The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was one of the first games to revolutionize the open-world genre, and decades later players are still engaged with it. Some more modern examples include Fire Ring and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
10 Incredible Open-World Games You Won't Believe You Missed
They may not be Skyrim, but these oft-forgotten open-world games are well worth your time.
While these games will probably stand the test of time decades and decades from now on the PS7 or something similar, these other open world games had a smaller fan base. Maybe die-hard fans checked them out, or maybe they missed them for some reason. Let's give them a special shout-out and explain why they deserve to hang out with the likes of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim or some other epic equivalent.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Start
Sand Land
What Fallout should be
Sand Land is a must-play game for open world fans as it is also the last project that famous anime/manga creator Akira Toriyama worked on before his passing. Set in a post-apocalyptic desert world, players will take on the role of a demon prince, Beelzebub, who leads a coalition of adventurers searching for a new source of water to stop the war between humans and demons.
Players can attack enemies with various skills with Beelzebub, but the real hook of the game is finding vehicles to command like a trusty tank or mech suit. The vehicular combat is where this game excels, and while the open world isn't as diverse, there's still plenty to do.
Another Crab's Story
Who lives in a soul corpse under the sea?
Some of the most accessible Soulslike games include the recently released ones Nioh 3 and Fire Ringbut among the heavy hitters, players may have missed out Another crab's treasure. As a small crab, Krill, players will adventure through an underwater kingdom in search of their original shell, which was stolen.
Meanwhile, players can find and equip trash to use as shells, all of which have bonuses from pop cans to tennis balls. Finding and testing these abilities is where the game hooks start to sink in. The open world is not that big and borders on the very definition, but either way, players will have a good time with this underwater soul-like.
Fist Of The North Star: Lost Paradise
What if the Yakuza, but it's the post-apocalypse?
The Yakuza team at Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, made a game based on the popular anime/manga, Fist of the North Starwhich is arguably the best customization. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise features a martial artist, Kenshiro, who stumbles upon a city in the post-apocalyptic desert called Sphere City. Players can take on jobs, like bartending, in between beating the brains out of enemies, literally.
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These RPGs may not say it outright, but they encourage free exploration instead of linear progression and rushing through the main plot.
Kenshiro's martial arts allows players to explode the heads of enemies, so anyone who thought the violence was over the top in something like Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise obviously haven't played this anime adaptation. The town is small but pretty dense with activity, and the surrounding desert isn't that interesting, but it's still a decent open world. The bloody battle is the real hook though.
The good life
It's raining cats and dogs
The good life is another weird game from Swery65, the infamous director of one of the best/worst games of all time: Deadly Premonition. Graphically and tonally, The good life is a much nicer experience. Naomi, a reporter, goes to a quiet country village to study it, only to find two big mysteries.
One, people can turn into cats and dogs, including Naomi, and there's a murder mystery going on. As either her human or various animal forms, players must investigate the citizens and make requests for them. It's a cozy mystery game that's weirdly fun thanks to the cast of characters and the ability to transform into a cat or dog.
The saboteur
Who needs color?
The saboteur is a cool black-and-white third-person shooter set in World War II. Racing driver Sean Devlin decides to help a resistance in Paris take it back from the Nazis. The more base players release, the more color will return to the world.
Players can use stealth tactics to take out Nazis, they can plant explosives to lure them into traps, or just shoot them down with all sorts of weapons. Players can also drive outside of Paris to explore the countryside, smaller villages and have some races. The black and white aspect helps the game stand out to this day, and it's available on Steam for those still curious.
Mercenaries 2: World In Flames
Pay me what you owe
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a chaos simulator pure and simple, with players able to choose a mercenary and then start their tour of revenge. After being given two times by their employer, players must gather a small army of weapons and vehicles to wreak havoc until they can get what they are owed. With massive weapons, grenades or any kind of vehicle, players can run over bases in an instant.
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The main quest isn't necessarily bad, but it's simply overshadowed by the brilliant side content in these open world games.
Square Enix might not fund one Just cause sequel anytime soon, but if players are pining for an open-world game they missed out with equally impressive destruction, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is it. The only problem is getting it to run on modern hardware, or even just finding a copy in the wild.
Sable
Another sandland
Sable
8/10
- Released
-
23 September 2021
Sableas The good lifeis a more chill open world experience. There's no combat to speak of, as this game focuses on exploration and puzzles instead. As a newly decided explorer, players can take their futuristic bike across the open desert to take on quests for small village camps, which usually lead to ancient ruins.
As Sand Landthe landscape is not as varied as something similar The Witcher 3: Wild Huntbut the ruins are a sight to behold on the inside. Plus, flying through the desert on this futuristic bike looks incredible, thanks to the cel-shaded art style. Puzzles are pretty basic, and the platforming shouldn't be too frustrating for most player types.
Tchai
Breath Of The Wind Waker's Odyssey
Tchai is a culmination of ideas from other sources, all jammed into a cozy open-world game that focuses on exploration and very rarely puts players in combat situations. As the titular Tchia, players can sail around various islands. Her greatest power is Possession, which allows her to jump into almost any animal, be it a dog, insect, bird, fish, or even a rock.
Players can quickly jump between objects, chaining them together to create a bouncing effect to travel at high speeds or just to gain enough speed to get a sliding edge. Not everything controls expertly, and sometimes the world can feel a little unfinished for an Early Access game, but no one can argue against Cheers ingenuity and ambition. Fans of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerand Super Mario Odyssey might want to check it out.
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