This kind of situation is what ultimately turned me off roleplaying games and is the reason why I no longer play actively more often than once or twice a year.
My players always claimed that they hated railroad campaigns and loved sandboxes but when it came to actually playing, they always felt lost and overwhelmed in sandbox campaigns and perfectly comfortable and happy in the most railroady campaigns.
That's not low-magic, though, is it? That's just a question of power levels.
So would you say that until 5e, magic shops were one of the defining features of the worlds you are referring to?
What do you mean? 5e is not low-magic at all. There are only three classes in the entire game that don't cast spells (and you can even pick magic-flavored subclasses for them)
Ah, alright. Then yes, I guess it's relatively easy. I think other systems are better at conveying the feel of a low-magic setting, but I can see why someone would want to use D&D instead.