Video games where you visit a variety of worlds
November 23, 2018 5:06 PM
I haven't played a ton of video games, but I've noticed that the ones I've really loved feature different worlds or 'countries' -- like in Super Mario Odyssey, where you go to a desert world, a city world, a snow world, etc. Two other games I've liked a lot -- Little Big Planet and Double Fine's The Cave -- have a similar feature. Looking for recs for more games like this for the Switch or PS4! Also, is there a term for this kind of game that would help me when searching for something new?
Games that simply have a large world to explore don't necessarily do it for me -- I tried Breath of the Wild and have watched my husband play Fallout, but even though there are lots of places to go, they all look pretty 'same-y' to me, and that ends up leaving me kind of bored. I've mostly played platformers, but am open to trying any genre. I think an RPG in this vein could be really fun!
Games that simply have a large world to explore don't necessarily do it for me -- I tried Breath of the Wild and have watched my husband play Fallout, but even though there are lots of places to go, they all look pretty 'same-y' to me, and that ends up leaving me kind of bored. I've mostly played platformers, but am open to trying any genre. I think an RPG in this vein could be really fun!
God of War 4 (PS4) might fit the bill, for an RPG where you go to different worlds/new locations open up that are different. Not platform-y, so something different!
posted by DTMFA at 5:28 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by DTMFA at 5:28 PM on November 23, 2018
Actually, I'm hoping to get a 3DS soon, so recommendations for that are very welcome!
posted by imalaowai at 5:54 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by imalaowai at 5:54 PM on November 23, 2018
Hollow Knight has distinct areas, I’d describe it as about halfway between Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild in terms of how separate feeling they are. And it’s an excellent game that you play as a very cute bug!
posted by asphericalcow at 6:17 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by asphericalcow at 6:17 PM on November 23, 2018
Atelier Firis has this quality, and I enjoyed it on a PS4. While ostensibly a direct sequel to Atelier Sophie (which does not really have an open world), Firis stands alone, and it's more on target for your question. It's an open world JRPG with turn-based combat but a real focus on gathering and crafting, and it has lands/cities that with very different kinds of terrain. A feature common to many games in its series is that you're encouraged to move along and make progress in a certain amount of game time, but the goal isn't just generous--I think it's actually a little better to spend all the available time leveling up, so there's not really a rush. Once you complete the main goal, you go where you like.
posted by Wobbuffet at 6:37 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by Wobbuffet at 6:37 PM on November 23, 2018
Okay, I know I’m outing myself as an early 2000s kid but: Kingdom Hearts. You want Kingdom Hearts. That’s basically the entire concept behind the games.
posted by brook horse at 6:40 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by brook horse at 6:40 PM on November 23, 2018
No Man’s Sky has something like a trillion different worlds: you can play it literally for the rest of your life and only see a small portion.
The ability to walk around on a planet then lift off to flying then into orbit and interstellar travel without any load screens is something very fun and rare, pretty much unprecedented.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:44 PM on November 23, 2018
The ability to walk around on a planet then lift off to flying then into orbit and interstellar travel without any load screens is something very fun and rare, pretty much unprecedented.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:44 PM on November 23, 2018
Dragon Quest Builders (PS4/Switch) - This is a hybrid of a JRPG and Minecraft building. Each area contains different crafting materials and enemies so it's not just cosmetic. It's been out for a while, and a sequel is about to be released, so you should be able to get it cheap.
posted by meowzilla at 7:06 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by meowzilla at 7:06 PM on November 23, 2018
Does it count if it's the same world, but contains very different biomes? Dust: An Elysian Tale (Switch, PS4) is a 2D action-platformer with several different areas (meadow, forest, underground cavern, snowy mountain, haunted blight/mansion, volcanically active area, etc), all with a different feel and featuring some different gameplay depending on the environment.
Another one that comes to mind where the various areas feel different is RiME (Switch, PS4), a 3D puzzle-platformer featuring various biomes/areas (island, desert, underwater, forest/garden, cavern, etc). The ruins that kind of tie the world together might make it a bit on the samey side for you, if you felt that Breath of the Wild wasn't varied enough though. The puzzle mechanics do change somewhat throughout the game, though, so that may help?
posted by Aleyn at 7:13 PM on November 23, 2018
Another one that comes to mind where the various areas feel different is RiME (Switch, PS4), a 3D puzzle-platformer featuring various biomes/areas (island, desert, underwater, forest/garden, cavern, etc). The ruins that kind of tie the world together might make it a bit on the samey side for you, if you felt that Breath of the Wild wasn't varied enough though. The puzzle mechanics do change somewhat throughout the game, though, so that may help?
posted by Aleyn at 7:13 PM on November 23, 2018
I’ll second Hollow Knight! The different areas are extremely distinct and all loaded with personality. Super fun to explore!
I’ve been playing the Spyro the Dragon remakes that just came out (on PS4 and Xbox) and it’s been really fun and definitely checks these boxes. It’s very level-based and there’s a good variety of worlds and then the levels in those worlds are reasonably varied too.
posted by caitcadieux at 8:09 PM on November 23, 2018
I’ve been playing the Spyro the Dragon remakes that just came out (on PS4 and Xbox) and it’s been really fun and definitely checks these boxes. It’s very level-based and there’s a good variety of worlds and then the levels in those worlds are reasonably varied too.
posted by caitcadieux at 8:09 PM on November 23, 2018
The Diablo series
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:27 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:27 PM on November 23, 2018
Celeste (available for the Switch) is a platformer that has different areas, not literally worlds but definitely a similar feel to that kind of game. The colors and music change and each area has unique types of platforming challenges.
You might also like any one of the Pokémon games; you travel around and each town and city has its own theme, environments and aesthetic.
posted by vogon_poet at 8:33 PM on November 23, 2018
You might also like any one of the Pokémon games; you travel around and each town and city has its own theme, environments and aesthetic.
posted by vogon_poet at 8:33 PM on November 23, 2018
Destiny 1 and 2. Both titles are PVP and PVE, with elements of RPG thrown in. Lots of locations to visit, and very fun to play
posted by Master Gunner at 8:58 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by Master Gunner at 8:58 PM on November 23, 2018
Since you mentioned double fine, their classic pyschonauts puts you inside a series of different minds, from the camp counselors of your average summer camp for psychic youth to the patients of a nearby mental hospital. And a fish monster. The originality of the settings of the different levels is a big part of the appeal.
posted by Rinku at 11:36 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by Rinku at 11:36 PM on November 23, 2018
I think you might like some of the newer open world Lego games, specifically the Avengers/Marvel ones. Marvel Super Heroes has a huge map of lego NYC to explore but also a big mash up story with lots of different sets and tones from various comic lines. Marvel Avengers sort of goofily retells the MCU stories, but there's a huge amount of other places to visit (including the moon, natch) and many alien planets with interesting different styles. Marvel Super Heroes 2 features an enormous overworld that's made up of different places all smooshed together for story reasons, and all the levels feel individual - you do a sepiatoned jewel heist with gangsters, you fight crime in lush wakanda, you hijack a train in the wild west, you deal with symbiote possession in the future... And with Lego games, the different characters you play as have different powers, so there's changes to gameplay that way as well.
posted by Mizu at 3:19 AM on November 24, 2018
posted by Mizu at 3:19 AM on November 24, 2018
One that I played recently that might scratch that itch is Assassin's Creed: Origins. It's set in an extremely stylized version of ancient Egypt, the world is huge, and the different regions within the world all feel very different from one another; some are very marshy and tropical, others are sere and rocky, a few are more "Mediterranean," and some are just vast dunefields. Add to that the fact that different regions are controlled by different political entities (Egyptians, Romans, Greeks I think?) and so the different regions reflect different cultural and architectural priorities (and NPCs even speak different languages) and it really gave the game a very distinct "you're entering a totally different zone" feeling as you traveled between regions.
posted by saladin at 4:15 AM on November 24, 2018
posted by saladin at 4:15 AM on November 24, 2018
You might look at videos of Horizon: Zero Dawn to see if the areas are different enough for you. There's rocky mountains, red rock desert, jungle, a medieval-ish city, and frozen wastes. Similar people and animals except between the frozen wastes vs everywhere else. The game uses the regions/biomes to level the enemies.
It's really good.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:54 AM on November 24, 2018
It's really good.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:54 AM on November 24, 2018
Not sure how well it holds up, but Anachronox is a western-made, JRPG-style game that had some pretty creative locales.
Seconding Dust and Psychonauts. And I haven't played it but A Hat In Time is a recent Mario-style 3d platformer thati think has some creative locales.
posted by ropeladder at 9:53 AM on November 24, 2018
Seconding Dust and Psychonauts. And I haven't played it but A Hat In Time is a recent Mario-style 3d platformer thati think has some creative locales.
posted by ropeladder at 9:53 AM on November 24, 2018
The Witness (2016) has very distinct zones. I love the game but it's not for everyone.
posted by dgeiser13 at 10:32 AM on November 24, 2018
posted by dgeiser13 at 10:32 AM on November 24, 2018
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posted by halation at 5:18 PM on November 23, 2018