15 Amazing Semi-Open World Games

THE EVIL WITHIN 2

When Bethesda first confirmed that The Evil Within 2 would be dipping its toes in open world waters, many of us immediately assumed that this was yet another game that had fallen prey to the “every AAA game must be open world trap”, not least because that design philosophy doesn’t gel with the idea of a horror game very well. It’s fair to say that the final product proved many of its doubters wrong. The town of Union was a joy to explore, most importantly because none of its side activities felt like meaningless padding. Either because of excellent rewards or because of some standout horror moments – and often because of a combination of both – the open world elements of The Evil Within 2 were, surprisingly enough, some of the game’s best parts.