It seems like every major studio is competing to make the biggest and best open world these days.
These games have nuanced freedom of movement which lead to multiple ways of experiencing them.
Everybodys playthrough will be different.
I am not against missions and events that dont directly contribute to the plot.
These quests tell small stories, but leave NPCs flat and boring.
Ever since I started playing Yakuza 0 last year, these issues have only become more glaring.
But these districts are so full of life that its difficult not to fall in love with them.
Thats not even the most impressive part of the open world that would be the NPCs.
And boy, are they crazy lives.
Thats not even half of it.
Every story is a surprise, and each new interaction tells me something new about the character Im playing.
Thats the glorious nature of this game.
So of course, playing open-world games makes me a little annoyed now.
What do you mean youre just a regular person and you want me to find your husband for you?
What do you mean youre making a potion and you need me to collect ingredients?
I want side-quests where the reward is awe that Yakuza actually does that.
I want to feel a little more in love with the game and its characters afterwards.
Thats not what Im getting with these big open worlds.
Give me smaller worlds, dense with detail give me more Yakuza.
Next:Ubisoft’s Ghostwriter AI Can’t Salvage Its Bland Open Worlds
