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if you're really clever, you can put the "help" in the game itself as a diagetic system, such that players can stay within the world when they get stuck, and are less likely to look it up on the interwebs

the reason achievements are poison is because they tie the average person's conception of what the "complete" game content even *is* tied to a completely inflexible format; doing 100% of this exact list of things with no options or interpretation

If someone still wants to look stuff up, at that point let them? People wanna have fun on their own terms, don't have time for indepth puzzle solving, wanna cheat themselves out of a good game experience - whatever, their choice

That also said, statistically most players don't finish long games, let alone play them again. So they'll only ever see that one mode of play they grooved into, which doesn't often compare to a game focused on that play style.

You just have to trust that there are enough players that will meet the game where it is. It's the same accord that people who make puzzle games have- you *can* look up the answer to all the puzzles, but someone who buys a puzzle game isn't going to do that.

but answering your question, the best way to make sure that every player has a unique experience, is reducing the embedded narrative and creating a game with heavy interconnected systems, similar to what classic roguelikes or dwarf fortress do.

honestly to me the simplest solution is the best one, just put a disclaimer at the start that goes something like "for the recommended experience we advise to refrain from looking at guides or playthroughs" it gives a a direction to how it expects to be engaged with without interfering with contents

we need controllers that handcuff themselves to the players’ hands and prevent them from using phones

At the same time, there seems like a huge appetite for "I played this game with bizarre self-imposed restrictions!" videos Even if only .01% of players will actually play it like that, it's massive free marketing

I really don't see the issue. Some people will do that - and of that's how they wish to engage with a game, that's fine. Others will want to explore more organically. I do both, depending on the game.