https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/qvzj45/open-world-games-finally-got-out-of-their-own-way-in-2017

The open world sandbox action adventure game has been the face of big budget video games for a decade. Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed, and Skyrim dominate the market and countless other games emulate their design. A minimap in the corner distracts the player from enjoying the carefully crafted open world while a huge map full of blinking activities keep them distracted in the menu. A chore-list populated by unfun make-work quests keeps them entertained. It’s started to wear thin.

Thank god for 2017, the year that open world games finally got out of their own way and started to do something different. Three games— Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins—showed the industry’s change of direction. They eschewed minimaps, traditional chore lists, and let players approach their worlds on their own terms. It was refreshing.