Bioware's level design has always been tunnel syndrome. That's how they design their games. It just seems in DAI they have more diverging paths that are more open with lots of artificial barriers. I think Bioware designs their levels like that to not confuse players who are on a direct story path. It's a big improvement in DAI but still seems to need work, IMO. Level design is one of Bioware's weakest points in their games to me. I'm not complaining though because it looks way better than the previous games. It's also possible that this is just an enclosed region compared to others. Remember, the desert they showed over a year ago was much more open. I'd imagine some regions are naturally bigger and others much more enclosed like this.
Honestly, I just want to be wowed by the landscape. I want travel to take time and be meandering. I want vistas to come up out of nowhere, and I want to be able to stop and say, "I wonder if I can see more from that spot up there", and then get to that spot and there actually be a great view.
I'm very wary of the 'zoned' areas, but considering Frostbite should allow for much more flexibility in how they do it, I'm optimistic.
The one thing I'm not worried about is map density. If anyone's played the new BF4 DLC map Pearl Market, they know this engine allows for a LOT of complexity, item placement, and multi-level construction.