I didn't realise how annoying I found main quests in RPGs until I played a game that didn't force one on me. That game is Wartales, an upcoming tactical open world game from the developers of Northgard, Shiro Games. It plonks you into a fairly mundane medieval world - in the sense that there' are no wizards's no magic, elves, or grand drama for you to fix - where you can just exist as mercenary doing as you please. It's coming out in early access at some point in the near future, and after having a go of the demo, I spoke to game director Nicolas Cannasse about why they chose to make a game that sets you free, rather than railroading you into some giant mission.
