The open-world game genre has been battling a disgusting disease for years: megalomania. Game worlds are becoming increasingly gigantic and expansive – and at the same time, they are usually becoming increasingly empty. And that’s exactly what has been bothering me for what feels like forever.
A comment by Robert Kohlick.
Hitman 3 shows us how: A good open world doesn’t have to be big
There has been a worrying trend in open-world games for years: They must become ever larger and more expansive. Developers and publishers proudly brag about how huge their game world is and sometimes boast about the exact number of square kilometers – and time and again we players fall for this cheap sleight of hand. “Game X is five times bigger than its predecessor!” Sounds pretty cool on paper!
But let’s be honest: how many of us have actually explored the entire 1,024 km² of Just Cause 4? And would Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla be a worse game if the world was half the size? For me the answer is clear: no!
I only understood what makes an open world really interesting for me after playing Hitman 3. The stealth game from IO Interactive has a completely different focus. In contrast to the competition, the separate open-world levels in Hitman 3 are almost tiny – and yet after dozens of hours there is still no feeling of boredom. But why is that?
Hitman 3 in the test: Play it again, Agent 47
Hitman 3 gives me exactly what I expect from a good open-world game: interesting stories and decision-making options in constant fire. Add to that a lively game world that seems organic and diverse and responds to my actions, as well as the feeling that there is always something new to discover somewhere. I’m constantly finding yet another hidden secret passage, uncovering a new story mission or, almost by chance, discovering an additional detail of the story while exploring that was previously hidden from me. The density of exciting events, observations and discoveries is simply incredible.
Watch Hitman 3 (PS4) on Amazon
A role model for every open world game! Hitman 3 shows what really matters:
» Watch video: Hitman 3 – Launch Trailer
Game worlds have to become smaller again!
But it is precisely these aspects that many open-world games miss. Instead of confronting myself with unique stories at manageable intervals, I am presented with filler material in the form of repeatable quests that extend the playing time by several hours. And instead of going straight from one cool location to the next, I have to travel what feels like three hours on my horse. Things like this just end up diluting my gaming experience unnecessarily. According to the principle: quantity instead of quality. In my opinion, all this stuff can go away!
Dear open world developers, my advice to you: Finally make your game worlds smaller again and focus on the fact that there is something interesting for us players to discover on every corner. This shortens our playing time, no question about it! But if one highlight follows the other, we will remember your game much better – I can promise you that.
And while we’re at the point of expressing our wishes: We can happily do without these old game features in the future:
Dear developers, we need to talk: These 18 things have been driving gamers crazy for years
Of course, there are exceptions like The Crew, where opening up the huge game world is part of the gameplay, or Shadow of the Colossus, in which the omnipresent emptiness contributes to the storytelling – but for me, this applies above all to huge role-playing games and many other genre representatives: If the game world largely seems like an interchangeable backdrop that only rarely offers memorable adventures – yes then you did something wrong, dear developers!
It remains to be seen whether my wish will ultimately come true. I’m probably going to hit a brick wall with my suggestions for many people. In the future, we will probably continue to be served cheap “all you can eat” buffets instead of round three-course meals. But you can still dream…