Some open-world RPGs put the narrative first, or at least in a high position to get players to follow the main quest. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a good example that makes it seem like Citi will be in grave danger if Geralt wanders around the woods aimlessly.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is another good example, although that game has the benefit of returning PS1 Final Fantasy 7 fans who want to see how the new, tweaked story plays out. Either way, these other open-world RPGs may have good stories too, but they try to get players to explore the environments instead for one reason or another. With each example, this will become clearer.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
The First Game That Dared You To Get Lost
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was one of the first open-world games that gave players the keys to the kingdom and basically told them to have fun. The story was never that pressing, even though it started with an exciting prison break involving a dragon, but once that was over, players could wander wherever they wanted.
This low-key approach to the story is what made it more fun to explore and level up their character, which did make returning to story missions later much easier. This openness is a big reason why it’s still valued today.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Expanding Your Viking Empire
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is all about Vikings conquering England and expanding their land. If players followed strict story missions, they wouldn’t have an impressive settlement to use against their enemies. Exploring side areas and leveling up both their compound and their character is what the game wants.
It makes sense in the narrative to gather resources and to become more powerful instead of sidelining main missions just to get to the end. Otherwise, players are going to have a rough go.
Borderlands 4
All About The Guns
Borderlands 4’s story is about Vault Hunters coming to a new planet, Kairos, which was cut off from the rest of the galaxy for centuries before it got breached. Stopping an evil empire is pretty cliché, along with helping rebels take it down.
Borderlands, as a series, has always been about one thing: loot. The world has been designed in a way to encourage players do side activities and explore to find rare guns. The story is not bad, but loot and even co-op are definitely the reasons Gearbox knows players are buying the game for.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Hard To Ignore Those Waves, Bro
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has a great story, and a pressing one too. After an initial bit in Japan, things kick off in Honolulu when the protagonist, Ichiban, wakes up with no recollection of how he got there. That’s one priority, along with trying to find his mom and also stopping a gathering cult.
Players may feel compelled to continue the story, but side activities keep getting thrown in their faces to sort of hint that they should slow down. The more side content they do, the more they will level up or earn cash to get better gear. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has no difficulty levels, and it is very challenging, meaning that grinding is necessary to continue the story.
Diablo 4
All About Character Builds
Diablo 4 is another game that puts loot ahead of its story, even though it is more compelling than the narrative in Borderlands 4. Diablo is one of the OG looter franchises, which has survived because fans love building up their characters alone or with friends online. Without the addictive gameplay, there aren’t a lot of fans who would stick around for just the deep lore.
In Diablo 4, Players can customize their character, choose a class, and then they are let loose into the top-down open-world. While playing solo, it’s more imperative to do side content and level up to make it through the story missions, as they can get intense for low-level builds without a partner or two.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
