As a long time fan of the series and having played each one, I don't really mind having to explore more often than past titles. It's like this article said, it's supposed to instill a feeling of wonder and mystery about the world as you explore possible points of interest that have been revealed through synchronization. You can barely compare the new open world design to any other assassin's creed game where you come to a region and every little encampment or legendary chest is already marked for you after synchronization. It almost becomes more of a chore when you feel the need to clear an entire section of the map you just unveiled before you feel like cont🦂inuing the story (Assassin's Creed Unity is a big one that comes to mind here). There's also no incentive to go back to a certain area once you've already cleared the entire region, unless༺ it's for resource farming in the older titles.