I only played the first island so far but I will probably like this feature. I’m always reluctant to use fast travel in games as it always feels like cheating to me for some reason. So I’m down with a compromise where fast travel exists but doesn’t feel like I’m just zapping around the map to hoover up icons.
I also like the approach to map icons where you have to discover each one individually. That way each waypoint feels earned rather than short-cutty.
I feel like this game has loads of elegant compromises where they didn’t have to jettison too much of the Ubi formula but just iterated to minimize the common complaints. And a new series/tone/game-world is quite welcome and honestly overdue. Thumbs up.