Linear Game Structure

So if you were unaware originally I was kind of planning to make Wrapturous Adventure sort of a Metroidvania-style/Resident Evil design game as in the game would be one giant level with connecting areas and such. Part of the reason I stuck with this idea for so long was probably that, when the game was originally planned as a side-scroller I looked at a lot of side-scrolling horror games as inspiration and they were like Resident Evil. Now of course things have changed such as the new movement system, and I experiment and thought of how I can make this level layout work with a character that is very limited and not becoming long and tedious, and finally, I realized that kind of level design might not be the best at giving the maximum potential for this kind of game when it comes to both gameplay, storytelling, and even content for supporters.

So now I relooking at some other games that I looked for inspiration such as the horror game Little Nightmares and also looking at some puzzle games like Portal. I see that the game will work best in a more Linear structure with a bunch of small areas that present their own puzzles and obstacles that the player needs to overcome to progress to the next level. 

Going by this level structure nets me with some positives, not just for me, but you and my other supporters as well.

1 - It's a lot easier for me to plan and set up many small areas rather than trying to make one massive area. In both managing coding systems and layout design.

2 - It gives a more structural reason for the enemies in the game. Such as instead of characters just walking in cycles and popping into random areas. Now they can be shown doing an activity/task in one set of areas and as you progress to the next set of areas you'll find them doing a new activity/task that you have to avoid.

3 - This removes the issue of backtracking and tedium, and players get more feelings of accomplishment from completing small levels instead of slowly trying to complete one massive one.

4 - Cause the game might have more puzzle focus, this requires a lot of playtesting from many players so now I have an even more incentive to make test builds for my supporters.

5 - Lastly it is much easier to make test builds with this setup. instead of trying to figure out how I can take a tiny piece of a massive level to give to supporters, I can just send the entire small level instead for testing.

Of course, I can still place in some backtracking elements maybe for unlockables and such, but other than that I think this linear structure is the right direction for this game.

If you have any questions or opinions on this, please be free to comment.