The exploration is part of why I love Snowrunner so much. You do end up spending a lot of time slowly working your way through mud, looking for anchor points and easier routes. It feels kinda like an “adventure metroidvania” where the challenge is learning how to navigate the world before giving you the tools to blast through.

I also recommend disabling any minimap in any game ever. Little dotted line syndrome is real and harms immersion

Also hard rec for Any Austin, one of my favorite recent discoveries!