.

and like I said, the puzzle elements being spread so far apart make connecting the dots even harder.

there is a puzzle in the first game that requires you to heal someone by going into the other world... but that puzzle is a required progression one set in a self contained small area with all you need found within it.
There is NOTHING in 2 that even hints this is a possibility for new players

And because it still baffles me, for those that are curious
the outright spelled out spoiler version:
You gotta bandage someone who got cut on their neck with duckt tape (obtained on the other side of the map) by going into the other world and backtracking to the room they are at to use it on a doll

In incredibly vague terms (like, deliberately being extra vague)

You have to use flex tape to fix a leak... that could reasonably be fixed with other stuff in your inventory, but you have to do it in the most backwards way possible.

And I am saying that as someone who played 1 and 2 back to back and still missed it
Hell, the vast majority of players might STILL miss it since one of the required items involves backtracking all the way to the first area, so from distance alone players might not realize that is where the item goes

I... was talking about it art wise

they should delay the game a couple more years to remove this goober. I'll wait. I'm not even kidding.

What possessed them to give fucking. -Samus Aran- an annoying sidekick that doesn't shut the fuck up. I need to know who's idea this was

there aint nothing ugly aobut him
and man, one day I'ma figure out how to do hair like that, its absolutely what I aim for with my pubes XD