Summary
A lot of gamers like open-world adventures because of the unparalleled sense of freedom found within them. This is not the objective of every game, however. Some of them are more interested in a realistic experience. The systems, mechanics, and story aim to make players live in and become a part of the game world.
The games below do not let players become all-powerful and manipulate the world and its NPCs to their will. It is quite the opposite. Players will be lucky if they can survive for any period of time going against the rules set by the developers in these open-world games.
The easiest way to describeRed Dead Redemption 2is “Grand Theft Autowith horses.“This would trivialize what the Western accomplishes.Red Dead Redemption 2certainly has a lot of DNA from the legendary series, but it aims for a more immersive and realistic open-world than the playground of MayhemGrand Theft Autocan be.
Players have to pay attention to their weapons and equipment, dress appropriately for colder weather, and even cut their hair if it grows too long. Breaking the law is also not a simple diversion for some fun shooting. Committing crimes has real consequences.
Players have to pay the bounty that has been put on their heads in theparticular regionor else regularly run into bounty hunters on the trail. To top it all off, the game is simply gorgeous with a realistic weather system and vibrant nature filled with both cute and deadly animals.
Mafiacame out in 2002, a time when open-world games were just starting to live up to understand potential. Instead of letting gamers indulge in their wildest power fantasy,Mafiachallenged gamers to live byaccurate rules established in its open-world early 20th-century setting.
Players could be fined for simple traffic offenses like speeding or running red lights. Additionally, the cars themselves handled like one would expect cars of the time to run. The realism does not stop at driving, however. Ammunition in a magazine is not loaded into the next clip upon reloading, and the game has a minimal hud.
The 2020 remake makes the game significantly more approachable. However, a classic difficulty is available for those who want something close to the original, unforgivingMafia.
SnowRunneroperates on a simple premise. Players just have to make it from one point to anotherwhile delivering supplies in a truck.Of course, the job is never as easy as it seems since the open-world environment is filled with tough terrain even these trucks have a hard time conquering.
The realistic physics makes the game so engaging and challenging. The concept sounds a lot likeDeath Stranding, which also focuses its core gameplay on tough journies to deliver packages.SnowRunner, however, takes place in the present day and has players trudge through realistically brutal environments.
The amount of work and money that went intoLA Noireis impressive considering its niche premise and mechanics. It is easy to look at an open-world game with this title published byRockstarand think it will beGrand Theft Autoin the 1940s.
The true gameplay and story are far from the spectacle and satire for whichGTAis known, however.L.A. Noiresees players controlCole Phelps as investigate a series of crimesthrough different branches of the police department. Eventually, a larger story unfolds and reaches a climactic conclusion.
Shootouts pop up here and there, but the bulk of the gameplay has players interviewing witnesses and suspects, carefully observing their faces and reactions to determine whether they are telling the truth, and incorporating elements of adventure games into its gameplay.
The game’s facial capture technology is still extremely impressive to behold to this day.
Shenmueis not about making the biggest open-world environment. It is about making the most realistic and immersive one. The first game takes place in a small town as players investigate the death of their father.
Combat is a part of the equation, but most of the gameplay sees players talk to NPCs in order to pick up a trail of clues. There is a day and night cycle as well as an in-game that clock players have to adhere to in order to trigger certain events.
Though the game and its sequels draw a lot of comparisons to theLike a Dragonseries,their tone, story, and action are more grounded.
TheMicrosoft Flight Simulatorgamesare already expected to be realistic. The 2020 edition of the game goes a huge step further by utilizing Google Earth data for its map. The open-world players fly around in is literally the planet Earth. How can an open-world game get any more realistic than that?
The game also includes casual options for players who are more interested in flying around a virtual environment versus recreating the feeling of actually piloting an aircraft. Developers keep the geographic information updated while also adding new content.
