Summary
Open-World games offer more than just the average RPGexperience that satisfies both Vanquisher and Conqueror-type of players, they also have something for those who enjoy exploration the most. With huge landscapes to lose your way through, many landmarks to visit, secrets to uncover, and probably an unhealthy number of Easter eggs.
The art of slow exploration is not something that can be easily mastered, and people tend to underestimate games developed with the purpose of making players engage in their worlds for years. This list spotlights eightopen-worldgames that have been designed to be enjoyed leisurely. And remember what the wizard said: Not all those who wander are lost.
When people think about anElder Scrollsgame with a huge open world map to explore, they immediately think aboutSkyrim. But beforeTES5was even on the inkwell,Oblivionwas already an incredible game, that offered the chance to players for a slow-exploration experience. Sure, there was a sense of impending doom, like in everyElder Scrollgame, but it is also true that Tamriel was much more attractive than the inhospitable cold of Skyrim.
With lush forests filled with wild animals, bandits, and the occasional Daedroth,TES4was designed to be enjoyed leisurely.Several modders and players in the ever-expandingTEScommunity have taken things to the next level, revamping the maps with custom visuals and 4K re-textures. This is also another of Oblivion’s attractions: it runs quite stable thanks to the efforts of the modder community, even if it’scharged with 200 GB worth of mods.
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntwas already a great game with plenty of slow-exploration potential, butthings went full circle with theBlood And Wineexpansion. Mostly because of the new mechanics (and the Skellige Gwent deck!) but particularly, because of the scenery. The beautiful Touissant, with its mounts, lush forests, and fairy-tale-like design is a powerful magnet for exploration fans.
This expansion was primarily designed to be either a wild goose chase (players are in charge of hunting down an ancient vampire and suppress a coup d’etat after all) or a relaxing experience through the valleys of the beautiful Kingdom of Knights, depending on how players look at it. Geralt’s last job, and the retirement he most definitely deserved after more than a lifetime of service hitting the roads and defending the common folk from monsters. This is also a great way for players to unwind after the emotional and exhausting main quest from the core game.
The Long Darkis one of those games that can give players endless hours of exploration through a vast and near-desolate wilderness, with the sole company of the chilling winds and the wolves looking to make players their supper. There are not too many survival open-world games (exceptGreen Hell, maybe) where the world turns against players with any step they take in.
In that sense, taking things slow and carefully considering every move is not only part of this charming experience: it is a need to survive until the end-game. So, in that sense, Hinterland Studios really nailed it with this Slow-Exploration mechanic that is both captivating and challenging.
There Is Not Another Game That Makes Players Loose So Much Time In Side Activities
Be it that players are out there looking for the Perfect Pelts, or they are trying to unlock the Legend of the West outfit, or simply out for blood, looking for the Orchids Algernon Wasp needs for his collection,Red Dead Redemption 2offers the most complete Western experience of all open-world games.
There’s no doubt that the gamewill have players enthralled with so many side activitiesthat cannot even be listed here, so be prepared: entering the world ofRDR2is a one-way ticket to slow exploration. And that can be a good thing, if players want to chill down hunting outlaws, or taming rare horses, then this game might be just the thing they need.
Kenshiis a game that emphasizes exploration above all else, in a vast wasteland where the warlord clans are making the life impossible for anyone who dares oppose them. Players have dozens of choices: become leaders, or vagrants,or thieves, or oligarch overlords, there’s no right way to play the game, but the main focus still remains to be wandering and searching for resources, people, and important game events.
The game itself is a huge sandbox simulation of how life in a post-apocalyptic world would be, and surprisingly, offers a deeper experience than most games of theFalloutfranchise. It iseven better than theMad Maxgameand it has a vast and hyperactive modder community with thousands of mods ready to be plugged in and augment the game experience beyond what the players expect. Fair warning though: be prepared to wander aimlessly for hours.
3Last Oasis
A Game That Has Suffered A Lot, And Still Offers A Great Experience For Explorers
The concept ofLast Oasisis quite unique: there are people who live as nomads because the sun scorches the earth and they need to move or the oasis where they gather and forage will be burnt to a crisp. To do this, in the middle of a huge desert-like world, they use Walkers, contraptions that are a mixture of sailwind boats and all terrain vehicles, which use legs made of wood to step over the dunes.
Players will need to join clans to enjoy this vast open-world survival game since it is also a multiplayer game. But, there’s a possibility of playing alone, or against smaller groups of players in selected servers. Wandering can be interrupted by the occasional PvP fanatic harassing those who enjoy the art of slow-exploring, but thanks to the many tools that the game provides, including a grappling hook and a windsuit (also called squirrel suit), there are many ways to get out of sticky situations and avoid PvP.
The Legend Of Zelda: BOTWis one of those games that makes us think about the possibilities of slow exploration in a vast and beautiful fantasy world. The setting, the worldbuilding and thrilling narrative are steps beyond what one could expect from a simpleZeldagame, which was more traditionally focused on Adventure and Platforming than open-world and RPG mechanics.
And so, whenBOTWand its successorTears of the Kingdommade their respective debuts, people were fascinated by the way the game makes players engage with the environment and every creature that inhabits it. It is not just simple and mindless exploration, it is about interactivity taken to a whole new level. One of thegreatest things aboutBOTW(andTOTKas well) is that players have control of everything that surrounds them: anything and anyone can be a weapon, and that creates thousands of incredible combos to overcome foes.
A game that privileges exploration at a slower pace than most games, in a vast, ever-expanding universe, with hundreds of thousands of open-world planets to explore.No Man’s Skyis the apex of spacefaring simulation games, with incredible core mechanics and many more arriving with each year it passes. It’s a game that when it was released, nobody thought it would make it to the next year. But despite the initial criticism, this space survival/simulation title created by Hello Games is more alive than ever.
With dozens of different types of ships to acquire, several alien languages to understand and learn, and even more activities than what you could complete in a lifetime: this game is the best for those who enjoy exploring alone or with their friends. When a new expedition arrives, players have a new chance to start over and collect cool and unusual rewards they can later transfer to their main playthrough, so in terms of replay value, it is also one of the best.
