10 Open World Game Tropes We NEVER Want To See Again
2. Excessively Complicated Crafting and Upgrade Systems
Role-playing games are labelled as such because they let players modify party members with unique sets of skills, traits, attire, weapons, and other distinguishing attributes. It’s a cool and enticing level of customizable freedom, which is why it’s not surprising that many modern open-world games contain similar types of complex crafting and upgrade systems.
Those inclusions can be welcomed ways to enhance the experience if they aren’t overly time-consuming or complicated. As time goes on, though, it seems like open-world developers feel obligated to outdo each other when it comes to giving gamers hundreds of cumbersome and puzzling ways to differentiate their character(s).
An argument could be made that despite their inherent makeup, even newer open-world RPGs – The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, etc. – are bogged down by excessively convoluted and deliberately opaque systems that require players to jump through myriad hoops to unlock more abilities and evolutions.
Even more gratuitous is when a series that barely tapped into those RPG elements at first eventually succumbs to the pressure of following the trend. For instance, note the progression from 2004’s Far Cry to 2021’s Far Cry 6.
Sometimes, having too much control can diminish – not enhance – the player's level of enjoyment.