4 Things Every Modern Open World Games Should Implement to Keep Things Interesting

Days Gone
Days Gone

Open world games have been the most popular genre of video games this generation. With the power of Xbox One and PS4, developers have been able to take the much needed technical leap and create a living breathing world which players can freely explore on their own will.

As tempting as it may sound, the huge increase in the number of open world games have only decreased the genre's importance as well as the quality we have known to love and expect from games of such scope.

As Sony Bend's zombie open-world shooter Days Gone released just a couple of days ago to a mixed reception, I started scrutinizing as to why the majority of open world games lately have failed to impress its audience. I stumbled upon various factors that affected it such as the depth of the open world, repetitive design, the emptiness of the world, side contents squashed in to add more hours, etc.

However, all of these issues can be fixed if the game developers focused only on four things. Four things that can make open world games great. Here's hoping that the game devs take are taking notes and emphasis more on the things I'm going to mention in the next generation of games that will grace us in the years to come.


#1. No Minimap/GPS:-

RDR 2
RDR 2

As absurd as it may sound, it would be really interesting if developers completely removed mini maps from their open world games. Open world games are all about immersing players into their worlds. If a mini map is taking a huge chunk of that world, and players spend majority of the time staring at it rather than taking in all the beauty the game has to offer then its better to just remove them completely. Some people may argue that there are titles that gives the players to option to customize HUD according to their pleasure, but think about the amount of possiblities and the sense of exploration a game would provide if a game completely removes the GPS and mini-map, and design the game's environment in such a way that players organically discover the areas and reach their destination by following signs, talking to NPCs or by just following the direction of sun. Imagine how cool would that be and how much players would be immersed in the game world while going from point A to point B?

#2. Blurring the line between main quests and side quests:-

The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3

What makes an open world game even more unrealistic is the checklist of things the game offers. Often the games these days are littered with collectables to obtain, side missions to complete which are repetitive grinds and are almost always some kind of fetch quests. These kinds of stuff are only added to the game's world to add more hours of content and fill in the game world.

What game developers need to realize is that quality matters over quantity. The open world needs to feel organic. There shouldn't be any difference between the main quests and the side quests as both are equally important in an open world game, at least to some extent.

Also, there shouldn't be a distinct column made indicating 'main missions' or 'side missions'. Let player prioritize what quests they are interested in. The recent open-world titles such as Far Cry 5, Assassin's Creed Origins, Marvel's Spiderman seems to throw a huge chunk of content to us players but sadly only a very little percentage of those contents are actually interesting or memorable.


#3. More emphasis on the game's score and environment sound:-

Skyrim
Skyrim

Ever wondered why you feel a sense of adventure while exploring the world of Skyrim? Or why the streets of Novigrad in The Witcher 3 always feel so lively and alive when compared to the towns or cities in other open world games? Well it's all because of the game's incredible sound design, which developers such as Bethesda and CD Projekt Red gives equal amount of importance when developing the game as it helps bring the open world to life.

More and more developers need to realize the importance of a good score in a game that defines the entire title, as well as the environment sounds such as the splattering of rain, the howling of the wind, the NPCs chattering in the background which helps make the game world feel alive.

The Witcher 3 is probably the best example of the environment sound done the way. Never have I been drawn to the game's world as while exploring Velen in The Witcher 3. When the rain hits the floor, or the breeze hits the dancing trees in the background. It all comes to life very organically in The Witcher 3. Here's hoping that the next generation of games focuses on better sound designs.

#4. Finding new ways to tell stories:-

Fallout 76
Fallout 76

Like me, many others might have reached that open world fatigue. One of the main reasons is how the quests and story are structured in these games. Almost every other open world tells the players to go from point A to point B.

By no means that is bad, but its time that developers find a different way to tell stories in open world games. Fallout 76 did try a different approach but alas failed miserably. But kudos to the team at BGS on trying something new. Video games are a medium of art. A place to show creativity and innovation. When games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls could engross us in their worlds without telling a straight-forward storyline, I believe other open world games can find similar ways to tell their stories as well.

What changes would you like in the open world games as we move on to the next generation of consoles? Tell me in the comments down below.