Nintendo patents in-game assistance idea

Nintendo has filed a patent application in the US that could see you being assisted through tougher parts of levels by characters in the game.

Shigeru Miyamoto is behind the idea and its main purpose will be to save us all time bothering to become any good at a game, and simply show us where the secret door is instead of you know, actually bothering to work it out for ourselves.

"In some of these games, a volume of the story or the scenario is too large, and therefore a lot of time is needed for clearing the game," reads the patent application.

"Further, in some cases, various puzzles are set in the scenario... However, there is a problem that these puzzles and the like are too difficult, and therefore the game may be stuck halfway, and the game may not be cleared to the end."

"As means for solving the problem, disclosed is a game control method for lowering the difficulty level of a game by presenting, while the game is being played, a hint for allowing the game to be continued."

By Mike Bowden