- 2 days ago
We're living in an open-world golden age.
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00:00If there's one thing, and there aren't many things that we can all agree on when it comes to video
00:04games, it's that, boy, there are a lot of them. No matter your preferred genre, game length,
00:09or mechanics, we're all bound to miss out on a gem here and there. That's perhaps no truer than
00:14when we're dealing with open world games, which often, but not always, take a lot of time to get
00:19through. Nobody would blame you if you opted to pick up a sure thing like Skyrim over the games
00:24on this list, but I'm betting if you have played any of these, you can attest to the fantastic
00:29gaming experiences that can be found beyond the front page of digital storefronts on your platform
00:34of choice. Now, obviously, inevitably, some of you will have played these games, but if you haven't,
00:39our title holds up, and if you have, hopefully, we can have a good little nostalgia trip in the
00:44comments. I'm Jess from WhatCulture, and here are the 10 best open world video games you didn't play.
00:49Number 10. Eastshade. Eastshade is a combat-free open world adventure game that's achingly pretty.
00:55The game kicks off with you shipwrecked on potentially the world's prettiest island,
01:00inhabited by a bunch of humanoid animals and other critters. While you won't be battling it
01:04out, you will be doing a good handful of other things, like exploring, crafting, creating paintings,
01:11completing side quests, and a few more, well, eccentric activities, like solving a crime and
01:17playing matchmaker between a couple of bears. It's an odd little game that won't be to everyone's
01:22tastes, which makes it easy to overlook, but if you can get past the technical stumbles and it
01:27sounds like your thing, it's a rare gem of a gaming experience. Number 9. Biomutant. Another great
01:33open world game with an eye-catching art style is action RPG Biomutant. Trading out the all-too-common
01:39color palette of gray, brown, and more gray, Biomutant instead decides to paint its open world and
01:45colorful characters in vivid hues. While some people found it a little rough around the edges,
01:50it earned praise for the flexibility with which you can build your character,
01:54the ability to blend play styles, nuanced RPG mechanics, and letting you choose what kind of
02:00fuzzy anthropomorphic mammal you want to be and how you'll treat those around you.
02:04This one doesn't reinvent the wheel, and as a result its critical success wasn't much to write
02:09home about, but the combat is slick and satisfying, there's plenty of quests to cross off for that
02:13dopamine hit, and the world is just really pretty and fun to be a part of. There's a ton of different
02:19skills and abilities to spec into for the RPG fans, dynamic action-oriented combat for the action
02:25buffs, and an adorable protagonist for those of us who just want to say, aww look how fuzzy.
02:30If you ignored this one because it didn't get gangbuster review scores, you may want to give
02:34it another chance. Number 8. Pathologic 2. There's a few reasons this one might have passed you by.
02:40It's a sequel, it's brutally unforgiving, we're dealing with a heavy dose of weird,
02:45and it's more than a little spooky. If you can deal with that though, Pathologic 2 is a heck of a game
02:50you don't want to miss. The 2019 adventure survival game casts you as a man who once left the strange
02:56town and has now returned to find it plague-ridden and strewn with bodies. You'll need to manage your
03:01time as you'll be playing on a clock, and there is a nuanced decision-making system that can have dire
03:07consequences. NPCs will give you quests, you'll need to balance your resources, manage your hunger and
03:12health, and unravel the story to get to a satisfying end point. Pathologic 2 might be extremely difficult
03:19as survival games go, but it's rewarding when you discover a path forward, and its mysteries are
03:24incredibly enticing. Some players were admittedly put off by its bugs and difficulty, but if that sounds
03:29like something you can handle, its positives are more than worth it. Number 7. The Forgotten City.
03:35Given this one began as a mod for Skyrim, it's a really impressive standalone game. In this really
03:40clever RPG, you find yourself in an ancient Roman city, cut off from the rest of the world and, it
03:46seems, the rest of time. You'll take on various side quests from the city's other inhabitants as
03:51you learn more about your predicament, unravel the mysteries of the strange place, and try to figure
03:56out why everybody turns to gold when somebody breaks a specific set of laws. This one easily could
04:02have flown under your radar, as the original mod was made by just a single developer, and even the
04:07full game was only made by a small Australian studio. Despite all that, the result is pretty
04:11darn special. There are a multitude of endings to achieve depending on your choices and how much of
04:16the story you unraveled, and piecing together the puzzle as you go is immensely satisfying.
04:21If you're one of those who didn't try it out for one reason or another, and you're a fan of unique
04:25open worlds with enthralling narratives, this one will be right up your alley.
04:29Number 6. The Pathless.
04:31This is an open world game that you might not have played because it came out at the end of 2020 in
04:36an absolutely packed release period. If you're anything like me, you might remember The Pathless
04:41when it debuted at the Game Awards in 2018 with a very cool trailer, and perhaps you also didn't
04:47even realise that it launched. Which, honestly, can happen when you bring out an indie game in
04:52November, the busiest release month of the year. Those who did play it, though, could tell you The
04:56Pathless did a pretty darn good job of delivering on its promises. The game has a gorgeous aesthetic,
05:02satisfying traversal controls, and smooth hunting mechanics. The dashing mechanic that
05:06enables you to move faster the more you shoot targets to maintain momentum is pretty cool in
05:11action, and the world design is an absolute treat. Though the game was criticised for being
05:15repetitive in some sections, boss fights were praised for their intensity and level of challenge,
05:20the soundtrack is lovely, and the vivid colours and lighting used throughout the map are enchanting.
05:26Number 5. Gothic 2. I'm gonna guess you fall into one of two categories here. You either haven't
05:32played Gothic 2 and our title holds up, or you have played Gothic 2 and think more people really
05:37should play Gothic 2. This is a game you might have missed since it wasn't a universal critical
05:41success compared to some other early 2000s RPGs. But for those willing to put a little more work in
05:47to wade into the challenging signpost-free game world, Gothic 2 is really something special.
05:53Made by Piranha Bytes who also created Risen and Elix, two more games that could be right at home
05:58on this list, Gothic 2 is a perfect example of Eurojank. It's a genre that doesn't appeal to
06:04everyone, but these rough-around-the-edges experiences can be oozing with charm, dozens of different
06:09mechanics, and inspired game worlds peppered with interesting characters. Gothic 2 may indeed be two
06:15decades old now, but if you missed out on it, it could well be one of the best fantasy role-playing
06:20experiences you never played. 4. The Saboteur
06:24In 2009, Pandemic Studios released The Saboteur, an action-adventure set in Paris in the 1940s.
06:30The open-world game casts you as an Irishman fighting for a French resistance group in World
06:35War II, though you engage by sneaking about and sabotaging behind the scenes instead of through
06:40all-out combat. The intriguing art style is also gorgeous as the open-world is initially coated in
06:46a black and white filter, which falls away revealing the natural colours beneath once
06:51you liberate each of Paris' burrows and its surroundings. Beyond its compelling unique
06:56qualities that set it apart in the genre, The Saboteur also delivers super enjoyable
07:00moment-to-moment gameplay. Despite all that, it actually didn't see any wild critical or
07:05commercial success, so it could have easily passed you by. But hey, it's on your radar now.
07:103. Greedfall Now, the last time I compiled a list of RPGs that
07:15were sorely underrated which more people should have played, I did not put Greedfall on it,
07:19and we're not going to make that mistake again. This is another unique game that might be overlooked
07:24simply because it isn't from a AAA studio. The action RPG was released in 2019 by French studio
07:30Spiders and published by Focus Home. The setting blends fantasy and 17th-century colonialism,
07:35which was music to the ears of some and off-putting to others, resulting in a bunch of people giving
07:40the game a miss. Under the hood, though, there's well-balanced Witcher-esque combat,
07:45a gorgeous game world to explore, and genuinely satisfying RPG progression alongside a healthy
07:51dose of challenge, particularly in boss encounters. This is yet another game that you could have missed
07:56out on if you saw one or two bad reviews, but if it sounds like your thing, don't be put off.
08:002. Immortals Fenyx Rising If there's one thing we're
08:04trying to convey in this list, it's that just because a few major outlets may not have loved
08:09a game doesn't mean you won't, and Immortals Fenyx Rising is another great example of that.
08:14Cast aside by a good number of people for being Breath of the Wild Light, a good number of people
08:19didn't even try their hand at this one on reputation alone, which is a darn shame because
08:24there's a pretty entertaining game in here. It may not have garnered the scores for you to run out
08:29and pick it up as a must-play, but Fenyx Rising has a grand, colourful world replete with mythical
08:34beasts to best, intricate puzzles to solve, and a story to unravel. The combat is satisfyingly
08:40complex, there are powers to utilise, and unlike a lot of these very serious RPGs,
08:45Fenyx Rising isn't afraid to have a bit more fun with itself. Dialogue is often amusing, and the whole
08:51narrative plays out as a story being told to Zeus by Prometheus. The humour is a really lovely touch,
08:56as is the vivid, oversaturated game world, because, as we said earlier, we've really had enough of
09:02Grey. If you played Breath of the Wild and wanted more of that vibe, but in a smaller package,
09:07Fenyx Rising gets the job done. Number one, Mad Max. Mad Max is such a bizarre case. I remember
09:13everyone talking about this game before it came out, and then it seemed like next to no one played it,
09:18because it wasn't universally critically acclaimed upon release. That remains true, but it's a massive shame,
09:23because the one person I know who did play it absolutely loved it, and if that happens to be
09:28you in your friendship group, I'm assuming you agree with me. The 2015 action adventure was made
09:32by Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios, and while it was criticised by some reviewers for having a
09:38lacklustre story, there's a lot to love in there too. The compelling world design and sprawling sandbox
09:44offers up the ideal playground for vehicular combat, exploring, and action encounters. In particular,
09:49the game was also praised for its exciting weather effects, impressive map scale, and unique regions.
09:55Perhaps most importantly, Avalanche just did an excellent job of bringing the enthralling and
10:00violent world of Mad Max to a video game experience. Though many gave it a miss because of its uneven
10:05review scores, those who vibed with its strengths are really glad they gave it a go.
10:09That's the end of our list, but do let me know down in that comment section if you can think of
10:13any other open world video games that not enough people have played. As always,
10:17I've been Jess from WhatCulture, thank you so much for hanging out with me. If you like,
10:21you can come say hi to me on my Twitter account where I'm at JessMcDonald, but make sure that
10:25you stay tuned to us here for plenty more great gaming lists.
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