As a genre, ‘open world’ has come to mean far more than just a big, seamless map. It conjures images of vast, big-budget games with a huge range of things to do, including combat, exploring, searching for collectibles, solving puzzles, traversal and more.
But I always find it really interesting when games buck that template. I loved the way The Evil Within 2 flirted with the idea of open-world survival horror, with its creepy town full of nightmares to sneak past. Or The Pathless, which, despite its protagonist wielding a bow and arrow, eschewed violence in favour of finding joy in discovery.
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One uses its open world – the island city of Cordona – as a sandbox for mysteries. Where most crime-solving games are purely linear, or take place across a series of confined scenes, Chapter One simply dots the map with unsolved cases and invites you to follow your nose.
BITING BACK
The tooth is out there in adventure TEETH OF GLASS
SMOKE ALARM
THE INVISIBLE SMOKE FACTORY is back in a Flash
MECH ME OVER
Move over Mario, here's mech-based platforming in ARMORED SHELL NIGHTJAR
"I like Pillars of Eternity better than Baldur's Gate III"
PILLARS OF ETERNITY deserves a bigger space in the CRPG pantheon
"A harrowing dark fantasy about hapless, bright-eyed children"
Spelunking into hell with MADE IN ABYSS: BINARY STAR FALLING INTO DARKNESS
THE IMMORTAL LOCK
A massive, meaty game in a single horrific Quake map.
NEW MANOEUVRES
Building a dedicated sim racing space in an average family house
OVERWATCH 2
Save me space girl.
REET GOOD TIME
THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE is a riotous recreation of Yorkshire
THE PLUCKY SQUIRE
How many games let you make friends with a MtG card?
