Cool list! I like the terms -- "metroidbrainia" just tickles my funny bone

I'm not sure Heaven's Vault quite qualifies -- it hurdles you towards the ending regardless of how much or little you learn. Of course, what you know of the plot and the characters varies wildly based on this metric, but I would not say the game is "gated."

thanks for the comment. i haven't played heaven's vault myself (i own it, have yet to get around it) but from both suggestions and my own understanding of it, the "gating" itself being unlocked is the story in this case, which can be taken on non-linearly. that's stretching out the meaning behind the term being used, and can be certainly argued whether or not it really belongs with the rest here, but i don't think it falls too far from the tree so as to remove it yet.

i'll give it a good thought once i eventually get to it, since i want this list to focus purely on myst-likes, or at least games where new learnings can recontextualize previous findings ingame. that's the exact feeling i'm chasing.