fans of BOTW and ER act like a map not telling you where to go is some kind of amazing revolutionary thing
That has to do with
game design, not the actual living breathing open world. For that, Horizon Forbidden West is unmatched.
Also... literally every single open world game gives you freedom of choice. Thats the whole point of the genre. You can turn off the icons on the map in shit like Horizon, Ass Creed, etc. Who cares.
I'm putting one in the chamber for HFW. There has never been an Open World game as dense and beautifully crafted, with so much love and actual TALENT put into it at every single inch. It has better combat than both, incredible machine designs, by far the best weather system in an open world game, is the best looking video game ever released, has the best side quests in gaming, has the best presentation in an open world game, raises the bar for NPCs and side quests. Has a shit ton of weapons, excellent enemy variety. The world looks different as you progress through the story and if you visit the same places they look different over time. The locations are fucking beautiful and have plenty of variety. Has the GOAT art design-to- pretty graphics ratio. Sense of exploration is fantastic.
Something as simple as seeing a giant machine in the distance, and deciding to get closer to it as the sun sets with nice music playing is majestic because of how much better this game does sunsets than everyone else. My own video, no corporate shit.
Something as basic and simple as walking through some bushes, which then turn into a desert environment so seamlessly - all with a randomly generated sandstorm. atmosphere baby B) You can do this in BOTW, but it looks like a PS2 game. So who cares.
Gliding off a mountain into the misty forest with flying machines in the distance.
climbing said mountains only to find a hidden section with 2 giant as fuck machines way below you that you thought were only part of the main story missons
all the combat is legit. And have actual visual flair and spectacle. Brings the world to LIFE.
Im 70 hours in with just over half the map unveiled. Theres nothing else like it. Still finding new machines in every corner. Still finding hidden locations, still finding new weapons, new environments. shit is hella underrated. the best.