Games that offer players the most freedom are usually open-world experiences, as the boundaries of the play areas can seem almost infinite. These can include everything from shooters to RPGs, and there seems to be a game open to everyone out there. That said, there are some open-world games and non-open-world games that are more liberating than others.
These examples go beyond just player freedom, which players have helped discover exploits which the developers may never have intended. Testing the limits, they pushed through and created their own rules, finding solutions to puzzles and bosses that were likely unintentional, but no less effective. Let's go through a few games that are fun to break if players are willing to experiment.
Fire Ring
EXP hack
Fire Ring was a first for FromSoftware, an open-world soulslike that was the first of its kind for many. This meant that players, who were already used to breaking this type of game, were given even more freedom to explore and experiment.
For example, tearing through high level areas only to find secret gates to get them to other areas, opening the door for EXP exploits. It's usually especially about one that lures a tough enemy to death. Many of the bosses also have weaknesses, such as hiding in corners or on an inconspicuous ledge and deflecting shots with magic or a bow for an easy victory.
Final Fantasy 7
Healing the Undead
Final Fantasy 7as one of the most popular RPGs of all time, will serve as an example for all RPGs. Undead enemies can be killed using healing items like potions or healing magic like Cure. Using Phoenix Downs can even kill undead creatures in one hit, including bosses like Gi Nattak.
This is never explained to players in tutorials or data inputs, but curious adventurers may discover it by accident. This trick works in most Final Fantasy games and many RPGs, including when fighting Revenants in the aforementioned Fire Ring.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Build your way out
There are a few things The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild do better than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdombut the sequel introduced one important thing that players fell in love with: building mechanics. Players can now grab things in the environment to make everything from fences to cars. With the right experiments, players discovered ways to create flying gear or land scooters that are much faster than horses.
There are even blogs or websites dedicated to how players can build these things. Also, just like the first game, players can go through dungeons, all of which contain physics puzzles, and they often find ways around gates or typical solutions, giving them almost endless opportunities to break the game's loose constraints.
Super Mario Bros.
Skip the Flag
Super Mario Bros. was the reason to buy an NES, and the playground has been talked about for years. Players constantly tried to find new ways to game the system, such as locking Koopa Troopas into an endless cycle to gain infinite lives.
Players also tried to get over the flagpole or over the bricks underground, which sometimes seemed impossible, but they found ways to do it and it led to secrets. Then there was Minus World, which was never meant to be accessed at all, but players found a way to make the data work as new, albeit by skipping levels.
Pokemon Red & Blue
Missing Missing No
Pokemon blue
- Released
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September 28, 1998
- ESRB
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All
The first two Pokémon game, Pokemon Red and Pokemon bluehad a huge secret waiting for players to discover, and how anyone did it is beyond me. Getting to MissingInget requires talking to a specific NPC and then flying to an island to surf along the coast.
Encountering a MissingNo in battle would help duplicate items, such as Rare Candy, allowing players to level up their Pokémon infinitely. This was never meant to be a cheat, but thanks to devotees Pokémon fans, they made it work.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Duplicate item
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and its sequel also had a duplication bug, one that the developers may not have thought of. When players start a new game, they first create a character. They then take that character, whatever level they're at, and import it into a new campaign, as if players wanted to start a co-op session.
A high-level character could then drop loot for players to sell, and then, without saving the character's drops, players could repeat the process to get infinite money. This still works in the HD versions of both games as well.
Grand Theft Auto 3
Get the Dodo off the ground
Grand Theft Auto 3 was the first 3D game in the GTA series, and fans went absolutely crazy with it on PS2. Players constantly tried to make missions work on their terms, such as preemptively setting up blockades so enemies couldn't escape easily.
Perhaps the coolest example of pushing the boundaries in the game was with the Dodo plane, which was only meant to glide and not fly great distances. With persistence, the players managed to fly the plane to a mysterious island that was not meant to be seen by the players, which is where the opening sequence of the game took place.
Defeat The End
Hideo Kojima is a gamer at heart, so he always includes mechanics in his games that no one would think to try, and yet he encourages experimentation. For example, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is filled with experimental content, with the biggest example being a boss called The End.
There are many ways to kill him early in the game that many players may not even think to try. For example, in an early cutscene at the harbor, players can sneak up on him if they're quick enough. Additionally, players can start the boss fight normally, save, exit, and then return to their game a week later to find that The End had died of old age.
