This is how games used to do it, until the 7th gen and the "broader audience" started becoming the priority. Regenerating health, collectibles, silly trophies and achievements showed up at pretty much the same time, it's almost as if gaming in general has been diluted by the Xbox and PS brand throughout more than a decade. But that can't be right, they'z 'ardcoar!

I think it should be optional. In general I think everything in open world games should be optional. I dont like when a game -thats supposed to be about freedom- forces you to play in certains ways, be it Witcher or BOTW. I dont like it when it gives you all the info right away, easily breaks your weapons to demerit their gameplay value or makes you follow specific paths and not give you freedom of choice to find your own.

It's a metroidvania like Arkham Asylum, which is open but not open world sandbox (skyrim, the witcher, fallout) those maps are big and they need markers because of that, Zelda handles this differently cause the world is big and the envoriment is your hint.

No I like wandering around with purpose.

horizon has large circles not exact locations

I agree. Handholding in games wich are suposed to be open and free is kind of... contradictory. I

just like the witcher 3, large circles and when you're there everything is obvious, you don't have to think what to do, just use your "witcher senses". This is not bad, it's the basic and normal formula for open worlds, a genre that I love. But more games should try stuff like breath of the wild or maybe something new where you feel like you're part of the world and not doing a video game quest.

well you're either describing the section of the map or showing it.  I don't see much difference there.  They don't highlight stuff in Horizon too much as I had to search a fair amount for some collectibles.  Are the villages and landmarks labeled in Zelda

what?  First of all don't lump PS and Xbox together.  Second of all Sony has had games like Resistance 3 and GoW which got rid of health packs and 2 weapon limits and such.  Also also what do collectibles and trophies have to do with difficulty?  If anything trophies have made me challenge myself more!  Hell Sony even published Demon's Souls which kicked off the hardest modern gaming blockbuster (and also published bloodborne)

I'd be fine if it was a toggle so people could play either way.