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.
HOLMES AND AWAY
Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av PC Gamer.
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av PC Gamer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A New Dawn - The rise, fall and rise again of PC Gaming in Japan
The so-called 'Paso Kon' market (ie katakana's transliteration of 'Pasonaru Computa') in Japan was originally spearheaded in the 1980s by NEC's PC-8800 and, later, its PC-9800.
MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE
Enter the multiverse of modness.
SLIDES RULE
Redeeming a hated puzzle mechanic with SLIDER
GODS AND MONSTERS
AGE OF MYTHOLOGY: RETOLD modernises a classic RTS with care
PHANTOM BLADE ZERO
Less Sekiro, more Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
STARR-MAKING ROLE
Final Fantasy XVI's BEN STARR talks becoming a meme and dating summons
THIEF GOLD
Learning to forgive myself for knocking out every single guard.
HANDHELD GAMING PCs
In lieu of more powerful processors, handhelds are getting weirder
FAR FAR AWAY
STAR WARS OUTLAWS succeeds at the little things, but not much else shines
FINDING IMMORTALITY
Twenty-five years on, PLANESCAPE: TORMENT is still one of the most talked-about RPGs of all time. This is the story of how it was created as a ‘stay-busy’ project by a small team at Black Isle Studios
