Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the best action-adventure games of all time, serving as the peak of the franchise. The cover-based shooting, moment-to-moment gameplay, and explosive set pieces still make that PS3 game sing. A more recent example is Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which has a slightly more open environment to explore.
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As good as those games are in the adventure genre, they are not open-world experiences. The following are, and they will not let up if players stick to the main show. Getting everything within these worlds may slow things down, but overall, they are the adventure games no fan should miss.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
A Link To The Future
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the franchise as a whole, remain at the top of the adventure food chain. Players are free in this game to travel around Hyrule as they please, whether that involves looking under rocks for Koroks, battling monsters, cooking elaborate dishes for health boosts, or climbing tall peaks; it’s all up to players.
The freedom players have is astounding for an open-world game, but even if they stick to the story missions and reach the conclusion faster than most, it’s still a tight campaign that would match the heights of other Zelda entries.
Red Dead Redemption 2
How Arthur Got His Groove Back
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the finest Western game ever made, and its story could stand tall next to some of the best Western films. The story followed Arthur Morgan in his struggles to follow his gang’s line of criminal life.
For Arthur, there’s so much more out there in this late stage of his life, and players have a choice to be more open with his actions, from going out and exploring the peaks and valleys of the plains to hunting for sport. On the other end, players could also lean into the bandit life and rob everything from banks to trains in exciting set pieces, highlighting the very best of the genre.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Sail The Caribbean
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is a pirate adventure that is the absolute blueprint for all games that followed. Pirate games existed before this, but not many featured the crew singing sea shanties as they sailed around the Caribbean.
That small touch adds so much to the adventure players can have between just sailing around and witnessing the beauty of the ocean blue, to landing on islands and conquering them, to diving undersea to look for treasure. For many, this is the peak Assassin’s Creed, even though the “assassin” part of the title isn’t as well explored.
Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
Attack On Titan
Shadow of the Colossus is a work of art, simple in its design but expertly executed across all iterations. The latest was released in 2018 as a full remake, without changing too much beyond fixing some control issues.
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While the world is open and can be explored, it’s mostly empty and hauntingly so, as the land is plagued by large titans roaming around instead of rich towns filled with NPCs. The game is essentially a series of boss fights with no two Colossi looking or behaving the same, from tall humanoid titans to beasts of burden to winged nightmares. There are few experiences more harrowing than taking down all sixteen of the Colossi in this game.
Donkey Kong Bananza
Going Bananas
Donkey Kong Bananza is one of those games that has a lot of collectibles, but the game is so good that players will be compelled to get them all. It’s because the gameplay is unlike anything in a Nintendo game before, with Donkey Kong having the power to smash through nearly everything.
It’s far from the first game to try destructible gameplay, but Donkey Kong Bananza is definitely the first one to have platforming and set design as good as this. From mine cart adventures to tropical getaways to drizzling peaks, the biome variety is unmatched, and the finale is almost too good.
Ghost Of Tsushima
Fighting Back The Mongol Hordes
Ghost of Tsushima is set on the titular island in Japan, right when it gets invaded by the Mongolians. Jin, a former samurai, has to learn new ways of attack to help save his people, giving players both samurai and ninja skills to get the job done. While the bloody action is solid, it’s the exploration that really puts the game over the top.
The cool thing about exploration is the small ways it points players in new directions, from birds flying around to foxes to the wind. With some of the best ancient ruins and natural landscapes available in games, Ghost of Tsushima is almost like playing through a vacation album.
Subnautica
Underwater Tales
- Developer(s)
- Unknown Worlds Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Subnautica opens with a spaceship disaster, finding players lost in an alien ocean. With dwindling supplies, players have to explore the ocean to get resources fine enough to build new workstations. With new stations established, players can reach further depths, each more scary than the last.
As a survival game, it takes a lot of work to get anywhere, but that’s also half the fun, along with getting to see undersea biomes with colorful fish and flora as far as the eye can see. So, for those brave enough to dive deep, Subnautica is a rewarding experience.
A Short Hike
Going Birding
A Short Hike stars a plucky young bird with one goal in mind: reach the top of the mountain. In this sprawling National Park-like zone, players will find trails, waterfalls, wind gusts, rope ladders, and more. With no real goals besides the objective to climb, players are free to explore, collect treasure, talk to NPCs, and so on without having a checklist hanging over their head.
While the polygonal PS1-like models don’t look as good as something like God of War Ragnarok, they add charm to A Short Hike, along with the bright colors that will make players want to go out and start hiking/climbing mountains upon completing this relatively quick adventure.
Outer Wilds
A Time Loop In Space
Outer Wilds is a time loop game where each round of gameplay only lasts about twenty-two minutes before the universe collapses. The goal is to solve how to escape disaster, and everything players need to know is presented at the start.
The trick is that the game hides important facts and mechanics from players, ushering them in the right direction to figure out the mystery for themselves, which can take well over a dozen hours. It’s a pure adventure puzzle game at its core and not an easy one at that. Those who get fully immersed will feel their lives change for the better by the game’s conclusion, as it is something else.
Sable
Mad Max
- Developer(s)
- Shedworks
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Sable focuses on a young child venturing off into the surrounding desert on his own to prove to their tribesmen that he is ready for greater things. There is no combat, just exploration tools. The coolest feature is the hover bike, which looks just as cool as the ones in Star Wars.
Also, the game cuts frames like the Spider-Verse movies, making it look like a comic book come to life, besides the impressive cel-shading and use of monotone colors. Besides the hover bike, players can also climb around and solve puzzles around old ruins, and there is nothing too challenging that will truly flex the brain, which the more exploration-centered players will appreciate.
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