silent hazel
If I recall correctly Nikita at one point said that the player could just go to the final boss from the start sort of like Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, So maybe take a bit more inspiration from those titles.
Maybe each location has some sort of item that isn’t necessary but is helpful for the final boss, Maybe even have an option where befriending npc’s and doing a favor for them opens a more traversable path for the player and aids them in the final boss (This sort of happened with Jacob and the 8th episode of his favorite collection that he wanted, Where if the player gives the missing 8th episode to Jacob he’ll fix the lights on the path to the museum and open a new pathway for the player).