Open-world games are abundantto the point where people can accurately guess the formula of most games within the genre. However, some games still find ways to play with the concept of a freely explorable environment by putting players into a world with almost no other NPCs.
While this might seem restrictive, it actually makes for more interesting gameplay. A limitation of some sort often breeds creativity. The games below create compelling worlds without populating them with NPCs to give directions, and quests, or propel the story forward. That’s not to say they are all completely devoid of other characters, but they are kept to a minimum.
NPC literally stands for non-player character. These could be important characters who give quests or exposition or simply random faces in a game world.
Jonathan Blow’sBraidwas a revolutionary title in the indie space and proved that smaller games had an audience on mainstream consoles and not just in niche PC gaming corners. His next game,The Witnesshad a beefed-up budget and ambition. The game takes place on a deserted island brimming with puzzles.
Players can tackle these challenges in just about any order. Through exploration, they also find audio logs that expound various bits of philosophy instead of building the world or explaining what players are doing on this island in the first place.The puzzles can be devastatingly difficult, but the ability to do them in any order alleviates some of the stress.
The gameplay is centered around puzzle-solving. Players won’t be climbing tall structures or engaging in combat of any kind.
The debut entry in this legendary seriesdrops players into Hyrule and forces them to find and conquer the nine dungeons scattered throughout the world. Link receives almost no assistance during his journey. The only other NPCs really are the old men in caves. The first gives Link a sword while others provide items for purchase or hints.
Discovering Hyrule’s secrets is what made the game so legendary, and in a time before the ubiquitous Internet and countless strategy guides, players had to rely on friends and help from others to get by.
As the series evolved, NPCs became a more central part of the story, but Link’s lonely journey in the firstLegend of Zeldais part of what makes the game so memorable.
While most entries in the series have open areas, one could easily argue that the series did not see another open-world entry until 2017’sBreath of the Wild.
3Obduction
Abducted By Aliens
Cyan Worlds’s games fall into an interesting place when discussing whether or not they are open-world.Myst, for example, lets players explore much of its environment from the start but the movement is restricted to going through various screens. Does the player’s limited mobility in-game disqualify it as open-world?
It is a little easier to make the judgment withObductionsince players are freely able to move around its environments as they figure out the answers to the various puzzles. The narrative hook is the character was abducted by aliens and through the puzzles they hope to find a way back home as well as uncover more about the story. There are some NPCs near the end, but players are solo throughout most of the adventure.
Team Ico proved the potential for artistic expression in games withIcoand took the idea even further withShadow of The Colossus.The game takes place in a huge open world -especially by the standards of the PS2- and tasks players with tracking down and killing 16 mammoth-sized monsters roaming the land.
The gameplay loop does not change during the adventure to destroy these beasts, but with each boss successfully killed, there is a growing implication that maybe the player is doing something wrong. The game’s ending is memorable for a variety of reasons and the story is notable for the way players build a bond with their horse purely through gameplay mechanics.
The game does not restrict player exploration, but there is not a lot to find by going off the beaten path.
What can be a more ultimate open world than literally the planet Earth?Microsoft Flight Simulatoruses Google Earth data to let players practice flight in a digital recreation of the entire planet. It is not without its limitations, obviously, but it is more than enough for the type of gameMicrosoft Flight Simulatoris.
This novel idea, along with the variety of adjustable gameplay settings, makes the title more accessible to more players thandedicated fans of simulation games. Players can either go for a fun ride in the sky or make the controls as realistic as possible.
It’s all in the name here, but don’t expect to be able to get out of the plane and walk around the world inMicrosoft Flight Simulator. The game is purely focused on the open skies.
