10 Open World Game Tropes We NEVER Want To See Again

By their nature, open-world games are frequently packed with things to keep track of, including (but not limited to) main objectives, side gigs, fast travel points, procedurally generated errands, vendors, properties, and so on and so forth.

In theory, it makes perfect sense to display these opportunities on the world map so that players can see precisely what’s available and what the best ways are for getting to those destinations.

In practice, though, numerous open-world overviews – such as those in Cyberpunk 2077, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and every Far Cry entry – become so cluttered that they’re rendered incomprehensible and intimidating.

Not only does this practice make it difficult to discern what’s happening on the map, but it can even lead to analysis paralysis, that is, being unable to choose from an overwhelming number of options.

Yes, it’s often possible to turn off specific marker categories so that people are shown only what’s important to them, but those settings can reset every time the world map is closed (which is downright annoying).

More innovative genre titles, such as Ghost of Tsushima, have pioneered novel ways of guiding players to different points of interest, deploying environmental clues and even the geography of the world itself to avoid HUD and map clutter. This ultimately makes for a more immersive and well-paced experience, as players are less concerned with getting from A to B and get to chart their own path through the world, appreciating scenery and encountering emergent narratives along the way.