10 Open World Game Tropes We NEVER Want To See Again

For as problematic as inflated playtimes and world maps might be, having overly large yet lifeless worlds is equally disappointing but prevalent.

The point of an open-world experience is for it to be alive and immersive. Beyond accomplishing this with loads of activities, developers might fill environments with wildlife, bustling pedestrians and traffic, assorted items to collect, and enticing visual and auditory details - things that coalesce to give the impression of a living, breathing arena to exist in.

But that frustratingly isn't always the case with open world games as of late. Recent titles like Halo Infinite, Starfield, and Final Fantasy XV, to name a few, put size over substance by not providing players with enough to see and do as they move between areas.

In contrast, the Red Dead Redemption series and No Man’s Sky purposefully use their barren vastness to bolster discovery and authenticity. Likewise, Immortals Fenyx Rising and Sleeping Dogs demonstrate how fulfilling it can be to emphasize smaller places with plenty to uncover.

Honestly, trekking through most of these vacant terrains is like walking around empty mansions. The scale is impressive, but what’s the point if there’s little to enjoy inside?

This lesson even appears to have been heeded by Mafia developers Hangar 13, with its next release, Mafia: The Old Country, doing away with an open world after criticism of empty environs was levelled at Mafia III and Mafia: The Definitive Edition.