Summary
Open-world games come in all shapes and sizes. Players can swing through New York as Spider-Man or go through a realistic crime simulator. Depending on the main character and the genre, the environment alone will present varying levels of danger. The games below are not all realistic open-world games, but they have realistic dangers around every corner.
Sometimes, it is a hazard one would never even think of as dangerous, but these games remind fans that even the most mundane things can harm the player character. Knowing these ahead of time will also prevent them from being overly frustrating, especially when they are unique, unexpected hazards.
Few open-world games offer a level ofenvironmental interaction as deep asBreath of the Wild. Players use the objects around them to solve puzzles and craft weapons. This system is taken even further in the sequel,Tears of the Kingdom. The environment also strikes back against Link, however. Various weather changes make traversal harder, andcertain areas are too cold or too hot to travel through without the right gear.
The most frustrating thing for players is the wayrain causes Link to lose his gripwhen climbing up the side of a mountain. Players are never in control of when it happens and it always feels like it comes at the worst possible time. Fortunately, there are ways to better one’s grip during the rain, but it takes a while to earn the right equipment to counter the slippery rocks.
Grand Theft Auto 5and its predecessorstake place in a heightened reality that parodies the real world. It is a dangerous sandbox where almost everyone is hostile and players are free to hijack anyone’s car. Cars themselves present a large danger to the player, however.They will run over the protagonist as if wherever they need to be is far more important than a single human life.To be fair to the car, life is pretty cheap inGrand Theft Auto.
It is often hard to get hit by cars in other open-world games set in modern environments such asLike a Dragon, but it is pretty difficult not to get smacked by an automobile when crossing a street in Los Santos. It’s a reminder to always look both ways before crossing the street.
Far Crytries to change it up with each entryby going to a different setting, which is why the series has taken players from islands in the Caribbean to Middle America and almost everything in between. There are a few constants throughout the series, though, and one of these isdeadly wildlife.
Everyone remembers their first time playingFar Cry 3andcoming face to face with a large tiger while sneaking up on an enemy camp. These can ruin stealth and rip the protagonist to shreds. It is not much different than how dangerous it can be to venture alone through an exotic environment. Smart players can at least use these animals to their advantage and let them loose upon enemies.
Assassin’s Creed 3introducednaval battlesand the sequel,Black Flag, significantly expanded upon this concept. Sailing the high seas as a pirate was so popular that Ubisoft is set to release a game based entirely around it,Skull and Bones. Being a pirate is not all fun and games though, sincethe open water can be highly dangerous.
Players sometimes have to participate in sea combat whilehurricanes are throwing water all over the ship. Then, they have to deal with rogue waves that can damage the vessel. At least it is not real life where the stakes on the high seas are literal life and death.
The Wild West was deadly for many reasons, such as outlaws with itchy trigger fingers.Red Dead Redemption 2has all one would expect from the period and then some.Some players probably did not expect to get mauled by a bear or a mountain lionbut this is a very real possibility when playing the 2018 Rockstar Games hit.
Arthur Morgan does not have a machine gun with him either, so facing down some of these large animals is no easy task. It is rewarding to take their meat and skin after a kill though. Probably not the greatest pastime for a vegetarian, but they might change their tune if not hunting the animal means becoming their next meal.
Hideo Kojima crafted a wholly unique sci-fi worldinDeath Strandingfilled with hazards unique to the game’s story. In addition to the Timefall, BTs, and Mules, natural landscapes are also the biggest hazard for Sam Porter Bridges. Players should not get too ambitious when it comes to scaling mountains.
Without the proper equipment and with too much on their backs,a steep mountain can cause the player to tumble down to the bottom, hurting them and scattering the delivery. This type of obstacle and the player’s ability to overcome it with forethought and planning is what makesDeath Strandingso unique. Few other games make the simple act of getting from point A to point B so compelling.
