Open World Done Right

Breath of the Wild launched recently. I haven’t had a chance to try it out, but it looks amazing in terms of aesthetics and gameplay. Judging by video footage, it seems to have nailed the formula for open world exploration. There’s many things to explore and players have incentive to discover. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a game do open world gameplay so well. How did they do it? 

Start with a premise of some kind. Regardless of setting, some antagonistic force threatens the peace of the realm or something like that. Warlock, the Malevolent, as we will call it, is infesting the lands with his armies. This gives the world conflict for the player to deal with. Now that we have a premise, the player knows what their ultimate goal is: get rid of Warlock. If the goal is as simple as that, why not storm his castle and kill him now? That would be ill advised for a new player.

Let players have access to the end of the game. It lets them get a feel for what to expect from their enemy. They may go boldly charging the darkened castle when a guardian looks down at the player and stomps them into the ground. Clearly, the player is not ready to fight the antagonist. They must grow stronger and master the mechanics and systems before they can face the end boss, a final test of their understanding of the game itself.

Begrudgingly, the player will run around looking for easier challenges. Some of Warlock’s minor forces are seen in the open field. Players can take them out with no trouble and learn a few basic mechanics. Later they may find a town being attacked by stronger enemies. The townspeople could use a hero to help them. The player lends a hand, saves the town, and earns a nice reward in the form of an equipment upgrade. They learn about exploration, quests, and reward systems. Now they have a method of getting stronger. Still, it’s best if they don’t fight Warlock right now. They’ve got a long ways to go and much to learn about the world. Players now have a reason to look for other places that need their help.

As they explore, players run into NPCs who need help or side quests that involve a small narrative. These narratives can either affect the game or just the game world. If it affects the game, this means that completing this quest rewards something that makes the player stronger or weakens the enemy somehow. Maybe minions of Warlock the Malevolent won’t kick the player’s ass so hard this time. If it affects the game world, this means the lore changes in some way. The player learns something about the world and grows to care for it more deeply. This is good for character development and agency. Both of these outcomes can occur at the same time. Player learns of Warlock’s latest scheme to corrupt the water source for a large city causing a plague. Upon cleansing the plague, the player is given a new weapon. Now the player has a reason to hate the villain more, but also grows more powerful in the process.

What happens in the world when the player isn’t around? It goes on without them. Whenever the player is off looking for new places to discover and puzzles to solve, the world should be able to operate independently of the player’s actions. It should still be affected by what the player does, but it shouldn’t need the player to feel bad about not saving anyone. Imagine if every town was under attack by the forces of evil. Some might can hold their ground, but others would be destroyed. It makes sense to have most towns handle the fighting themselves so the player can wander off without being too concerned about the side quest involved with saving the inhabitants. If they do decide to save the town, keep it saved. It will be a sign of progress in the world and it’s satisfying to look on a map and see how much good you’ve done in the world.

At the end of their journey, players will be ready to take on the ultimate challenge: their original goal of defeating Warlock, the Malevolent. With their knowledge of the game, the lore of the world, and their godly armor and powerful weapons, the player will be ready. It isn’t necessary to have them explore everything in the game world, especially if it’s massive. Have them explore a few critical spots that are not too difficult to find and have them teach essential mechanics that they will need for the final battle. The guardian from before stands no chance against the master player. A last mechanic may be introduced at this time, but it should be brief and interesting; nothing too complex. This serves as a reward for making it this far and should be the most amazing thing your game offers. Now the player will feel like the end boss will be powerless against them. 

So the player has reached the end boss, fought him to the death, and saved the world. Now what? At this point, you can either let them explore everything else they may have missed or give them access to new content. Even though the antagonist is dead, players still may want to explore the rest of the game. It is very possible they didn’t find everything the world has to offer. In the off chance that they have finished all of the content, new areas and quests can be added as a reward for defeating the end boss. It’s always good to give the player more of what they enjoy the most. If the player sees the slaying of the antagonist as the final challenge, they shouldn’t have to feel like they HAVE to explore the endgame content. It should feel like a reward for saving the world that can be indulged in at any time and not an obligation. No one likes being forced to play something they don’t like.

This concludes the formula used to create a satisfying open world exploration game. Of course, this doesn’t cover absolutely everything designers may encounter in creating a game like this, but it does hit on some of the most important points.