Summary
Open-worldgamesare made to explore, and tend to be full of allies, enemies, and secrets waiting to be discovered by players. As opposed to linear games where players have a specific path they must adhere to to advance through the game, open-world titles allow for much more freedom. Sometimes it works,sometimes it doesn’t.
Most open-world games give players a few hints regarding where they must go next, or what they must do to progress through the story. But what about those open-world games where players have to discover the way forward with little guidance? These are someopen-world gamesthat leave players tofigure out most things on their own.
Set in the frozen wilderness of the Canadian North,The Long Darkis anopen-world survival gamethat forces players to figure out how to survive amid harsh conditions by gathering and managing what little resources they have. Inclement weather, hypothermia and dangerous wildlife all play a significant role in making players' lives difficult and contribute to the game’s overall tense environment. Starvation also has a central focus in this title, so players will have to do whatever it takes to get food and ensure their nourishment.
The game’s setting is desolate, bleak, and full of uncertainty. There’s little to no indication of what to do to survive, where resources can be found, or what dangers lurk in the shadows.The Long Darkleaves it up to players to discover the ins and outs of the wilderness and figure out ways to endure the harsh conditions they’ve found themselves in.
WhetherThe Outer Worldsis an open-world game is up for debate, as many players say it isn’t, whereas others adamantly defend that it is. Whatever the case, one thing’s certain—there are vast areas to explore and tons of missions to complete. While at first, it would seem like the gaming experience would be straightforward due to the clear objectives and task logs in the pause menu, the reality is very different once players start progressing through the story and begin exploring every crevice of the planets available.
Players can interact with many different NPCs in the game to unlock new missions that will be rewarded with items, weapons, and other prizes, but there’s no telling where to begin or what they should focus on. The same goes for exploring the wilderness and outskirts of cities and settlements, as it’s rare to have clear indications of upcoming threats, such as dangerous creature nests or aggressive alien animal packs. All in all,The Outer Worldshands the reins to players and lets them discover almost every aspect of it as they progress through the story.
No Man’s Skyis probably one of the biggest open-world games in history due to its procedurally generated planets, and the fact that there arean estimated 18 quintillion explorable worldsavailable. Even if all players in the game came together in an effort to explore them all, it would take them thousands of years.
That said, even when covering a handful of planets,No Man’s Skyrarely ever provides players with clear indications regarding what they have to do, where they have to go, or even which items or materials to craft and how they can do it. And considering that resource gathering and management, as well as crop harvesting and item crafting are key components to the game, sometimes things can get a little tricky. That said, it’s all part of the experience of having to survive in a cold, often lonely universe, so most players love it, as it works well with the game’s concept.
Similar to otherLegend of Zeldagames,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildis set in the Kingdom of Hyrule. This title offers a massive open world that players can explore to discover many secrets, face dangerous enemies, and make friendly acquaintances that will usually carry valuable items. Like in other games in this genre, players can choose to face obstacles head-on or explore the world to level up, become stronger, and make said obstacles easier to deal with later on.
That said, it often leaves players hanging and forces them to discover many combat mechanics and other game aspects on their own. Players will have to experiment with different ingredients to make recipes that can restore Link’s Health and Stamina, as well as to craft other items that can prove valuable along the way.
FromSoftware gamesare famous for being extremely challenging in terms of combat and world exploration, so players are used to that. However, whenElden Ringentered the playing field, things took a turn that left most players satisfied, but very, very confused. While theDark Soulsgames,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, andBloodBorneare difficult, they have a relatively linear storyline, guiding players from one point of interest to another to eventually reach the end.
Elden Ring,on the other hand, features an open world that gives players the option to explore different areas without following a specific pathway. It’s possible to farm Runes and level up if players are struggling with a certain mandatory boss, but it also opens the door to situations where players might stumble upon enemies they’re considerably under-leveled for. Add to that the fact that there are few indications of where Sites of Grace are or which sections are interconnected with each other, and the result is a challenging but rewarding experience that hands players the wheel and lets them build their own story.
