Summary
Open-world games sit at an incredibly complex point within the gaming industry. On the one hand, continued technological innovations and enduring classics within this genre likeRed Dead Redemption 2orSkyrimhave proven that the open-world genre is ripe for maximizing the medium of video games and grantinggreat, expansive titles. Conversely, many sparse, empty, or aimless open-world titles have made players fatigued with the genre.
Open-world games are not just an excellent genre for world exploration, but character exploration, too. Among the many playstyles that players can adopt, a fast, stealthy approach is often popular. These open-world games let players live out the ninja playstylein either historicalor fantastical landscapes, and while they may not all have expressly titled ninja classes, they all share the same affinity for stealth, speed, and Eastern Asian influence.
Elden Ringis a game renowned for its versatility and the options it provides players to build any kind of character they’d like. While stealth is not as prominent a factor in this game as in other open-world titles,Elden Ringkeeps up the trend of the newer FromSoftware games of prioritizing speed and more aggressive play. Beyond this, many faithfully designed katanas exist as options in this game, alongside bows and throwing weapons to keep the same focus on lethality that one might expect from both a ninja andElden Ring’smore overpowered builds.
While nothing as overt as the Armor of Shadows exists in this game,Elden Ringhas a plethora of dark, shrouded armor pieces as well as East Asia-inspired gear to help players live out the ninja archetype of their dreams.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowindstands today as an icon of both RPGs and open-world games, combining an engaging, compelling plot with a wondrously unique setting and some fantastic, esoteric lore for the more determined fans to dive into. Beyond these narrative aspects, the game has a lot to offer mechanically, though the sheer change in style when compared to more modern installments in theElder Scrollsseries might scare off players less experienced with classic RPGs (keep in mind that there are some mods to helpmodernize this game).
Within Morrowind, there’s an entire weapon category dedicated to katanas, from the simple but effective steel katana, to its daedric variant, to the legendary daedric artifact, Goldbrand. There are also a slew of throwing weapons in this game that can further enhance player’s lethality, and stealth (alongside illusory magic like Invisibility or Chameleon) can help players slink into the shadows with their host of lethal weaponry.
Kenshiis a difficultbut immensely rewarding game set in a sprawling, terrifying open world after nuclear fire has reduced civilization to rubble. The game has an Eastern influence prevalent in the styles of clothing and equipment that most NPCs and the player wield. Beyond this, its RPG nature lets players build their character however they see fit, with the only real roadblock being survival in a world filled with blood swamps and lifeless deserts. Oh, and it literally rains fire from above all the time thanks to some pre-war satellites willfully ignorant of the war’s end.
The ninja-esque combination of stealth and swordplay, specifically with tantos or katanas, is more than just optional inKenshi,but is an incredibly useful way to play. Relying on stealth to survive the horrors of the continent, but being able to disarm or dismember with a blade on discovery, are two great feats to have in this grim and gruesome post-apocalyptic RPG.
Cyberpunk 2077has revitalized itself from an infamously slow start into a monolithic video game in the RPG scene, setting a golden standard for urban open-world games and for any games looking tofocus on exploration.It’s an often stark world that protagonist V lives in, even with the neon glow that seems to perpetually steep the city in light, and violence is usually both the question and answer as far as many of the missions in this game are concerned.
After a couple of updates fixing an originally lackluster skill tree, anyone who wants to live out a ninja experience in Night City, swinging katanas and throwing knives with a pair of mantis blades built into their arms just in case, will not only find themselves satisfied, but also find a lot of gangers who have a similar idea. Stealth in this game only adds more to the archetypal ninja experience in Cyberpunk 2077, but a more aggressive ninja build is equally viable here.
Rounding out this list is a game that epitomizes the open world ninja experience. InGhost of Tsushima, the archetypal notions of stealthand high lethality combatcome together perfectly to tell a tale of honor and betrayal.
This game is rooted in a rich historical time period, though, of course, takes some dramatic liberties, and is overall a fantastic title for anyone looking to experience more Japanese historical fiction or more archetypal ninja gameplay in their video games. While Jin is a samurai at heart, his embracing of ninja methodology is both a major focus of the story and a gameplay decision players can make at any time.
