Summary
- Some games embrace escapist visuals and mechanics, creating memorable experiences.
- Cruelty Squad, HROT, and other titles prioritize unique art styles over realism.
- These games offer immersive atmospheres and player creativity in surreal and unconventional settings.
While there's certainly room for a more realistic approach to game graphics and design, and most definitely a market for it, it could be argued that the results are somewhat less imaginative. It's certainly not always the case, but games that get more creative with their visuals and mechanics can often provide more memorable experiences.
Best Open-World Games That Don't Care About Realism
While there are a lot of open-world games with a focus on realism, some games forgo it altogether.
These are titles that liberate themselves from reality, offering escapism through heavily stylized visuals and gameplay that don't try to hide their video game nature. These are gamified experiences full of artistic expression that challenge and escape reality in their own ways.
8 Cruelty Squad
A Grimy & Uncaring FPS
Cruelty Squad
- Released
- January 4, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Consumer Softproducts
- Publisher(s)
- Consumer Softproducts
- Genre(s)
- Simulation, FPS
- Platform(s)
- Microsoft Windows
Cruelty Squad is a first-person shooter with an aggressive and uncaring art style, offering players a decidedly grimy experience. However, it's packed with opportunities for player expression and dynamic encounters that facilitate emergent gameplay.
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Realism is not a factor in Cruelty Squad's art style or its gameplay, providing players with Hitman-esque missions in a truly strange and at-times unsettling world. It won't be for everyone, but the unique feel of Cruelty Squad may be worthwhile for certain players.
7 Max Payne
Heavily Stylized Cinematic Action
Max Payne
- Released
- July 23, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Gathering of Developers
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS2, Xbox (Original), Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Android, iOS
Max Payne is a neo-noir third-person action game that drags players through a smoky, grimy underworld of dangerous criminals. From psychedelic dream sequences to slow-motion dives in frantic bullet storms, Max Payne cares little for realism.
In fact, Max Payne practically plays like a genre piece from the very start. As a result, fans of over-the-top action are sure to enjoy Max Payne's unhinged reality, though it does contain a dark and rather grounded story despite the liberties it takes.
6 HROT
A Drab & Surreal Old-School FPS
HROT
- Released
- May 16, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
HROT is an old-school first-person shooter with a drab and dreary art style perfectly complemented by its frequent use of surreal imagery and brutalist architecture. While its gameplay may be fairly standard, HROT's complete lack of realism and unabashed strangeness elevates the overall experience.
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In addition, HROT's downtrodden, rainy environments provide a consistently immersive and often eerie atmosphere. As a result, HROT manages to be an immersive and memorable adventure despite its one-tone approach, though it won't be for everyone.
5 Resident Evil 5
Over-The-Top Action Horror
Resident Evil 5
- Released
- March 5, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Resident Evil 5 is a survival-horror game that focuses heavily on action and frequent set-pieces. However, it excels with its lack of realism and B-movie tone. In addition, Resident Evil 5 features co-operative play, in which the game arguably excels.
The lack of realism lies primarily in Resident Evil 5's overall tone, valuing over-the-top action and B-movie charm over anything close to a grounded experience. But its intent is clear and decided, and players that enjoy the playful side of the Resident Evil franchise are sure to get a kick out of this title, especially in co-op with a friend.
4 RimWorld
A Sci-Fi Colony-Sim That Bends The Rules
RimWorld
- Released
- October 17, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
RimWorld is a truly detailed colony-sim with a focus on management and organic storytelling. Visually, RimWorld cares little for realism, offering a relatively no-frills art style. However, as a result, it's incredibly easy-to-read at all times.
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However, it's not just RimWorld's visuals that are unrealistic; RimWorld also frequently bends the rules within its gameplay, despite plenty of simulated elements. That said, it does this for good reason, providing simulations that play by concrete rules, led by sturdy systems that have been painstakingly streamlined.
3 Caves Of Qud
An Open-World RPG With A Very Old-School Art Style
Caves Of Qud
- Released
- July 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Caves Of Qud is a traditional roguelike that stands out with its exotic open-world and unique science-fantasy setting. With visuals as traditional as its gameplay, Caves Of Qud clearly doesn't care about realism, but this only helps to spark the imagination, supported by evocative writing and an atmospheric soundscape.
Additionally, Caves Of Qud cares little for realism in its world-building and gameplay. There are simulated elements and deep, detailed systems, but Caves Of Qud plays by its own rules, offering a science-fantasy adventure that's both mysterious and immersive.
2 Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
A Playful FPS-RPG Set On A Hostile Moon
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!
- Released
- October 14, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Combining FPS and RPG gameplay, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is similar in many ways to its predecessors. However, it stands out with its unique setting and briskly-paced narrative, supported by a diverse cast of bantering, quipping characters.
Borderlands has never cared much for realism, but Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes things to the next level with its unhinged side-quests and preposterous technologies; moonshot cannons, talking weapons, and — in the case of the game's DLC — delving into the mind of a robot.
1 Kentucky Route Zero
A Magical-Realist Road Trip
Kentucky Route Zero
- Released
- January 7, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Kentucky Route Zero presents players with an atmospheric experience from the very start. With its frequent use of grounded and emotional music, along with surreal imagery and characters struck by solemn tragedy, it manages to offer an immersive road trip across a truly imaginative landscape.
It's also an utterly surreal experience, replete with magical realism and woven with a poetic narrative. Kentucky Route Zero simply doesn't care for realism, and instead dedicates itself to a charming sense of whimsy, supporting its grounded ideas with unbridled imagination.
Small-Scale Games For Fans Of Open-Worlds
Players who like open but small game worlds should check out the following titles.