Can't do an open world? I'm not buying it

[Flying Arrow]

I always found it cool that the whole world was built around one road and you could traverse it in under an hour.

Oh, FFX.

Somewhat related question: Does the camera turn around to face the opposite direction if the player is running back from where he came (say you want to go back to Besaid from some later point on the map). Do you just have to watch Tidus running at you as the camera pans back or does the game change perspective? My immediate memory says that it doesn't.