Level designer Thomas Mahler, known for Ori and No Rest for the Wicked, warns that a huge open world can become the "curse" of the game. In his opinion, the delight in "endless expanses" is alarming, because in the industry, large size is almost always accompanied by superficial gameplay.
Mahler notes that creating a meaningful territory of this size requires an entire army of people, not just algorithms. Without this, players risk getting a "procedurally generated empty shell." Even Nintendo with Breath of the Wild faced the problem of filling the world with content, often resorting to repetitive activities like collecting Korok seeds.
"Be careful what you wish for," Mahler warns. He emphasizes that without full interactivity of every meter, the player will quickly get tired of a long walk through the digital wastelands.
At the same time, the expert notes that the game is visually impressive and it will be interesting to see how Pearl Abyss copes with the scale.