Ubisoft has dredged up some discourse from earlier in 2024, the always-contentious topic of the yellow paint developers sometimes splash in game worlds to help guide lost gamers, and keep them on the golden path. In an interesting twist, the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws will allow players to do without the virtual hand-holding, removing any and all acrylic-based guidance if the player should so wish.
In all fairness, the yellow paint that players often dunk on is usually put in place by developers in response to playtesting and feedback, but it's hard not to notice. As confirmed by PC Gamer, in Outlaws, players will be able to play in what is called "Explorer Mode," which turns off "guiding colour on core navigational elements" throughout the world. We'll certainly be checking it out, and it's a pretty cool option to include, even if it is likely to involve a little frustration after taking the yellow paint for granted for so long.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth brought the yellow paint discussion back into vogue earlier this year, and so it's nice to see a developer address this visual nitpick head-on. It remains to be seen how many players will find themselves shamefacedly turning the paint back on in order to progress, data which we desperately hope Ubisoft releases someday.