10 Open World Video Games That Mock You For Exploring
2. Anthem
Much has been written about how BioWare's much-anticipated shared world action-RPG Anthem was rushed out the door by EA long before it was done cooking.
The game was sold on the thrill of getting to don an Iron Man-esque armoured suit with three of your pals and fly around the game world defending humanity from monstrous forces, and yet, the game's aggressively restrictive design felt like a slap in the face to anyone actually keen to explore.
Despite offering up a lush open world, Anthem's multiplayer gameplay was massively undone by a "tethering" system, where while teaming up with other human players, you're forced to maintain close proximity to them, for fear of a warning message being displayed.
Couple this with a totally pointless overheating mechanic, which limits the amount of time you can spend flying in one go, and it feels like BioWare were actively trying to stop players from doing the very thing the game was marketed upon.
"Oh, you want to fly around this gorgeous world we've made, totally unrestricted? Nah, mate."
That Anthem was ultimately a critical and commercial flop is the least surprising thing, like, ever.