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When it comes to open-world games, the genre pretty much blossomed in the 2010s. They existed before this, but big games like Grand Theft Auto 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all helped change the landscape in different ways. Everyone has pretty much played those games, as they are innovative.
While important, they are not strictly RPGs. So, what open-world RPGs have helped the genre in specific ways? Did they influence many games, or were they ahead of their time, and still don’t have many copycats? The ing games are open-worlds with vast areas to explore and RPGs in more ways than one.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
The Grand Daddy Of Them All
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was, and still is, a big deal as the first open-world game to truly feel like there were no restraints. After a tutorial area, players could go anywhere, including climbing mountains, which has since been heavily memed.
There were quests, some that randomly generated, tons of dungeons, gear to loot, and so on. It was a near-endless experience that some open-world games still struggle with being as vast and as open from the jump, which is why Skyrim is still big on platforms like Steam.
Fallout: New Vegas
Factions And Karma
There’s no Fallout game quite like Fallout: New Vegas in several areas. The desert area of Nevada is certainly iconic, along with the Faction and Karma system, which is what really sets it apart. If players do good deeds, NPCs will treat their character differently, and the same goes for who they are aligned with.
If one Faction doesn’t like another, like if players Caesar’s Legion, then talking to someone within the NCR may be a bad idea. The alignment system also makes it fun to replay to see different sides.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A Quest System That Matters
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has a lot of great things about its open-world, including Geralt as a character, the action combat, and the lengthy story with branching patterns. Among the game’s many positives, the side quest system stands out.
This game fixes side quests, but there’s not a single one that feels like a fetch quest by the end, as they all have engaging stories and great rewards. With lively NPCs and interesting stories to tell, this helped make the world seem more lived in, which games still get wrong.
Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning
What If Combat Was Fun?
There are plenty of open-world games with good combat systems, including the aforementioned The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. However, there still hasn’t been an open-world game quite as fun as Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning’s combat system.
The weapon variety was wide, the spell and skill system leveled up the playing field, and characters were nimble and easy to control in battle. It was like playing an open-world RPG version of Devil May Cry, and that’s a combination that needs to be seen more.
Assassin's Creed Origins
Transforming A Series
Assassin’s Creed Origins did something for its series that was bold at the time. The previous games were all standard open-world games that primarily relied on stealth. This new game, taking place in Egypt, completely turned it into an RPG with leveling up, loot, a quest system, and more. It forever changed Assassin’s Creed as a series.
Also, it was the first game to include Discovery Tour, a mode to play the game with educational commentary that focused on exploration. Now that would be a cool mode for more games to use beyond Assassin’s Creed.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Building Off Your Enemies
Horizon Zero Dawn had enemies like no other open-world game, as animals were replaced by robots, which is what led to the post-apocalypse. Thankfully, the environment was gorgeous with vines taking over buildings and the Earth regrowing its natural beauty.
As for the robots, players could attack them with a variety of tools and weapons, hack them, or some of the bigger enemies could even drop items that could be used as temporary weapons. Enemy variety can make all the difference in keeping players interested in a game.
Dragon Quest Builders
Building Upon Minecraft
Dragon Quest Builders doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves, as it evolved what made Minecraft compelling. Like Minecraft, players had the freedom to destroy nearly everything in the world to collect resources to then use for building or crafting purposes.
The addition of a story and RPG elements, like a proper leveling and gear system, made Dragon Quest Builders a more compelling game to play through. For players who want something beyond a sandbox with just a bunch of building blocks, this Dragon Quest spinoff deserves a look.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Multiplayer In An Open-World
Xenoblade Chronicles X was ahead of its time on a console not many owned, the Wii U. Players could create a character and then get dropped onto a foreign planet, wherein they would have to help cultivate it to make the master city, New L.A., thrive.
They could go out in a nearly endless open world with a greater sense of danger around every corner as towering beasts stalked the land. Players could set up waypoints for fast travel and mine them for materials. It took time, but eventually players could get a mech, a Skell, to fly around and fight monsters in, and there aren’t many open-world games that offer that.
Dragon’s Dogma
Climb Aboard Everyone
Dragon’s Dogma had two great mechanics that not a lot of games in general use. Not only could players create their character, but they could also create party members called Pawns as well. A fully customizable party was a great addition, but the combat was also praiseworthy.
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Smaller enemies could be hacked and slashed to pieces, but bigger enemies, ranging from griffons to hydras, could be climbed to distract them and to find their weak points. This made combat feel more realistic, as an adventure party hypothetically would try to climb onto titans to find weak points if monsters were real.
Two Worlds Two
Prepare Your Magic
Two Worlds Two is probably a game most don’t remember, but for a game that came out in 2010, it still has some impressive ideas. There was a separate multiplayer mode that amounted to players diving into dungeons with friends, and while not quite open-world, it was still a neat idea. Among its many creative endeavors, the spell system is what Two Worlds Two should be remembered for.
Players could craft their own spells based on properties, so if players wanted to hurl a fireball, they would add an elemental of fire to a projectile base. Two Worlds Two is almost like the post-child for being a game that wasn’t perfect, but had some innovative ideas, like the spell system, that no one took to heart.
