10 Insanely Long Open-World Games That ARE Worth Finishing
6. The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker
Long before BOTW perfected the idea and changed the franchise forever, The Legend of Zelda teased at the idea of a fully open-world title with Wind Waker.
Wind Waker was very much of its time, before the open-world game became the more defined genre we know it as today - with tropes that even immovable Nintendo would adhere to in BOTW and TOTK. Instead, Wind Waker is an otherwise very typical Zelda game, but with the key difference being that everything is done entirely on the player's time.
What makes it worth playing and finishing today is how its weird hybrid formula of classic Zelda and modern open-world trappings have only left it more unique as the years have gone by. Offering a totally different energy than the rest of the entries on this list. On top of that, it's also one of the more epic feeling Zelda titles - no small feat for a series predicated on being THE epic fantasy video game. Sailing the Great Sea - despite how empty it is - is downright exhilarating and makes you feel like you're going on an epic quest.
Combine that with a truly amazing third-act and easily the most operatic and tragic interpretation of series villain Ganondorf, and you get a Zelda game that would lay the foundation for what was to come, while being a great game in its own right.