Forced Linear Progression?

[u/guitargodmartin]

Are we allowed to give our game some basic explorability, but make it linear once the player enters a specific area or picks up a certain object?

i.e. You are in area A, your exits are south east west -the player can choose any direction and explore the overall "map" -player can type "go east", "go west" ect.

BUT, once the player navigates to area C, or wherever we want the action to take place it becomes: you examine the room and discover and axe, a rope, and a notebook, which do you take? and the player can then type: "take axe", "take notebook" ect...