Let's Get Sweaty wrote: If being "truly open world" means spending 40 minutes getting lost in an empty forest that serves no purpose beyond background detail, then I think I'll take this horribly restricted, suffocating exercise in claustrophobic torture and enjoy it all the same.
I still predict the game to be far more 'open world' than II and III, but I agree that there should be some restrictions. Ryo is athletic but he's no superhero. The ability to climb every mountain face, swim up every river, jump off water falls and cliff edges would take away Shenmue's sense of realism.
Saying that, it would still be nice to have
some optional exploration with a few Easter eggs chucked in for good measure.