Elden Ring had the best world design in any game I've ever played in terms of rewarding exploration. The amount of times you see something and think "haha I'm gonna see if I can climb up there just for the fun of it" and then not only can you make it but it turns into a totally secret path that leads to some unique item or a boss. Just amazing! I think this is emphasized for people who knew the previous games where something as simple as jumping wasn't so simple.
Bro you need to play more games LMAO. You’re literally just describing any open world game not made by Ubisoft, the world design of Elden ring is the most bare bones open world in all of gaming, it’s literally a big open map with nothing in it except 80% enemies; 10% weapons and armour which may or may not be good (boss reward gear included and not addressing that almost all of the gear and bosses are reskins or copy and pastes); and 10% npc’s which may or may not have anything to add to the world or the player. Kingdom come deliverance, outer wilds, elder scrolls 3 morrowind (even Skyrim), dishonoured, the original thief games, dragons dogma 1&2, monster hunter games, subnautica. ALL of these games and dozens more have astronomically superior world design than anything we see even a glimpse of in Elden ring. In kingdom come deliverance most animals and people act on a time schedule which aligns with their careers, their necessities (like eating drinking sleeping and cleaning) and can be seen early in the morning waking up to do farm work or collect water from the nearby rivers and setting them to boil while they go back to sleep and all of this in historically accurate ways. People gossip and hang out in groups with the same npc’s and if you’re caught stealing something too small to care about they will even gossip about it and spread the word and sometimes traders won’t sell to you or will increase the prices based on that. In Morrowind the entire world acts around the religion you picked in the character creator, the race you pick, the age and gender you pick, the affinities and general attitude you chose for your character. The entire map is in a consistent ecosystem with realistically behaving script for ai. Almost all of these games if not all of them have lots and lots and lots of completely hidden yet intended paths especially dragons dogma. Elden ring is not even close to having above average in anything it does, even its music is pretty generic. You need to go play more games man. Subnautica and monster hunter both have worlds filled with enemies that act within an ecosystem that relates to their species, their diets, their environments and their prey/predators. Elden ring has none of this to talk highly of.
@@zzodysseuszz 1) I play hundreds of games across a wide range of genres, don't talk to me like that and don't bro me. 2) Why you so butthurt? 3) [here is where the holes in your arguments, and statements of being off topic are pointed out. Unfortunately the writer realized this was a huge waste of time conversing on a subjective topic with a person as fun to converse with as root canal, and instead thought it better to return to point 2 to save everyone time]
@@zzodysseuszz lmaoooo There is not a single open world game released in the last gen that holds a candle to Elden ring's fauna diversity with dot 68 bosses excluding repeats & 127 enemy archetypes in the base game excluding the repeats or DLC The fact that Elden ring has the more varied & fleshed out draconic species, did a million times better job exploring the species by providing actual archetypes than dragon focused games like dragons dogma or skyrim is hilarious 1)Wyverns with each archetype with its different signature moves Adula's moonblade, Ice storm 2) Dragonkin soldier of nokstella i.e. Half giant half dragon hybrid (New concept I have seen in a fantasy game) 3) Magma wyrm 4) Ancient dragon like fortissax 5) Placidusax 6) Bayle
@@zzodysseuszz As a result, Elden ring is the 7th most played game in the history of steam, top 5 most played game on steam deck since 2.5 yrs, one of the most completed open world games of all time with 40% completion rate that beat Hoarah Loux, 28% taking the age of stars ending & 37% beating endgame secret boss like Malenia which is wild because most players should not stick to it for that long because as you said "It does not use the medium" For Skyrim or witcher 3 its 22% lol 😅😅
Outward is seriously underrated. Such a good survival, exploration game. It's combat is similar to Dark Souls as well. I'm happy to see it's getting more recognition.
Exactly! It took me a couple tries before i fully understood the game but when you get into it, its so good. Exploring and getting into a different region like the desert and forest feels like such an accomplishment.
It isnt underrated though. It is very big. The people who have played it just dont talk about it much because it spoils the experience. I just played it not too long ago for the first time. I REALLY appreciated the fans for not talking about it; I’ve avoided spoilers for so many years
I was glad to see Outward on here. I really like the combination of all the elements. One of the huge things for exploration is that the map has no position icon to show what you are on that level! You have to use landmarks to figure out where you are and plan out where to go. You also need rations to travel between areas. They even make it that during combat you often have to take off your backpack to fight well. The backpack slows down your dodging and walking but by dropping the backpack has most of your items like ammo and potions. So a lot of planning is involved. It’s nice because you are not some chosen one. You are just some person. There are issues but it is really good, especially for a development team of 9 people.
Outer Wilds is just a top notch game and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Its DLC (still yet to finish) makes it better and it's one of those games I wish I could play for the first time again and again. It's so good. And the soundtrack is the cherry on top.
I think Dying Light deserves a mention. Although it's not as "rewarding" as these other games where you get a cool item after exploring hard enough, you can only get so much exp during the day so you're forced to explore during the night if you want a faster progression. And exploring during the night is heart attack inducing to say the least.
I am so suprised and happy that you mentioned Enderal. A standalone mod for free that is literally like a different and fully priced title in quality. Especially the voice acting in german which is the original is on professional level and perfect. My favourite game is Skyrim, and I regard Enderal as the better Game.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Played this game completely blind (no spoilers) when it came out. I was blown away by the reveal of the inverted castle; the game suddenly doubling in size. Plus finding amazing weapons like the Ruin Sword, made you go on a all out hunt for any enemies with "????" in their treasure drop data. I remember using the Jewel Sword to farm money, finding hidden paths, 60+ hour later after beating the game long ago. You'd get so sucked into the exploration, you would forget to save most of the time. Then there was stumbling across hard bosses all the sudden... excellent times.
Was playing Dragons Dogma 2 yesterday when a Griffen swooped down. Standard right? Well I’d been traveling for a bit and ran to avoid it only to turn the corner and see TWO cyclops casually chilling. Needless to say the next 15 minutes were an intense hell, but somehow we pulled through. That’s why this game is so fun
It's crazy, I came across a valley. To my left, there was a cyclops up a path leading up a hill. Straight in front of me there was a drake fighting a bunch of goblins. And in the sky there was a griffin nearby And one time I was just fighting a bunch of goblins at an abandoned town when suddenly I see a massive griffin shadow flying over us as the sun is getting lower. And BAM a griffin drops down and now the goblins and me are freaking out. I climbed into the griffin and held on for dear life, eventually managed to bring it down and wail on it
I ran into a dragon, started fighting it. Was getting my ass kicked. Died. Used a revival stone. Screen started shaking and a Griffen came smashing down on the dragon. Scared the shit out of me. Knew I was doomed so started to run away. Stopped and looked back, the two were fighting before the dragon flew away. Ended up going and killing the Griffen. This games hilarious.
Had something similar happen to me around day 3 of the game except I was fighting a drake and out of nowhere a griffin came swooping down and started attacking us both … after the dragon bbq’d the griffin it did the same to me and my pawns 😂 I was not ready at that time … but currently I would slay 2 drakes and a griffin at the same time on my warfarer build 🙌
Returnal belongs here too. It's a double edged sword exploration. You'll need all the loot to reach the end but overstep in an area and it's back to the start. Brutal randomly generated rougelite.
The metro series does this well, you can go through the levels pretty straight forward but there’s always interesting areas to find out of the way, especially in the third game where in order to get all the weapon attachments and equipment available you need to look around
Been loving just how packed the world is in Dragon's Dogma 2. Original had some fun places to discover, but most of it was tied to the main narrative or at least a quest. Now, it's just wild how you can find a cave, and either spend a few minutes getting some loot, or wind up discovering so many branching paths it can almost feel overwhelming. I was trying to find parts of this one cave that had slopes you can't climb, and wind up wandering partway into the lands of the Beast people, including a tall cliff full of super aggressive gore harpies that kept chucking me and my party from great heights or into the waters below.
Outward 2 is looking good as well!! I played it at pax East this weekend! Honestly outward has some of my favorite exploration in games, and the sequel does not feel as janky! They switched to unreal, and the combat is a lot more fluid
@@BrandonDenny-we1rw Yep! It's just in pre-apha for now, but I talked to the team and they're now a 28 person team working on it, up from 8 for the original Outward! It looked great, and felt so much better then the original. They said their focus was really on keeping the same "Outward experience" while improving on some of the aspects that really needed it, like the combat.
The combat was stiff but it was at least consistent, and you could learn it. I hope Outward 2 is the same to Outward, as DD2 is to DD1! Everything good turned up to 11!
19 out of every 20 players drop Snowrunner after a couple hours of gameplay. It does require a lot of patience, but as you progress and get access to better parts for your Scout it does get incredibly rewarding as it helps you reach the necessary vehicles to then unlock the OP heavies to put an end to all Contracts. I remember almost crying when I was moving inches at a time on deep mud, to then get just in range of a tree to winch myself forward. Now I go by that same patch of deep mud as if I was driving on asphalt.
Falcon really likes DD2. Same honestly. PC performance hasn’t been an issue for me on a mid build and feel bad for those who can’t experience the game as intended
Yeah I've also been enjoying the crap out of it. I get why they're getting so much flak for the microtransactions and I think whoever made the decision to add them to the game needs to get hit with a shovel.
There's an early quest in DD2 where you're asked to travel using an oxcart and are told they're safer. Every time I took that quest, if I dozed off I would wake up to find the oxcart disintegrating around me as it was dive-bombed by a griffin. Eventually I managed to avoid the griffin but the oxcart was halted half way after the ox was killed by goblins and I walked the rest of the way. That particular route is frequented by a minotaur, several cyclopes, that griffin, and the usual mix of goblins, harpies, skeletons and wolves.
When it's better than a full release game put out years later, it deserves a place. Bethesda shit the bed with Starfield's story, or lackthereof. If an AI generated Enderal, someone fed it the right authors.
@drakkondarkspell Todd has never been good with Fallout and Starfield is basically just Fallout in space. Elder Scrolls 6 is their last chance to redeem themselves for me but even if it does turn out bad, it's still a net positive for me because it's gonna be Todd's last game in the series.
@@Seussenshmirtz What a godawful take lmao. Fallout 3 was and still is regarded as one of the best games of all time. I get criticizing Bethesda but you people have a hate boner for Todd Howard. Starfield's launch shows that as well. Game is perfectly fine. Not the best game ever made, not the most mediocre game of all time as the Internet makes it out to be. Starfield is far from a bad game.
Happy to see Snowrunner get a mention. If not for Subnautica I'd say Stranded Deep, it's brilliant and exploration is so dangerous. I have so many memorable moments of trying to loot submerged ships in almost pitch black water while worrying about oxygen and sharks. I remember once losing everything when I fell off my raft then watched it sail away in stormy waters while I made a one hour swim for any kind of land mass, which hopefully wasn't inhabited by dangerous wild animals. Easily one of my favorite survival games, it has multiplayer now too.
For me I would have to say Dying Light (the original): The exploration can give you insane loot, but boy oh boy is it difficult - especially at night. This is the only game where I have genuinely been scared and have my heard pound in my chest, while yelling my frustrations of the hard game play - but as soon as I'm done with one trip you can be damn sure I will go straight out into another. Genius game!
Remnant 2 has some of the most interesting and funnest ways to get gear ever, some are so hard fighting wise, some are hard puzzle wise, but they're all so interesting and they give you awesome gear in that game!
I'm glad they put it so high on the list, but I feel like he did a bit of a disservice to the game with how he described it. You can tell he does not have many hours in the game and doesn't understand how the combat and mechanics actually work, nor get into the story or lore, which is really disappointing. It's such a great game with so many fantastic elements that make it unique and immersive, and he summed it up as "janky, but I respect it"; compared to a game he actually put hours into, it's a pretty subpar review.
It's nice to see an entry like Enderal on here, as a modder and someone who mods the life out of most games I play (especialy Bethesda games to make them more stable) - when you're sick of the base game, or there are just, a few things that reeeeaaalllly bother you with the base game (again, bugfixes/stability), we got your back! Plus, you can add a lot of mods that are compatible with Skyrim, to Enderal, so you can add mods to your mod and really make the game your own fully customised experience :P
In the 'Borderlands' games, one can go to areas with enemies beyond their level, or even vastly beyond their level. Players are encouraged not to do so, but if one persists, great loot is on hand. Just need to overcome nearly invincible and equally deadly enemies first.
I totally blew it off into my ps4 backlog after getting past the initial part where you go to attain magic skills. I'll be picking it back up on this switch version coming out though, as long as the performance is doable
Was hoping Outward would make this list and it did! Honestly the best survival RPG I've ever experienced. The exploration is so rewarding, finding your way by navigating the map using just the landmarks.
you can remove him early on if you don't care about his drops, just stand near river/lake and wait for him to land or nose dive into the water and get taken by Brine
well... wheres morrowind? that game basically set the standard for modern open world exploration (the feeling of curiosity whats in every nook an cranny was barely ever reproduced) and when you get killed by a kwama forager because your low-level spell fails 5 times in a row, you also know its difficult.
Kudos for ranking King's Field so high, even though it was often criticized by reviewers for it's unforgiving game-play back then. I have played all of them (including the very first one that was never released in the US), and I always enjoyed them for their very challenging exploration. While the Souls games are the spiritual successor to the King's Field series, and it's unlikely that FromSoftware will revive it like they have with the Armored Core series, I still hope for a new one...
In the same vein as King's Field is Arx Fatalis, a game with lots of rewarding exploration and danger around the corner. It had a unique magic system which made the sluggish combat a bit more interesting.
Arx Fatalis takes its inspiration from Ultima Underworld which was a fantastic game for exploration. The developers are huge fans of Looking Glas games and it shows: Dishonored takes from Thief and Prey takes from System Shock.
Oh its awsome. There are even mods for it. The collection (path of the profit) has allot of great additions that change up the gameplay and include some graphics mods. One thing about enderall. Yes that start is suuuuuuper weird but just go with it
Subnautica deserves that spot. Every time you think you've discovered a new level of danger, it then ramps to 11. Yet it's so worth pushing out as the things you discover look stunning. Still a top game today. Phillip.
Yeah this guy I was dating showed me King's Field and I was pretty amazed by it though I didn't get very far. I was a huge fan of the Tenchu series and never knew that FromSoftware had a hand in that too, so I was a longtime fan of theirs without even realizing it. 😁
@@Ahrimane I did not know they had anything to do with Tenchu. I even made a few brilliant levels on Tenchu 2, me and my friend used to make custom maps for each other.
Seeing Enderal mentioned makes me so happy! I played it when it was a mod you installed like others and fell in love with it. Seeing them being able to make it a stand alone feels like it should have been bigger news and open opportunities for more games like that. Or maybe just them being able to make their own unique game in the future.
Elden Ring has such an insane open world. I'm 500+ hours into the game, I've beaten it multiple times, got every single achievement but I still find new stuff that I haven't seen before. Only recently I found a camp with a bunch of enemies, which I have never seen before. And we're talking about Limgrave here. For those who don't know: Limgrave is the starting area of Elden Ring. Ironically, the only areas where I'm fairly certain that I've discovered everything are the underground areas - which I get lost in the most
I'm surprised Metro Exodus isn't on this list. It may not be fully open world, what with the separated regions and all, but it's the first game that came to my mind here.
@@bronzin1445 Indeed. I notice there's almost never any mention of it or Anomaly or GAMMA or really any other highly modded games than BGS stuff and maybe GTA.
Enderal is amazing. The open world is extremely well made. It isn't actually that huge, but the biomes are so well handcrafted and diverse and dense with interesting dungeons and quests, it feels really big.
I always talk about this game but I still love raw danger on the ps2 which is a survival, adventure simulation game where you make your way through a crumbling city surviving floods and earthquakes you play as five different characters including: a waiter, a woman who is suspected of murder, a high school girl, a taxi driver where you actually get to drive the taxi as well as explore on foot and also a character who was in the previous game - the whole game features dangerous exploration trying to survive and hopefully get one of the multiple different endings ranging from good to bad it’s just so unique there is no other series like it. One of my favourite things about the game is you always have different dialogue choices to choose with some being absolutely ridiculous also there are loads of various clothing items throughout the world which you can equip your character with so if you want you can make them look like a fool say wearing a chef hat with a suit, fake glasses and a moustache while carrying a frying pan
13:30 If King's Field is too insane, too old and too problematic to play for you (assuming you are a normal person), go try Lunacid. It is basically a modern Kingsfield that released in late 2023. From the same Dev that worked on Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion and Lost in Vivo. Lunacid is inspired by the old Fromsoft games like Shadow Tower and King's Field, but a bit more close to what a normal sane person can actually play without going insane.
I think one of the best is Generation Zero. I was plagued by bugs when it first came out but they’ve fixed a lot of them and the exploration is downright terrifying at times. Especially at low levels and the robots get larger and stronger as you fight to find out why they’re on the island with you
Pleasantly surprised by your number one choice. King’s Field Ancient City on the PS2 was awesome! The exploration, music and stuff was so good imo. I’ve been a fan since the first two KF games on the PS1. It was tough and slooow but I stuck with it and really dug it. KFII improved on the first one in every way.
Outward is honestly a really great game, that I would recommend anyone reading this comment to try (also, it is usually on discount). (Furthermore, a sequel has been confirmed, recently)
I'm an absolute fan of Remnant and Outward, for the logical structure, rewarding combat and exploration and because I can play both games with my wife on the one device with Outward or two different with Remnant. Both games' co-op is so smooth and enjoyable!
"The Outer Wilds is tough but rewarding". As someone who spent *hours* crashing into the sun trying to get the achievment for landing on the SOlar Platform without using the teleporter, can confirm.
Legend of grimrock 1 and 2. You can easily skip almost all of the exploration of the game, but it is so much worth it and definitely dangerous. the more you explore, the harder the surprises get, but so does the rare loot, that will aid you in the final bosses of the game.
King's Field 2 and 3 are outstanding (I believe they're called King's Field 1 and 2 in the West, respectfully) so much bigger and deeper than I ever could have guessed.
The gameplay loop in Valheim makes exploration of a procedurally generated landscape fun for me. Since it's still in early access I can't give a final verdict. After Subnautica I was looking for similar games and found them in Grounded and Raft. With Snowrunner I broke the 1000-hours-gametime barrier. Inching forward through mud in order to tow and unlock a new truck from the swamp was very satisfying. Outward was ok in co-op with some of the environment resembling a less populated Morrowind but too tedious in single player mode for me.
Dragons Dogma 2 is very rough around the edges but underneath it all is a wonderfully unique game. Feels like so many of the people hating on it are just regurgitating what they read online and don’t really know why they hate it. I wish gamers weren’t so quick to subscribe to cancel culture. We’re all so eager to hate things.
I'm surprised Pacific Drive didn't make the list. It's not exactly open world...but i wouldn't call it linear either...and surviving a run and returning to the garage..is just and undescribable level of satisfaction
So glad enderall is on a list. Wouldn't say its right for this list but im glad it's being mentioned. Its one of my favourite games. SureAI did an amazing job with the skyrim engine. It looks like a sunny skyrim but the nuances make the game stand out. Loved its music honnestly the bards of enderall genuinely made me wait at taverns just to hear the full songs and going to the places mentioned in the songs really added another layer to the songs.
As an older gamer, I remember playing all the kingsfield games and beating them. There is no other feeling that comes from these games imo. I wish they would remake all of them. I realize that Soulsbourne is the successor but it’s nowhere near the same.i beat 1&2 (US) a few years back again also
Playing DD2 I had spent a bunch of time exploring this one cave sytem filled with Saurians, and when I finally saw daylight at the exit I came up to it and a Griffin landed right in front of the entrance staring me and my party down and a boss fight began, it was extremely fun. It was like a final boss of a dungeon or something, but completely random
Thief 1 and 2. The Dark Project and The Metal Age. You have a bow, you have a sword, yet if you end up in combat then something has gone wrong. It's all about exploration, pathfinding, problem-solving and finding all those hidden nooks and crannies.
Outward is such a fun game, just reeks of old school awesomeness. I was hyped for it and surprised when it exceeded my expectations. Plus local AND online co-op, I mean come on. Image what that same design philosophy could be like with a AAA budget.
Finally thank you someone giving some love to fallout 4. I liked it. And I liked the settlement building. Sue me. My first fallout game was 3. And I played new vegas. In both only them I was like it would be cool if I could make my own post apocalyptic settlements. They gave me that in fallout 4. Love them for it.
I fully realize that it doesn't really belong in this list because it's VR only, but Asgard's Wrath 2 can be absolutely punishing if you try and wander around the map finding hidden areas and dungeons instead of following the main quests, especially early on. This shifts somewhat at around the halfway point of the campaign as your stats increase, but it's still possible to accidentally find yourself dramatically outgunned if you push your luck which is a big reason it continues to remain interesting even after dozens of hours of gameplay. But many of those areas are also the ones that grant materials you'll need to craft the best armor and weapons.
Snow Runner is very satisfying and I look forward to playing the latest expansion but I'd prefer an open map to traverse and get stuck in. Having some sand and rock crawling, etc would be nice. But maybe that's another game in the pipeline
Enderal is top notch but another really good (and dangerous) total conversion mod for Skyrim is "Shattered". In this mod, the Dragonborn Died to the executioner and dragons destroyed Skyrim. Shattered basically transforms the game in a medieval post-apo survival game. Moreover, it has a lot of mods enhancing the base experience by adding mobs and dragons in town and even world bosses. Neat and difficult.
10 - Subnautica
9 - Dragons Dogma 2
8 - Remant II
7 - Snowrunner
6 - Hollow Knight
5 - Enderal Forgotten Stones
4 -- Outer Wilds
3 - Outward
2 - Elden Ring
1 - Kings Field IV
Not all heroes wear capes.
i just clicked on the video to complain that kenshi wasn't on the list
Its called Eldens Ring. The final boss in the DLC is Elden himself.
It's forgotten stories, and not stones. Don't know how he made that error lol
For the people with Goldfish brains.
Elden Ring had the best world design in any game I've ever played in terms of rewarding exploration.
The amount of times you see something and think "haha I'm gonna see if I can climb up there just for the fun of it" and then not only can you make it but it turns into a totally secret path that leads to some unique item or a boss. Just amazing!
I think this is emphasized for people who knew the previous games where something as simple as jumping wasn't so simple.
Bro you need to play more games LMAO. You’re literally just describing any open world game not made by Ubisoft, the world design of Elden ring is the most bare bones open world in all of gaming, it’s literally a big open map with nothing in it except 80% enemies; 10% weapons and armour which may or may not be good (boss reward gear included and not addressing that almost all of the gear and bosses are reskins or copy and pastes); and 10% npc’s which may or may not have anything to add to the world or the player. Kingdom come deliverance, outer wilds, elder scrolls 3 morrowind (even Skyrim), dishonoured, the original thief games, dragons dogma 1&2, monster hunter games, subnautica. ALL of these games and dozens more have astronomically superior world design than anything we see even a glimpse of in Elden ring. In kingdom come deliverance most animals and people act on a time schedule which aligns with their careers, their necessities (like eating drinking sleeping and cleaning) and can be seen early in the morning waking up to do farm work or collect water from the nearby rivers and setting them to boil while they go back to sleep and all of this in historically accurate ways. People gossip and hang out in groups with the same npc’s and if you’re caught stealing something too small to care about they will even gossip about it and spread the word and sometimes traders won’t sell to you or will increase the prices based on that.
In Morrowind the entire world acts around the religion you picked in the character creator, the race you pick, the age and gender you pick, the affinities and general attitude you chose for your character. The entire map is in a consistent ecosystem with realistically behaving script for ai.
Almost all of these games if not all of them have lots and lots and lots of completely hidden yet intended paths especially dragons dogma.
Elden ring is not even close to having above average in anything it does, even its music is pretty generic. You need to go play more games man.
Subnautica and monster hunter both have worlds filled with enemies that act within an ecosystem that relates to their species, their diets, their environments and their prey/predators.
Elden ring has none of this to talk highly of.
@@zzodysseuszz 1) I play hundreds of games across a wide range of genres, don't talk to me like that and don't bro me.
2) Why you so butthurt?
3) [here is where the holes in your arguments, and statements of being off topic are pointed out. Unfortunately the writer realized this was a huge waste of time conversing on a subjective topic with a person as fun to converse with as root canal, and instead thought it better to return to point 2 to save everyone time]
@@zzodysseuszz lmaoooo There is not a single open world game released in the last gen that holds a candle to Elden ring's fauna diversity with dot 68 bosses excluding repeats & 127 enemy archetypes in the base game excluding the repeats or DLC
The fact that Elden ring has the more varied & fleshed out draconic species, did a million times better job exploring the species by providing actual archetypes than dragon focused games like dragons dogma or skyrim is hilarious
1)Wyverns with each archetype with its different signature moves Adula's moonblade, Ice storm
2) Dragonkin soldier of nokstella i.e. Half giant half dragon hybrid (New concept I have seen in a fantasy game)
3) Magma wyrm
4) Ancient dragon like fortissax
5) Placidusax
6) Bayle
@@zzodysseuszz As a result, Elden ring is the 7th most played game in the history of steam, top 5 most played game on steam deck since 2.5 yrs, one of the most completed open world games of all time with 40% completion rate that beat Hoarah Loux, 28% taking the age of stars ending & 37% beating endgame secret boss like Malenia which is wild because most players should not stick to it for that long because as you said "It does not use the medium"
For Skyrim or witcher 3 its 22% lol 😅😅
Outward is seriously underrated. Such a good survival, exploration game. It's combat is similar to Dark Souls as well. I'm happy to see it's getting more recognition.
I'm happy to see it get a sequel!
And it has really well made splitscreen and coop modes too to play with your dearest!
Exactly! It took me a couple tries before i fully understood the game but when you get into it, its so good. Exploring and getting into a different region like the desert and forest feels like such an accomplishment.
It isnt underrated though. It is very big. The people who have played it just dont talk about it much because it spoils the experience. I just played it not too long ago for the first time. I REALLY appreciated the fans for not talking about it; I’ve avoided spoilers for so many years
Why is Kenshi not number one?
I was glad to see Outward on here. I really like the combination of all the elements. One of the huge things for exploration is that the map has no position icon to show what you are on that level! You have to use landmarks to figure out where you are and plan out where to go. You also need rations to travel between areas.
They even make it that during combat you often have to take off your backpack to fight well. The backpack slows down your dodging and walking but by dropping the backpack has most of your items like ammo and potions. So a lot of planning is involved.
It’s nice because you are not some chosen one. You are just some person. There are issues but it is really good, especially for a development team of 9 people.
I love exploring the city area in Fallout 4. The verticality, so many neat little areas to discover. I never get tired of it.
Outer Wilds is just a top notch game and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Its DLC (still yet to finish) makes it better and it's one of those games I wish I could play for the first time again and again. It's so good. And the soundtrack is the cherry on top.
It’s kind of a horror game in disguise if you ask me. The angler fish SUCK
Outer wilds is a masterpiece, every gamer should give it a try
If author didnt mention Outer Wilds, I would simply unsubscribe. It is the best exploration game by far. It is a masterpiece.
I think Dying Light deserves a mention. Although it's not as "rewarding" as these other games where you get a cool item after exploring hard enough, you can only get so much exp during the day so you're forced to explore during the night if you want a faster progression. And exploring during the night is heart attack inducing to say the least.
The bird, the myth, the legend. 🦅
This 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Carmine Falcon...e
It's the exploding birb from angry birds
It is a plane? Is it super man? No its falcon!
No, it's a long hair creepy looking hippy beta
I love Snowrunner. The variety of vehicles, pathes, and terrain makes it challenging, but chill at the same time.
I am so suprised and happy that you mentioned Enderal. A standalone mod for free that is literally like a different and fully priced title in quality. Especially the voice acting in german which is the original is on professional level and perfect. My favourite game is Skyrim, and I regard Enderal as the better Game.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Played this game completely blind (no spoilers) when it came out. I was blown away by the reveal of the inverted castle; the game suddenly doubling in size. Plus finding amazing weapons like the Ruin Sword, made you go on a all out hunt for any enemies with "????" in their treasure drop data. I remember using the Jewel Sword to farm money, finding hidden paths, 60+ hour later after beating the game long ago. You'd get so sucked into the exploration, you would forget to save most of the time. Then there was stumbling across hard bosses all the sudden... excellent times.
You showing off the Trebuchet in DD2. My brain went "Wait, you can use siege artillery to unblock passages?!"
That game is awesome!
DD2 is literally dog doodoo 🤣👎
How so? @@uncleudders
@@uncleudders how so ?
@@uncleuddersThanks but don't care. I'm really enjoying it.
Was playing Dragons Dogma 2 yesterday when a Griffen swooped down. Standard right? Well I’d been traveling for a bit and ran to avoid it only to turn the corner and see TWO cyclops casually chilling. Needless to say the next 15 minutes were an intense hell, but somehow we pulled through. That’s why this game is so fun
It's crazy, I came across a valley. To my left, there was a cyclops up a path leading up a hill. Straight in front of me there was a drake fighting a bunch of goblins. And in the sky there was a griffin nearby
And one time I was just fighting a bunch of goblins at an abandoned town when suddenly I see a massive griffin shadow flying over us as the sun is getting lower. And BAM a griffin drops down and now the goblins and me are freaking out. I climbed into the griffin and held on for dear life, eventually managed to bring it down and wail on it
I ran into a dragon, started fighting it. Was getting my ass kicked. Died. Used a revival stone. Screen started shaking and a Griffen came smashing down on the dragon. Scared the shit out of me. Knew I was doomed so started to run away. Stopped and looked back, the two were fighting before the dragon flew away. Ended up going and killing the Griffen. This games hilarious.
Damn lol... I don't think the first game had that much randomness... could be wrong though.
Had something similar happen to me around day 3 of the game except I was fighting a drake and out of nowhere a griffin came swooping down and started attacking us both … after the dragon bbq’d the griffin it did the same to me and my pawns 😂 I was not ready at that time … but currently I would slay 2 drakes and a griffin at the same time on my warfarer build 🙌
Returnal belongs here too. It's a double edged sword exploration. You'll need all the loot to reach the end but overstep in an area and it's back to the start. Brutal randomly generated rougelite.
The metro series does this well, you can go through the levels pretty straight forward but there’s always interesting areas to find out of the way, especially in the third game where in order to get all the weapon attachments and equipment available you need to look around
Been loving just how packed the world is in Dragon's Dogma 2. Original had some fun places to discover, but most of it was tied to the main narrative or at least a quest. Now, it's just wild how you can find a cave, and either spend a few minutes getting some loot, or wind up discovering so many branching paths it can almost feel overwhelming. I was trying to find parts of this one cave that had slopes you can't climb, and wind up wandering partway into the lands of the Beast people, including a tall cliff full of super aggressive gore harpies that kept chucking me and my party from great heights or into the waters below.
Every time I see Subnautica mentioned anywhere I want to dive back in.
*Using best Australian accent*
“Dive on in.”
Same, but I'm scared
Yeah I've played through it four times. I don't think any other game does underwater exploration as well as Subnautica.
I see what you did there
Outward 2 is looking good as well!! I played it at pax East this weekend! Honestly outward has some of my favorite exploration in games, and the sequel does not feel as janky! They switched to unreal, and the combat is a lot more fluid
Oh? This is actually exciting to hear
@@BrandonDenny-we1rw Yep! It's just in pre-apha for now, but I talked to the team and they're now a 28 person team working on it, up from 8 for the original Outward! It looked great, and felt so much better then the original. They said their focus was really on keeping the same "Outward experience" while improving on some of the aspects that really needed it, like the combat.
@@arts3802 i really liked the story and world building of the first game but found the combat frustrating so this is good news to me
The combat was stiff but it was at least consistent, and you could learn it. I hope Outward 2 is the same to Outward, as DD2 is to DD1! Everything good turned up to 11!
This is the only thing that kept me from playing the first game. Looks like I will be picking up the second game.
19 out of every 20 players drop Snowrunner after a couple hours of gameplay.
It does require a lot of patience, but as you progress and get access to better parts for your Scout it does get incredibly rewarding as it helps you reach the necessary vehicles to then unlock the OP heavies to put an end to all Contracts.
I remember almost crying when I was moving inches at a time on deep mud, to then get just in range of a tree to winch myself forward. Now I go by that same patch of deep mud as if I was driving on asphalt.
Falcon really likes DD2. Same honestly. PC performance hasn’t been an issue for me on a mid build and feel bad for those who can’t experience the game as intended
Yeah I've also been enjoying the crap out of it. I get why they're getting so much flak for the microtransactions and I think whoever made the decision to add them to the game needs to get hit with a shovel.
There's an early quest in DD2 where you're asked to travel using an oxcart and are told they're safer. Every time I took that quest, if I dozed off I would wake up to find the oxcart disintegrating around me as it was dive-bombed by a griffin. Eventually I managed to avoid the griffin but the oxcart was halted half way after the ox was killed by goblins and I walked the rest of the way.
That particular route is frequented by a minotaur, several cyclopes, that griffin, and the usual mix of goblins, harpies, skeletons and wolves.
I can't believe Enderal has gotten to the point where it's counted among actual video games. SureAI should be proud.
And it's well-deserved. Gameranx just went up a few notches in my eyes for including it on one of their lists.
When it's better than a full release game put out years later, it deserves a place. Bethesda shit the bed with Starfield's story, or lackthereof. If an AI generated Enderal, someone fed it the right authors.
@drakkondarkspell Todd has never been good with Fallout and Starfield is basically just Fallout in space. Elder Scrolls 6 is their last chance to redeem themselves for me but even if it does turn out bad, it's still a net positive for me because it's gonna be Todd's last game in the series.
@@Seussenshmirtz What a godawful take lmao. Fallout 3 was and still is regarded as one of the best games of all time. I get criticizing Bethesda but you people have a hate boner for Todd Howard. Starfield's launch shows that as well. Game is perfectly fine. Not the best game ever made, not the most mediocre game of all time as the Internet makes it out to be. Starfield is far from a bad game.
@@jimmythegamer2231 I love Fallout even Fallout 4 I love. Starfield is mediocre at best though.
Happy to see Snowrunner get a mention. If not for Subnautica I'd say Stranded Deep, it's brilliant and exploration is so dangerous. I have so many memorable moments of trying to loot submerged ships in almost pitch black water while worrying about oxygen and sharks. I remember once losing everything when I fell off my raft then watched it sail away in stormy waters while I made a one hour swim for any kind of land mass, which hopefully wasn't inhabited by dangerous wild animals. Easily one of my favorite survival games, it has multiplayer now too.
Let's not forget Spintires and Mudrunner as well...
For me I would have to say Dying Light (the original): The exploration can give you insane loot, but boy oh boy is it difficult - especially at night. This is the only game where I have genuinely been scared and have my heard pound in my chest, while yelling my frustrations of the hard game play - but as soon as I'm done with one trip you can be damn sure I will go straight out into another. Genius game!
Nights are like "nah, I'm good to sleep."
Remnant 2 has some of the most interesting and funnest ways to get gear ever, some are so hard fighting wise, some are hard puzzle wise, but they're all so interesting and they give you awesome gear in that game!
Im so happy to see Outward on here! Love that game, one of the best Magic systems i ever played in a game
Easily in my top 5 off all time.
Easily frustrating too
You know theyre making a second game?
In my top 5 as well! Also I did know their making a second game, cant wait! The Art style alone is enough to get me hype lol
I loved the first. Looking forward to the second. Will probably be playing DD2 until then lol!
I'm glad they put it so high on the list, but I feel like he did a bit of a disservice to the game with how he described it. You can tell he does not have many hours in the game and doesn't understand how the combat and mechanics actually work, nor get into the story or lore, which is really disappointing. It's such a great game with so many fantastic elements that make it unique and immersive, and he summed it up as "janky, but I respect it"; compared to a game he actually put hours into, it's a pretty subpar review.
Dragon’s Dogma is such a great game and an incredible step forward. I can’t put it down!
It's nice to see an entry like Enderal on here, as a modder and someone who mods the life out of most games I play (especialy Bethesda games to make them more stable) - when you're sick of the base game, or there are just, a few things that reeeeaaalllly bother you with the base game (again, bugfixes/stability), we got your back! Plus, you can add a lot of mods that are compatible with Skyrim, to Enderal, so you can add mods to your mod and really make the game your own fully customised experience :P
Hollow Knight was brutal to explore, and idk how much currency I lost trying to get them back
In the 'Borderlands' games, one can go to areas with enemies beyond their level, or even vastly beyond their level. Players are encouraged not to do so, but if one persists, great loot is on hand. Just need to overcome nearly invincible and equally deadly enemies first.
As soon as I clicked the video I fast forwarded to make sure Subnautica and Outer Wilds were on here. Great job Gameranx!
Outward is one of the best RPGs ever created. No hand holding whatsoever. If you are into hardcore RPGs get it
@@Odyssey636 absolutely
I totally blew it off into my ps4 backlog after getting past the initial part where you go to attain magic skills. I'll be picking it back up on this switch version coming out though, as long as the performance is doable
@@QuestionThings123 ah yeah. You stopped where it was about to pick up for you. Once you get that fire sigil you can take on a lot of enemies.
Was hoping Outward would make this list and it did! Honestly the best survival RPG I've ever experienced. The exploration is so rewarding, finding your way by navigating the map using just the landmarks.
Outward, wow feels great
DD2 is driving me a little nuts.
There’s a griffin who keeps harassing me wherever I go.
you can remove him early on if you don't care about his drops, just stand near river/lake and wait for him to land or nose dive into the water and get taken by Brine
@@dragonsdogma2062 I watched a slime get taken by the brine too bad I didn't have popcorn
well... wheres morrowind? that game basically set the standard for modern open world exploration (the feeling of curiosity whats in every nook an cranny was barely ever reproduced) and when you get killed by a kwama forager because your low-level spell fails 5 times in a row, you also know its difficult.
Kudos for ranking King's Field so high, even though it was often criticized by reviewers for it's unforgiving game-play back then. I have played all of them (including the very first one that was never released in the US), and I always enjoyed them for their very challenging exploration. While the Souls games are the spiritual successor to the King's Field series, and it's unlikely that FromSoftware will revive it like they have with the Armored Core series, I still hope for a new one...
In the same vein as King's Field is Arx Fatalis, a game with lots of rewarding exploration and danger around the corner. It had a unique magic system which made the sluggish combat a bit more interesting.
Arx Fatalis takes its inspiration from Ultima Underworld which was a fantastic game for exploration. The developers are huge fans of Looking Glas games and it shows: Dishonored takes from Thief and Prey takes from System Shock.
Big thanks for the heads up on Enderal, downloading it now
Oh its awsome. There are even mods for it. The collection (path of the profit) has allot of great additions that change up the gameplay and include some graphics mods.
One thing about enderall. Yes that start is suuuuuuper weird but just go with it
The channel i can rely on keeping me entertained everyday 🥺😭
Subnautica deserves that spot. Every time you think you've discovered a new level of danger, it then ramps to 11. Yet it's so worth pushing out as the things you discover look stunning. Still a top game today.
Phillip.
I played the first King's Field on PS1 it was punishing with all the hallmarks of what makes a good Fromsoft game.
The Ancient City is by far the best one. It's a game I didn't know i needed until i played it.
Yeah this guy I was dating showed me King's Field and I was pretty amazed by it though I didn't get very far. I was a huge fan of the Tenchu series and never knew that FromSoftware had a hand in that too, so I was a longtime fan of theirs without even realizing it. 😁
@@Ahrimane I did not know they had anything to do with Tenchu. I even made a few brilliant levels on Tenchu 2, me and my friend used to make custom maps for each other.
Seeing Enderal mentioned makes me so happy! I played it when it was a mod you installed like others and fell in love with it. Seeing them being able to make it a stand alone feels like it should have been bigger news and open opportunities for more games like that. Or maybe just them being able to make their own unique game in the future.
Great video. I'd love an in-depth video on Subnautica and why it is such a big deal for survival games
DD2 is the closest to Skyrim style exploration we've had since ... Skyrim probably.
Please continue this series! I love games where exploration is rewarded and it's an aspect I always look for in new games.
Outward and Enderal are amazing masterpieces !!!!!
I immediately thought of “Keshi” when I saw this video posted. Great game wish it was on the list.
Elden Ring has such an insane open world. I'm 500+ hours into the game, I've beaten it multiple times, got every single achievement but I still find new stuff that I haven't seen before. Only recently I found a camp with a bunch of enemies, which I have never seen before. And we're talking about Limgrave here. For those who don't know: Limgrave is the starting area of Elden Ring. Ironically, the only areas where I'm fairly certain that I've discovered everything are the underground areas - which I get lost in the most
I'm surprised Metro Exodus isn't on this list. It may not be fully open world, what with the separated regions and all, but it's the first game that came to my mind here.
or even STALKER for that matter.
@@bronzin1445 Indeed. I notice there's almost never any mention of it or Anomaly or GAMMA or really any other highly modded games than BGS stuff and maybe GTA.
Enderal is amazing. The open world is extremely well made. It isn't actually that huge, but the biomes are so well handcrafted and diverse and dense with interesting dungeons and quests, it feels really big.
I always talk about this game but I still love raw danger on the ps2 which is a survival, adventure simulation game where you make your way through a crumbling city surviving floods and earthquakes you play as five different characters including: a waiter, a woman who is suspected of murder, a high school girl, a taxi driver where you actually get to drive the taxi as well as explore on foot and also a character who was in the previous game - the whole game features dangerous exploration trying to survive and hopefully get one of the multiple different endings ranging from good to bad it’s just so unique there is no other series like it. One of my favourite things about the game is you always have different dialogue choices to choose with some being absolutely ridiculous also there are loads of various clothing items throughout the world which you can equip your character with so if you want you can make them look like a fool say wearing a chef hat with a suit, fake glasses and a moustache while carrying a frying pan
13:30 If King's Field is too insane, too old and too problematic to play for you (assuming you are a normal person), go try Lunacid. It is basically a modern Kingsfield that released in late 2023. From the same Dev that worked on Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion and Lost in Vivo. Lunacid is inspired by the old Fromsoft games like Shadow Tower and King's Field, but a bit more close to what a normal sane person can actually play without going insane.
Love seeing Kingsfield mentioned. I only played the first one but its puzzles and sense of size still sticks with me, great game.
I think one of the best is Generation Zero. I was plagued by bugs when it first came out but they’ve fixed a lot of them and the exploration is downright terrifying at times. Especially at low levels and the robots get larger and stronger as you fight to find out why they’re on the island with you
Pleasantly surprised by your number one choice. King’s Field Ancient City on the PS2 was awesome! The exploration, music and stuff was so good imo. I’ve been a fan since the first two KF games on the PS1. It was tough and slooow but I stuck with it and really dug it. KFII improved on the first one in every way.
Zelda TOTK is absolutely rewarding especially in the underworld exploration. There are tons of secrets and armour sets to discover.
Outward is honestly a really great game, that I would recommend anyone reading this comment to try (also, it is usually on discount).
(Furthermore, a sequel has been confirmed, recently)
Enderal is getting some recognition! Heck yeah. Absolutely amazing game.
I've been playing so much Snowrunner. It's so frigging chill
I'm an absolute fan of Remnant and Outward, for the logical structure, rewarding combat and exploration and because I can play both games with my wife on the one device with Outward or two different with Remnant.
Both games' co-op is so smooth and enjoyable!
Glad to see Outward getting some love!
"The Outer Wilds is tough but rewarding". As someone who spent *hours* crashing into the sun trying to get the achievment for landing on the SOlar Platform without using the teleporter, can confirm.
Thanks for the KF4 recognition! What a hidden gem, that no one remembers.
It's great seeing Enderal get some recognition, it feels like not enough know about it.
Legend of grimrock 1 and 2. You can easily skip almost all of the exploration of the game, but it is so much worth it and definitely dangerous. the more you explore, the harder the surprises get, but so does the rare loot, that will aid you in the final bosses of the game.
Frenzied Flame exploration is very frustrating and dangerous, but boy is it fun and rewarding. ❤
King's Field 2 and 3 are outstanding (I believe they're called King's Field 1 and 2 in the West, respectfully) so much bigger and deeper than I ever could have guessed.
Thank you for including Enderal in this list. It's one of the best games I played in recent years
Outward is awesome and King's Field is one of the few PS2 games that I kept
Really enjoyed the exploration in Elden Ring. It's been a while since I had that much fun finding new places.
The gameplay loop in Valheim makes exploration of a procedurally generated landscape fun for me. Since it's still in early access I can't give a final verdict.
After Subnautica I was looking for similar games and found them in Grounded and Raft.
With Snowrunner I broke the 1000-hours-gametime barrier. Inching forward through mud in order to tow and unlock a new truck from the swamp was very satisfying.
Outward was ok in co-op with some of the environment resembling a less populated Morrowind but too tedious in single player mode for me.
The entire Gothic series has extremely dangerous exploration and deserved a mention.
Fallout: New Vegas should be on here just saying
A game with cazadors, deathclaws, super mutants, geckos and raiders should never be left out from such list
@@alvarodutra4255 facts
That game isn’t difficult though
@@chriscantmssyo momma ain't difficult
@@ARach-lv5wcsomeone took it personal damn
Dragons Dogma 2 is very rough around the edges but underneath it all is a wonderfully unique game. Feels like so many of the people hating on it are just regurgitating what they read online and don’t really know why they hate it. I wish gamers weren’t so quick to subscribe to cancel culture. We’re all so eager to hate things.
I'm surprised Pacific Drive didn't make the list. It's not exactly open world...but i wouldn't call it linear either...and surviving a run and returning to the garage..is just and undescribable level of satisfaction
Glad to hear some SonwRunner love. Best game ever to play and listen to a podcast or audio book.
The syncing of the Larry David gif with "c'mon, it's Subnautica" was 😗👌
So glad enderall is on a list. Wouldn't say its right for this list but im glad it's being mentioned. Its one of my favourite games. SureAI did an amazing job with the skyrim engine. It looks like a sunny skyrim but the nuances make the game stand out. Loved its music honnestly the bards of enderall genuinely made me wait at taverns just to hear the full songs and going to the places mentioned in the songs really added another layer to the songs.
Every time Remnant games are mentioned it makes me happy.
👍
As an older gamer, I remember playing all the kingsfield games and beating them. There is no other feeling that comes from these games imo. I wish they would remake all of them. I realize that Soulsbourne is the successor but it’s nowhere near the same.i beat 1&2 (US) a few years back again also
Remnants so good!
Playing DD2 I had spent a bunch of time exploring this one cave sytem filled with Saurians, and when I finally saw daylight at the exit I came up to it and a Griffin landed right in front of the entrance staring me and my party down and a boss fight began, it was extremely fun. It was like a final boss of a dungeon or something, but completely random
Thief 1 and 2. The Dark Project and The Metal Age. You have a bow, you have a sword, yet if you end up in combat then something has gone wrong. It's all about exploration, pathfinding, problem-solving and finding all those hidden nooks and crannies.
My favourite games, Outer Wilds, Subnautica, Snow Runner and Elden Ring. Nice.
Currently suffering like a mofo from
Surgery. Your vids are helping keep
My mind off the pain. So appreciative
Never heard of outward! Looked it up on Series X, the definitive edition. Looks like a game that’s right up my alley! Thanks for that 👍🏻
Lunacid needs to be added as a bonus game, since it is a modern King's Field and it is amazing.
👍
Outward is such a fun game, just reeks of old school awesomeness. I was hyped for it and surprised when it exceeded my expectations. Plus local AND online co-op, I mean come on. Image what that same design philosophy could be like with a AAA budget.
Finally thank you someone giving some love to fallout 4. I liked it. And I liked the settlement building. Sue me. My first fallout game was 3. And I played new vegas. In both only them I was like it would be cool if I could make my own post apocalyptic settlements. They gave me that in fallout 4. Love them for it.
Im in the middle of another outward playthrough. Love it.
I fully realize that it doesn't really belong in this list because it's VR only, but Asgard's Wrath 2 can be absolutely punishing if you try and wander around the map finding hidden areas and dungeons instead of following the main quests, especially early on. This shifts somewhat at around the halfway point of the campaign as your stats increase, but it's still possible to accidentally find yourself dramatically outgunned if you push your luck which is a big reason it continues to remain interesting even after dozens of hours of gameplay.
But many of those areas are also the ones that grant materials you'll need to craft the best armor and weapons.
Dragon's Dogma 2 may be fun to explore on console. On PC, you're fighting the frame rate and unoptimized graphics more than anything else.
Shut up
Snowrunner is basically an exploration puzzle simulation game.
Snow Runner is very satisfying and I look forward to playing the latest expansion but I'd prefer an open map to traverse and get stuck in. Having some sand and rock crawling, etc would be nice. But maybe that's another game in the pipeline
Adding Enderal to the List reminds me why I subscribed to this chanel ^^
Ultima Underworld was fun to explore. Really locked me into the world back then.
Project Zomboid. Such satisfying, (and necessary,) exploration, and so difficult to explore. Every time you die your body adds to the zombie hoards.
Enderal is top notch but another really good (and dangerous) total conversion mod for Skyrim is "Shattered". In this mod, the Dragonborn Died to the executioner and dragons destroyed Skyrim. Shattered basically transforms the game in a medieval post-apo survival game. Moreover, it has a lot of mods enhancing the base experience by adding mobs and dragons in town and even world bosses. Neat and difficult.
not surprised From Sadists made it on here more than once