Returnal

Rogue-like third-person shooter Returnal is relentlessly unforgiving, a game in which time is an agonising loop for astronaut Selene after she crash lands on the hostile alien world Atrophos. Otherworldly creatures stalk cadaverous biomes, hurling bioluminescent bullet hell between Selene’s scavenging for artifacts, resources, and ether. Its challenge can put players off but stick around and the accumulated muscle memory makes subsequent playthroughs a breeze. Returnal’s emotional narrative weighs heavier on successive runs too when the unfolding of events has already been discovered.

HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST

We’ll start things off with one of the most obvious entries. Horizon Forbidden West had the tall order of one-upping its predecessor’s open world, and it did so with surprising ease and confidence. Its map is massive and brimming with engaging quests and breathtaking sights, making exploration endlessly engaging in a way that’s rare to see in games. The fact that it’s also one of the best-looking games ever made only makes its map that much more unforgettable.

FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTH

One of the most recent entries on our list, and also one of the most outstanding. Honestly, it’s hard to believe that something on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s scale can even exist in the current AAA market. Its world is mind-bogglingly large, but on top of that, also boasts some of the most impressive environmental variety you’ll ever see. There’s a bevy of towns and cities to visit, an impressive variety of side activities, minigames, and side quests throughout the map, a startling number of unique traversal methods across different regions- and that’s just scratching the surface.

GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK

God of War Ragnarok took the wide-linear, semi-open world approach of its 2018 predecessor and did what you would expect a sequel to do by expanding its scope by a noticeable degree. There’s a handful of large, semi-open maps that you explore throughout the game, and each of them houses a hefty amount of side content that’s almost always well worth seeking out. Some areas are particularly excellent- like the Crater in Vanaheim, which might just be one of the best areas in any God of War game ever

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2

After letting players zip through the same New York City map in two games, with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac decided to expand the available play space by nearly doubling the size of the map. But Spider-Man 2’s New York isn’t just impressive because it’s larger- it’s particularly impressive because, typically enough for the series, traversing it is an absolute dream. Significant improvements to the core webswinging mechanics (most notably the faster speed of movement) are combined with new mechanics like the Web Wings to ensure that moving through Spider-Man 2’s Manhattan never, ever gets boring.

NIOH

Nioh was obviously not anywhere close to being an open world game, but in spite of its segmented, level-based structure, it was a surprisingly (surprisingly at the time, at least) beefy experience. Levels in Nioh could be quite large, and exploration was often handsomely rewarded. If you’re the sort of player that doesn’t just stick to the critical path, you can lose yourself in Nioh’s world for dozens upon dozens of hours on end.

RISE OF THE RONIN

Breaking from tradition, Team Ninja recently delivered its first ever open world game in the form of Rise of the Ronin, and though the game’s execution of some of its new ideas divides fans, there’s no doubting that those looking for a massive map to explore will find it here. Rise of the Ronin’s 19th century Japan map is brimming with things to do, and regardless of whether or not it sticks the landing in other areas, when it comes to its traversal mechanics, the game never loses its charm.

FINAL FANTASY 16

Final Fantasy 16 not being an open world game was a disappointment to some, but even with its semi-open structure, the action title succeeds in giving players a large world to explore. There’s a number of sizeable maps that players visit throughout the entirety of the game, with an abundance of side quests, hunts, and more to seek out. Admittedly, mileage varies on how engaging that content is- but those who love the game’s combat enough to fully dive into all of its offerings aren’t left wanting.

FORSPOKEN

The prospect of a new AAA open world action RPG IP from Square Enix was an exciting one on paper, but Forspoken turned out to be one of the more prominent high-profile failures of the industry in recent memory. Even so, though it disappointed in a number of key areas, Forspoken still had its strengths. Chief among them were its traversal mechanics, which made zipping and flying across its world a constant blast, even if other aspects of the open world experience were often subpar.

INFAMOUS 2

We’ve spoken about inFamous Second Son in previous editions of this feature, so here, we’re going to turn the spotlight on its immediate predecessor. Though not as large the many PlayStation open worlds that followed in the years after its release, inFamous 2 was a sizeable game in its own right. The city of New Marais also looked and felt much more alive than the first game’s Empire City, and above all else, served as an excellent sandbox for players to wreak havoc in as a superhero (or supervillain).

THE LAST GUARDIAN

The Last Guardian is another example of how even a linear game craft a deceptively large world- one that perhaps feels even larger than it is. Environments in the acclaimed action-adventure title were often quite large, of course, while their underlying atmosphere of mystery made them seem that much more imposing. And of course, with a companion like Trico always by your side, exploring your surroundings and discovering secrets always felt rewarding, especially as your bond with the adorable creature grew.

KILLZONE SHADOW FALL

Killzone Shadow Fall did something most had never thought Killzone would ever do by shedding the hyper-linear design style of its predecessors in favour of much larger and more open-ended levels- and it worked out surprisingly well. By presenting players with a number of different options when chasing specific objectives, levels in Shadow Fall often encouraged exploration in ways that you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a Killzone game. Of course, it was by no means a massive experience in any sense of the word, but it provided an exciting glimpse of what a Killzone game in a larger, more open world could look like- one that still hasn’t been followed up on, unfortunately.

RETURNAL

Given its roguelite nature, you become very familiar with each of Returnal’s six biomes as you make your way through the game, and it’s hard not to be surprised at just how large the game is. Each biome is not only significantly different from most others, they’re all also surprisingly large, and made to feel even more so that the randomization of which areas and rooms you see in each biome changes in every run. Add to that rewarding optional content and some sprinkles of solid Metroidvania-style exploration, and traversing these large maps manages to remain compelling throughout the game.

UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END

Naughty Dog has mastered the art of crafting linear, cinematic experiences like no other studio has been able to, but it has also been sprinkling larger and more open-ended levels into its games over the last several years. That started with Uncharted 4, which not only has a semi-open world section in Madagascar, but also has regular levels that are much wider in scope than previous Uncharted titles. Like a couple other Naughty Dog games in recent (or relatively recent) years, it’s an intriguing glimpse of what a non-linear Naughty Dog game would look like.

UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY

Immediately after Uncharted 4, Naughty Dog followed up on its semi-open world section with a similar section with an even wider scop in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, even if the game itself was obviously smaller in totality. Specifically, we’re talking about The Lost Legacy’s Western Ghats, a fairly sizeable map that players are allowed to explore freely, as much or as little as they want. Traversing through the environments in your 4×4 and seeking out optional content and hidden treasure is surprisingly engaging, ensuring that this section stands out as a highlight of the game.

inFamous: Second Son

The inFamous series peaked during the PS3 days with inFamous 2, and while inFamous: Second Son was well-received by critics – it didn’t really have the same magnitude of an impact as its brothers. And that’s quite a shame because Second Son is a well-made game that makes good use of the PS4’s capabilities to render a beautiful open world alongside some solid gameplay mechanics.

The Last Guardian

Fumito Ueda is widely considered to be a video game auteur thanks to his work on Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian is a project that had been in development for a long time. But when it was released in 2016, the game was met with a divisive critical reception – primarily because the companion dog would refuse to listen to your instructions at times, which made it a really frustrating experience at times. To be honest, those aren’t technical problems but a conscious decision on the developer’s part – and that combined with the unique world and themes of the story makes The Last Guardian a truly special game that deserves to be experienced by a lot more people.

Days Gone

Days Gone was Sony Bend’s take on a post-apocalyptic open-world game, and it turned out to be one of the more disappointing first-party games of its time. It would be an utter lie to state that Days Gone is a spotless masterpiece, but it’s also a game that perhaps got a lot more hate than it deserves. The bike riding mechanics are pretty good for the most part, and the Freaker horde mechanics are fun to interact with – even though the game holds that particular part hostage until the very end. It’s not a life-changing game by any means, but it is a fun open-world nevertheless.

No Man’s Sky

Hello Games’ CEO Sean Murray created a lot of headlines with his brief on how No Man’s Sky would be a game of endless possibilities, but those claims were turned to dust when the game finally came out in 2016. No Man’s Sky took place in a bland world where there wasn’t anything interesting to do, and the procedural generation of planets felt like a faint shadow of the big promises that he made pre-release. Fans were understandably upset which made it a disappointing game back then, but the team has put in the hard work to turn the game into a much better version through consistent content updates and overhauls. As it stands now, No Man’s Sky is easily one of the best space exploration games on the market – and is absolutely unmissable for genre fans.

Gravity Rush 2

Gravity Rush 2 thrusts players into a fantastical world and takes them on a journey like no other, and an interesting gravity shift mechanic sits at the epicenter of everything you do. It’s a beautiful game that excels in more aspects than one, but it’s a shame that not many people actually played it in the first place. A lot of that could be blamed on the incompetent marketing by Sony, and that limited exposure ultimately turned Gravity Rush 2 into a cult classic.

Sniper Elite 4

Sniper Elite 4 puts us back in the shoes of Karl Fariburne as he embarks on increasingly difficult missions behind enemy lines. The series has always never been so polished in terms of its mechanics or story, which is perhaps why Sniper Elite 4 never really got much mainstream attention. But if you are able to look past those flaws, you will find a truly dynamic stealth game where you can make some really creative use of your toolset and come up with unique solutions for your problems.

Just Cause 3

The Just Cause series has been in a downward spiral following the success of Just Cause 2, and Just Cause 3’s rather tepid commercial reception is proof of that theory. Just Cause 3 did a good job of building upon the concepts of prior games, and critics generally liked the game. But many fans weren’t really interested in its brand of chaos-driven open-world gameplay, and that’s disappointing news because creatively wreaking havoc in this game continues to be an extremely satisfying activity even after dozens upon dozens of hours.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a game built to showcase the capabilities of PSVR, and you might be forgiven for discarding it as a glorified tech demo of sorts. But that’s not really the case, because Astro Bot Rescue Mission is a really polished and fun platformer that is more than the sum of its parts. It makes good use of the VR capabilities to really immerse you in its world, and there are plenty of smart touches peppered throughout this adventure that makes it so charming.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes follows a group of soldiers exploring an ancient temple, and coming face to face with the many horrors that lie within. The story is well-written, and it can take some sharp turns depending on the choices that you make at critical points in the adventure. Between this flexibility and a strong visual presentation, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is a very solid horror game that fans of the genre should definitely check out.

Concrete Genie

Developed by PixelOpus Studios, Concrete Genie is a charming game about using your creative powers to bring a murky town back to life. The gameplay is simple yet works well within the context of the experience, and that combined with the wonderful story makes it a game worthy of your attention. It’s a sad state of affairs that it never got the audience it deserves, and a lot of that can be blamed on poor marketing from Sony.

Alienation

Alienation comes from Housemarque, the team that recently released Returnal to some excellent critical and commercial acclaim. Alienation is a twin-stick shooter that tasks you to control different kinds of supersoldiers – each with their different sets of strengths and weaknesses. The gameplay is an absolute blast through and through, and the developer has done a good job of adding even more content to the experience.

The Surge 2

The Surge 2 takes what worked in the original, and cranked it all the way up to eleven – which resulted in an experience that’s big in almost every regard. The Surge 2 takes players to wonderfully well-realized locales and pits them against brutal bosses, but the game wasn’t really able to capture much of an audience when it released in 2019 – most likely due to an oversaturation of Souslikes at that point. If you were one of the people who skipped it back in the day, give it another try and you might be really surprised.

Yakuza 0

The Yakuza series has started to gain a lot of traction in the West, and recent entries like Yakuza: Like a Dragon have been widely praised by fans. Yakuza 0 didn’t get the praises of the same intensity, and that’s a shame because it is a really great open-world game that condenses a ton of varied content within a rather small virtual district. It seamlessly switches between serious moments and goofy antics at the flip of a button, and that adds a really distinct charm to it all.

What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch is a moving tale about the tragedies that happened to the Finch family. It’s a simple game that looks like a walking simulator on the surface, but it features some really interesting level design that expertly uses mechanics and visual imagery to tell its engaging stories. It’s also a really snappy experience that doesn’t waste much time with exposition or filler, so you could blast through it all in just a couple of hours.

Infamous First Light

inFamous First Light is a surprisingly fleshed-out standalone expansion that puts players in the shoes of Abigail Walker from the base game. The gameplay is largely based on the same foundations as Second Son, which is to say it’s an absolute blast through and through. It’s a great excuse to explore the many corners of this beautifully recreated fictional Seattle, and it’s unmissable for fans of the franchise.

Team Ico’s games have continually focused on the ideas of eliciting such strong responses from gamers and its swansong title The Last Guardian is no exception in this regard. Released in 2016, The Last Guardian was perhaps the most polarizing game released that year with some fans calling it one of the best games of all time while others criticized its controls, AI, and performance issues. More than 5 years later, many have come around to appreciating its better aspects and the bold strides it took in its game design. To that effect, the time seems ripe to ask – what made The Last Guardian one hell of a game?

The Last Guardian is perhaps most well known for its extremely protracted development cycle. First unveiled as Project Trico back in 2009, The Last Guardian was initially supposed to release in 2011. However, the game went dark after the announcement as the development shifted to Sony’s next console, the PS4. Game director Fumito Ueda also left Team Ico to start his own studio GenDesign, which was then given the responsibilities for developing the game. A long period of almost 4 years passed without any news of the game. Just when most fans had completely given up hopes of playing The Last Guardian, the game resurfaced again at E3 2015 with a final release window of 2016.

The Last Guardian sees players taking control of an unnamed boy who wakes up to see himself in an old fort of sorts. Upon waking up, he sees the towering behemoth of a creature by the name of Trico in shackles as he cries in pain from all the spears pierced into his furry body. You help Trico get back up on his own four feet by providing him treatment and he starts to become friendly towards you. The game primarily revolved around players having to solve puzzles and overcome a slew of obstacles as a team to somehow get off this high-walled fort. The story isn’t the most complex, which isn’t too surprising considering that Fumito Ueda is at the helm. It intentionally leaves gaps in this very vague plot and expects players to fill those gaps with one’s own interpretation of it all.

Much like Team Ico’s previous works, companionship is the central theme of the narrative. Over the course of the game, players are expected to organically form a deep connection with the beast. Ueda masterfully uses game design techniques to establish this emotional connection without the use of expository dialogues or extensive backstories. Trico cannot survive without the nimble nature and the intelligence of the boy and the boy cannot hope to escape this gargantuan facility without the sheer strength of the creature.

Puzzles are built on this very foundation, and simply getting from point A to point B is just half the battle won. Oftentimes, you will be required to open up doors or push those pesky water paintings of an eye to help Trico get to you. On the contrary, however, you cannot hope to survive enemy encounters with the stone soldiers without Trico’s strength – and as such, you might need to lure enemies to where the beast can take care of them. Other times, you might need to just hitch a ride on the back of Trico to get through certain sections, or you might need to command Trico to stand up near a wall to get to where you need to go.

The game expertly balances the nature of these puzzles to give both characters ample amounts of time in the spotlight. However, controlling Trico is easier said than done. Unlike most video game companions, Trico is controlled by an entirely self-governed AI meaning it has a mind of its own. Thus, you can give Trico commands – but it is entirely up to his virtual brain cells if he listens to you or not. This is perhaps the biggest point of contention regarding the game, as it’s entirely possible that he just doesn’t pay attention to your commands which can be very frustrating at times.

That said, this is also one of the biggest reasons why players start to get more and more attached to this beast as they overcome increasingly tough obstacles together without any firm method of communication. A game is defined by its rules, but The Last Guardian can break those rules at certain moments to illustrate the deep connection that Trico and the boy share with each other. For instance, Trico might forgo his phobia of glass paintings if he sees you being dragged to another realm by the enemies and instantly save you. It doesn’t happen all that too often, but this is part of why it makes those moments so special.

Of course, this being a Fumito Ueda game – his design by subtraction philosophy is in full swing here too. As already mentioned, every aspect of the game serves to strengthen one core design goal that is to explore the relationship of the boy and his gargantuan pet animal, and elements that don’t serve those goals were butchered throughout development. You will not get any special tools throughout your journey so to speak, there is no side content except for optional treats for Trico, no skill trees, and so on. Most of your time spent exploring the vast environments will be coupled with just the ambient sounds of the flowing winds, rustling leaves, and complete silence. It is only in high-intensity or emotionally evocative moments that the game pulls out its fabulous orchestral soundtrack.

The art style is also minimalist in a similar vein, with the entirety of the world seemingly being drawn by watercolors. There’s heavy use of volumetric fog everywhere, which gives a grand sense of scale to these environments. Generous use of bloom also helps in giving the game a pretty vibrant look, which goes very well with the game’s art style too. It all coalesces to give The Last Guardian a pretty distinctive feeling of being lonely in a vast environment, which works very well with the themes it tries to explore.

Of course, The Last Guardian isn’t a perfect game by any means. There are some very obvious flaws with the game. Movement never feels quite right, which can make some late-game challenges an exercise in pain. The controller layout is also different from what most players might be used to. Some textures can stick out on account of their low-resolution, which is a direct result of the game’s turbulent generation-spanning development cycle.

However, in the face of what The Last Guardian does right, these all become minor nuisances by the time you roll the end credits. The Last Guardian is simply put one of the most unique video game experiences of recent memory, and a strong reminder of the fact that video games can also be works of art. What gives it such stature and in turn, makes it one hell of a game are the bold strides it takes to accomplish its design goals, knowing well that they might not jive very well with a decent chunk of its audience. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Assassin’s Creed Origins – “Is That Really It?”

Assassin’s Creed was officially “on a break” before the reveal of Origins and Ubisoft was apparently retooling the series. When it was officially revealed at E3 2017, the response was…fine. Most of us saw the environments, the combat and the quest design and wondered, “Is that it?” Fortunately, the final game showcased the full extent of the open world and action RPG leanings. Yes, the stealth that defined the franchise was heavily downplayed but venturing across Ancient Egypt as Bayek felt invigorating, different and fun.

DriveClub

Evolution Studios’ DriveClub had a pretty rough start with server issues and glitches making a lot of the content inaccessible. Nevertheless, the developer stuck with it, improving the experience, adding more content and branching out into different ideas (like bikes). By now, DriveClub stands as one of the better racing experiences out there, even if it isn’t as hyper-realistic as, say, Gran Turismo Sport.

Metal Gear Solid 3

Picture this – you’re Solid Snake and The Boss, your mentor and resident arm breaker, has finally been beaten. Sadly, even when receiving the location to the Philosopher’s Legacy, Snake has to kill The Boss to fulfil his mission. It’s only later we learn that The Boss actually completed her mission by dying, becoming a traitor and serving her country to the end. Snake receives the title of Big Boss from the United States president but leaves immediately. As we cut to his visiting the grave of The Boss, he sheds a tear for his departed friend and mentor. And then Ocelot is revealed to be a triple agent for the CIA in a post-credits scene but that’s a whole other story.

Fumito Ueda is best known for his workson games such as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, and he is leading GenDesign as they work on a new title that is funded by the game fund known as Kowloon Nights. We’ve already heard quite a bit about this game, including about how it wouldn’t have been possible to make it a few years ago, and about how it is quite an ambitious project. Ueda-san has now explained why exactly they’ve chosen to partner with Kowloon Nights for this project.

Speaking to EDGE Magazine (November 2018, Issue 324), Ueda-san explained that working with Kowloon Nights has granted the developers a lot of creative freedom for their next game. He stated, “We’re able to explore the core of our next game with a high degree of freedom. As a game developer, I want to concentrate on the creative aspects and not have to field requests from others about what type of game to make or what genre to pursue. We partnered with Kowloon Nights because they met my strict conditions surrounding creative freedom. Our aim is to create something of a similar scale to our previous titles, and to continue pushing the envelope.”

Kowloon Nights is an investment fund that provides financial assistance to independent game developers. However, GenDesign is still on the lookout for a publisher for their new game. That said, the most pressing concern for the team now is finding the required talent. Ueda-san stated, “One aspect that I’m not satisfied with at the moment is the struggles we have in finding new talent. While we have excellent staff that know how to work with me and help realise the ideas I come up with, we need to fill the ranks of the team. That’s our most immediate need.This creates a difficult climate for GenDesign to recruit top tier talent who want to make great games.”

If you are wondering why GenDesign didn’t just go with crowdfunding, it’s because it didn’t meet their specific needs. Ueda-san explained, “While it works great for some creators, I think the requirement to give backers frequent updates just wouldn’t fit my way of working.” Hopefully, we’ll get to know more about GenDesign’s new game soon enough.

Fumito Ueda, the man behind classics such as Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian, has formed his own studio since he moved on from Sony. GenDesign, led by the mastermind designer, is working on its next title, which is being funded by a game fund called Kowloon Nights, and Ueda has spoken in recent weeks about how the game is going to be just as ambitious as his previous games.

And according to Ueda, bringing those ambitions to life is going to be a much easier and smoother process now, thanks to current technologies, than it would have been years ago. While speaking with Edge (November 2018, Issue 324), Ueda talked about his work on his upcoming project. He mentioned that the way he and his team are going about developing the game would not have been possible on titles such as Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, due to limited technologies.

“In the past, it would take a week or two for an idea in my head to be realized in the game,” Ueda said. “However, now that we have modern tools at our disposal, we can fully realize a new idea in a matter of days or hours. The way we’re building our next game just wasn’t conceivable years ago when we developed The Last Guardian and Shadow of the Colossus.”

Hopefully, that means Ueda and his team will take less time to churn out their new project than they did with The Last Guardian, which had an infamously protracted development cycle. That’s what more efficient tools are supposed to do, at the very least.

Fumito Ueda – the man who led the development of PlayStation classics such as Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian – and his indie studio genDesign are currently working on their next project, Ueda has confirmed. Of course, this is something he’s teased in the past as well, but this comes as a much more concrete introduction (of sorts).

While speaking in an interview with Weekly Famitsu (translated by Gematsu), Ueda confirmed that work on his studio’s next game is currently in a prototyping stage, where they’re testing out ideas to see what sticks, and that it’s being backed by the game fund called Kowloon Nights.

“We’re in a stage of various trials,” Ueda said. “This stage we’re in, where we’re actually making our ideas to test if they’re interesting or not, is being supported by Kowloon Nights, so we’re proceeding with prototyping.”

“We’re working out the core parts first, and from there we’ll make it into a stable product,” he explained. “That’s our challenge this time.”

In spite of being an indie studio, though, Ueda has also confirmed that they’re not holding back in terms of ambition, and that his next game is going to match the likes of Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian in terms of scale. He also confirmed that the game would be a new IP, not a sequel to anything (which is consistent with all the stuff he’s worked on in the past).

“What we’re making now doesn’t feel like an indie game,” Ueda explained. “We’re ultimately aiming for something on the scale of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian. If larger-scale development becomes of interest to us, then I think we will significantly expand our development system and take it to a large-scale development team to make it a big game.”

Fumito Ueda and his studio – which largely consists of people he worked with on Ico and Shadow of the Colossus – have done enough great things to warrant our trust by this point, and I personally can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next. genDesign also aided SIE Japan Studio with the development of 2016’s The Last Guardian, which was another incredible game, so all signs point to similarly excellent stuff headed our way in the future.