According to the filing (which lists Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto as the inventor), when gamers attempt to perform particular actions in the game, a hint message appears that gives access to what is essentially an in-game cutscene that would show how to progress past a certain area. But gamers who want to play the game in full don't have to take the hints.
The impetus behind the system is to make gamers of all skill levels happy. It would prevent more casual players who find a game too time consuming or difficult from losing interest in a game, while also allowing more skilled gamers (or those simply with more time) to play the game as fully intended.
The patent, filed June 30, 2008 but listed this week, indicates that Nintendo simply wants everyone who buys a game to have the ability to finish it.
Gamers would also have the option of starting from somewhere in the middle of the game via predetermined save points. However, if a game is started from one of these points, players would not be able to save the game.
Hint data could be included on the game disc, or it could be received via a connected server in order to save on-disc space.
In addition, hint data could become available if the time a player has spent on a certain action exceeds a predetermined value. In other words, the computer will throw you a bone if you've been stuck on a particular puzzle for x amount of minutes or hours.
The filing falls in line with Nintendo's strategy of appealing to all types of gamers. With the Wii, the mass market pick-up-and-play crowd has welcomed the accessibility of Nintendo offerings, but some pockets of the core audience have lamented the lack of challenge in some titles.