I don´t think so, you can very much keep the rings as guidance/checkpoints. I meant you can go absolutely ham with the levels because of the freedom. For example, the grand canyon level doesn´t feel like grand canyon. It feels puny and flat, one could imagine having this massive ravine that you fly through, up and down, maybe with a section of cave inbetween and overhangs to dodge and whatnot, and then possibly circle back to the start point through the air. Right now it often feels like you just kind of fly through a bunch of rings floating about in the area. You don´t need assets, just use placeholders and a bunch of cubes to block it out.
