Open world games where the exploration/”open” part felt unnecessary?

[StaceyPowers]

Do you ever play any open world games where you don’t feel there is a “point” to the open world design, i.e. it isn’t really “adding” anything to your experience except time? What do these games have in common? I have a hard time putting my finger on what causes me to feel this way sometimes.

[Lens]

For me, it was No Man's Sky. The vast open world felt very empty and repetitive and I didn't feel even like I was discovering anything meaningful. 

 

[killamch89]

I’ve noticed that too, especially in games like Far Cry 6. The world is beautiful, but sometimes it feels like it’s just there for the sake of being big, rather than offering meaningful content. It seems like open-world games can fall into this trap when they prioritize size over substance. The key seems to be balancing exploration with compelling activities.

[Button]

On 8/19/2024 at 9:38 AM, Lens said:

For me, it was No Man's Sky. The vast open world felt very empty and repetitive and I didn't feel even like I was discovering anything meaningful. 

 

same here because I felt the same way about Assassin's Creed: Odyssey . The open world was too huge, but the quests and story were so linear that I didn't feel like I needed to explore which will make me enjoy the game.

[killamch89]

On 8/20/2024 at 8:45 AM, Button said:

same here because I felt the same way about Assassin's Creed: Odyssey . The open world was too huge, but the quests and story were so linear that I didn't feel like I needed to explore which will make me enjoy the game.

That’s exactly why I found myself sticking to the main quests. I felt like I was just ticking off boxes instead of genuinely exploring. If they had made the sidequests more engaging, the world wouldn't feel like such a massive void that needed to be filled.

[Scorpion]

Yeah, some open world games feel empty or just like filler. They lack meaningful content or purpose, creating bland experiences.