I'm super hyped for Split Fiction and liked what they showed! Had to wait til the end of the day to see much though. Few other games I'll keep an eye on for sure.

In a fight for attention and validation...what wins?

I agree, I love feeling the maker's intent behind so many different games, but I also get it

Was about to type this same sentiment!

My personal taste is - give me freedom or give me yellow paint. If I can't pull off some chaotic platforming shenanigans, just tell me where you wanted me to go. I love creative navigation and don't care much for skill tests around it.

It's not a bad stand-in! Especially if navigation is desired to be an inevitability, rather than a core skill expression. The tough thing is that the more common the experience is, the less fresh it feels. 'Sonar blipping / sensing' and 'yellow paint' are really effective tools!

Navigation in general feels like its in a weird spot, trying to balance constant attention-gripping pace with large, dynamic, and deeply complex environments. I'm curious what the next 'Breath of the Wild' sized step forward will look like.

Seconds as a goal here doesn't sit right - I expect that goal is very different across player motivations (as evidenced by character self talk). In God of War, Kratos telling me an answer I had just about puzzled my way to, was deflating. Some want to be pushed, some pulled, some left to meander.

I hope Stellar Blade counts as a cozy game