Most of the new information is very reassuring, but I agree with these posts:
I don't remember much backtracking in DS other than to go to different areas that were connected to areas I had been to previously. I actually liked that a lot, it makes the level design appear to be more complex and more connected than just progressing in a straight line the entire time.
Learning how to traverse the interconnected world of Dark Souls, and figuring out how it all fits together in space was one of the most rewarding parts of the game for me (and one area where it greatly improves upon Demons'!). Giving the ability to warp too early might reduce the impact of that.Learning the way that the world in Dark Souls was interconnected was one of the more satisfying aspects. I probably wouldn't have understood it nearly as well if I could warp earlier on. I think it's cool how I can still remember exactly where everything is and how to get everywhere, which I realized when I was trying to explain how to get somewhere to someone a week or two ago. I guess we'll see.