It's funny, I read that some Ubi devs were bashing their quest design, yet this is pretty much exactly how they'd go about things.
Sometimes it's annoying to have to use a guide to compete certain objectives, especially NPC quests, but I'll choose From's method over Ubi's "go here" UI vomit/quest design anytime.
I'm sure there can be a happy medium, as I do love a good story/cut scene-driven game too, but I adore having to find our way around the world From-style. It's crazy how they can invest so much time and resources into levels/quests that aren't expected to be found. It makes finding them so much more magical.
It always takes me back to the first Zelda game. I didn't know what the fuck was going on, but it was one hell of and adventure
I still fall for them. I’m probably 2/254 at this point.
One time I saw a sign that said "liar ahead". The message in front of that said "secret wall". There was, in fact, a secret wall. I probably would have swung at it regardless, but because of that one message, it's not even an option now.