10 Open-World Video Game Tropes EVERYONE Is Sick Of

3. Illogical Barriers

final fantast 15 final fantasy XV
Activision

A lot of games have barriers to keep you from getting to places you're not supposed to be in, whether temporary or permanent.

Sometimes it will be an impassible river because your character can't swim, or even an ocean with no boats, maybe it's a well-guarded barrier gate or just a fence that's impervious to all forms of ammunition. And of course the most dreaded gaming guardian of all - the invisible wall.

A lot of games have flimsy reasons why you can't get somewhere, but open world games are the worst. Touching on our earlier entry about dead, empty worlds - try entering a building in an open world game.

Why can't you enter that building? The doorknob doesn't work?

One of the more annoying ones is having your assistant character say some variation on "Let's not go that way/do that, yet", then mind-controlling your character to walk in the opposite direction. It's seen in Ocarina of Time, Genshin Impact and even Persona 5.

One of the more interesting versions of this is the "Brine" of Dragon's Dogma. Go too deep into the water? Get possessed/eaten by a magical man-eating underwater cloud.

As you do.

Contributor
Contributor

Author of Escort (Eternal Press, 2015), co-founder of Nic3Ntertainment, and developer behind The Sickle Upon Sekigahara (2020). Currently freelancing as a game developer and history consultant. Also tends to travel the eastern U.S. doing courses on History, Writing, and Japanese Poetry. You can find his portfolio at www.richardcshaffer.com.