The minimap has got to go

The ever-growing number of open-world role-playing games are almost impossible to master without help. That’s why developer studios provide us with maps, including the minimap, which is usually placed in a corner of the interface. It’s a useful tool for getting around. But over time, it’s evolved from a metaphorical training wheel to a self-driving electric car with a heads-up display. It’s too convenient and provides too much information. I rely on it completely instead of engaging with the world.

This problem is most evident in games such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Grand Theft Auto V and Cyberpunk 2077. They all provide a minimap crammed full of information: houses, traders, enemies and resources are all marked. But a different feature trumps all others. If I place a marker on the large world map, the minimap shows me a direct route to my destination. All I have to do is move my character along the (dotted) line.

I’m constantly squinting at the edge of the screen as I travel through Nilfgaard, Los Santos or Night City. Meanwhile, the game world passes me by. Shame, they’re all impressive games taking place in imaginative, picturesque and immersive environments. But how am I supposed to get immersed in a world if I spend most of my time staring at a UI element? The minimap is too useful to ignore.

Alternative 1: a compass

The most common alternative to a minimap is a compass. It’s traditionally located in the top centre of the screen and shows the direction of the target in games such as The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Fallout 76 or Batman: Arkham Knight. But I still have to figure out the exact route myself.

The compass isn’t perfect. It demands more attention the closer I get to my destination. Instead of picking up clues from the game world in the last few metres, I beeline straight towards the icon on my compass until I arrive. Here, too, I’m more concerned with an interface element than with the world.

Alternative 2: guided by nature

Ghost of Tsushima and Shadow of Colossus offer creative alternatives to the minimap or a compass. If I mark a target in Ghost of Tsushima, the visible wind blows in the corresponding direction. Directions are seamlessly integrated into the game world and I’m forced to interact with them. However, if I stray from the path, protagonist Jin Sakai can summon a gust of wind to point me in the right direction.

Wander, the main character in Shadow of Colossus, can hold his sword in the sunlight to navigate. A beam of light then shines from his sword in the direction of the target. This solution also draws my attention to the game instead of the screen edge.

Alternative 3: pick up an actual map

Wind and sunrays are ways of bypassing the map almost completely. But what if navigation is a core mechanic in a game? The pirate game Sea of Thieves solves it this way: there’s only one map and it isn’t in the main menu, but on a table below deck. On it, I can see the position of my ship. If I find a treasure map, it’ll show an island that I have to find based on its shape. Then I navigate to my destination using a spyglass, compass and crow’s nest. All three are in-game items that my pirate has to pick up.

Zombie survival game DayZ also dispenses with a minimap. Initially, I only have signposts, place names, landmarks and the sun to guide me. I first have to find a map of the game world and a compass, both in-game items.

What convinces me most about the approaches in Sea of Thieves and DayZ is that they don’t take me out of the game. The world goes on, the music isn’t interrupted, enemies use the distraction to attack me. The map as an item increases immersion and adds an interesting element to a game. Finding your way with a map and compass can be fun. And once you get the hang of it, the reward at the end feels more like an achievement rather than a dopamine kick placed by the developer.

Alternative 4: show me the bird

Studying maps isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, which is why I’m happy about the middle ground that the latest Assassin’s Creed game offers.

I quickly switched off the minimap in Mirage. As in some of its predecessors, Ubisoft provides a flying companion to support me – or it can simply rest on my forearm. At the touch of a button, I seamlessly switch to the actual bird’s-eye view of my eagle Enkidu, sailing faithfully above protagonist Basim. Enkidu quickly gives me an overview of Baghdad. It shows where my next victim is and how patrols are moving. And not as icons like on a minimap, but as people made of flesh and blood.

Mirage also benefits from the fact that Basim can use Eagle Vision. It marks enemies, chests and targets in the vicinity of the assassin. This combination of eagle and Eagle Vision works perfectly. I never miss the minimap and I rarely use the large world map.

The catch: in particularly large game worlds, a bird’s-eye view reaches its limits. Other Assassin’s Creed worlds such as England (Valhalla) or Greece (Odyssey) are already too big for a bird to survey. There, a map is almost indispensable.

But Baghdad, the setting in Mirage, is compact. The many towers, landmarks and above all the round city in the centre stand out and help with navigation.

Trust me

Enkidu turns the chore of navigating into an experience. Instead of tearing me away from the world, the eagle grants me a breathtaking view. The world doesn’t stand still here either. More than once, a sabre in my side brings me back down to earth. Literally, because a guard has recognised Basim as an assassin. But that also makes the game more exciting.

Instead of just following a dotted line, I prefer to take navigation into my own hands. In future, I’ll switch off the minimap more often. Turns out you can do without it.