What if the open-world scale hurts the RPG experience?

[EthanL]

Okay, so I’ve been seeing all these rumors about the new open-world fantasy RPG that’s supposedly in development. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check, but I keep wondering if anyone else feels like the sheer scale they’re hinting at might actually work against it? I remember getting lost and a bit overwhelmed in some other massive games, where it felt more like a checklist than an adventure.

[Samuel.M]

I feel that tug too. open-world scale is intoxicating, but it can drown you if you’re wandering between waypoint dots. I want a sense of purpose in the wandering, not a never-ending checklist.

[EdwardB]

Scale can work if the world breathes: varied biomes, living NPCs with routines, and consequences that ripple back to your choices. otherwise the open-world becomes an empty map punctuated by fast-travel icons.

[Jacob_H]

When I hear open-world hype, I picture endless forests and floating islands, but maybe they’re aiming for a tight web of interconnected zones that force different routes.

[Stella92]

Rumors aside, maybe the real issue isn’t scale. open-world framing asks if one game can deliver epic exploration and tight storytelling. maybe that’s the wrong question—the world could support multiple modes of play, not a single answer.

[AuroraWG]

Maybe the issue isn’t scale but pacing. If the game uses micro-quests and tight hubs to tell a bigger story, the open-world scale becomes a feature of storytelling, not a distraction.

[MarkR]

As a writer, I’d watch for emergent gameplay—moments where you improvise around a problem. open-world design that leans on chance and contact with the world can feel alive without being a map of empty space.

[MadisonUW]

I usually prefer smaller arcs that loop back to a personal goal; big open-world fatigue is real, but a game that blends intimate moments inside a vast world could work.