That's why I hate open-world 3D games, they always end up with the same unclear direction in which the game is supposed to go, lack of people and resources to add updates regularly and reliably, and no real details about the game itself.
For example, what's the point of adding an open world when 90% of the game time we spend underground, what's the point of adding a mount when there are no areas to really test it properly, the only things I can find are clothes and comics (best part of the game right now)
Crafting, alchemy, magic, skill tree, statistics, skills, equipment, characters, different terrains, weather, day and night, fauna, these are the first things that come to my mind when I ask myself the question "open world game"
Don't get me wrong, I don't expect The Witcher level from this game, in fact I don't expect that from any game on this site.
But for the love of God, why do creators force open worlds, thus making their work and time more difficult.
You are behind the wheel of the car and YOU decide where your car will go, it may take you to a great place, but if you don't have a clearly defined goal of where you want to go, you will be disappointed in the end.
The game has around 2-4 hours of real gameplay and weighs over 15 GB, you cannot repeat scenes from the gallery.
Here's an example of Carnal Instict, a great game by the standards of this forum, updates are regular, several people work on it, content is added every 3 months, the game weighs only a few GB instead of 15, and yet it has equipment, cosmetics, clothes, npc, large area and also OPEN-WORLD.
Let me emphasize, don't get me wrong, the game has a good overall atmosphere and vibe, but looking at this game and many others that have disappointed me, we will either receive random updates with random content like in Wild Life for years, or it will be abandoned after some time.
Because that's what happens with games when you don't have a clearly defined direction and schedule.
I'm not an expert, but if I were him, I would remove half of the unnecessary, empty, unused map and space and I would add more space, places and areas only for new content instead of just for the sake of them, I would also try to make these areas different, namely in terms of climate, fauna, vibe, maybe even music and lighting.
Reduce the ocean with fog( a magic evil fog), add interesting things and Easter eggs, including fauna, plants, animals (our heroine has to eat, after all...), the weather, maybe some small tent? campfire? garden? farm? maybe add a bit of survival?
These are just bits and pieces of loose thoughts, after all it's not my game, but seriously you can't create a good game with just a dick.
In any case I wish the best for the game and I hope somehow the dev will saw It.