Summary
The open-world genre is one of the most popular ones out there today, including sub-genres like shooters, RPGs, and even platformers. The idea can be traced back to RPGs, which gave players a world map to roam around on.Final Fantasyis a great example on the NES.
Players could access towns or dungeons on the world map by walking around or using some sort of vehicle, likea boat or airship. The evolution of the genre helped create seamless transitions from dungeons to towns, aka open-world games. While that’s great, some miss world maps, and for those that do, these RPGs still have the juice. These games will be ranked based on how interactive the world maps are and the overall quality, of course.
8Twilight Monk
A Recent Obscurity
Twilight Monkis a newer game that, sadly, isn’t getting the attention it deserves as an indie game. It’s a hybrid of a lot of genres, mostnotably harder MetroidvaniaslikeHollow Knight, along with classic examples likeZelda 2: The Adventure of Link. Players assume the role of a young ninja-like warrior named Raziel who is tasked with sealing away an escaped darkness.
Players can traverse various interconnected dungeons and towns via a world map, and there are even towns and shops. On the world map, players can get into random battles, as it is a 2D action RPG with some killer visuals and an aim to please fans of classic games looking for a challenge.
Dynasty Warriors 9was the first game in the series to go full open-world, and it was not as successful as perhaps Koei Tecmo had hoped. They dialed things back a bit for this prequel,Dynasty Warriors: Origins, and gave players their first world map to explore.
Players can run around on foot or with a horse to go into battles for all thatgreat Musou action. They can mine or discover materials, talk to NPCs, or access towns, but only as menus, which is the only unfortunate part about this game’s world map presentation.
The last mainlineFinal Fantasygame to have a world map wasFinal Fantasy 9, and that was in 2000 on the PS1! Over a decade later,World of Final Fantasywas released, and while it was a return toclassicFinal Fantasygamesin some ways, it also wasn’t afraid to shake things up.
It was a turn-based RPG, but instead of a basic battle system or Job system, players could collect monsters like Pokemon. On the world map, players could access dungeons and towns, and while it wasn’t that interactive, it was big and wonderfully designed with a cute aesthetic.
Sea of Starsis another indie darling and one that most have heard of before. It wore its inspirations on its sleeves as the battle system can be likened toSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, as there is timing added tothe turn-based combat. There are also combo attacks like inChrono Trigger, but more importantly, the world map looks like it was cut fromChrono Trigger.
It’s very simple, as players have little room to explore beyond going to icons. However, the pixel art is top-notch with so many random animations all going off at once. It’s one of those games that would make the perfect interactive screensaver, which is why it is a world map to remember.
WhereFinal Fantasyfailed to give fans a world map and other classic elements like Jobs,Bravely Default Flying Fairystepped up on the 3DS, andBravely Default 2is the latest entry. Players can take their party of four into turn-based battles and equip a large number of Jobs from basic warriors to powerful mages.
The world map is bigger than classicFinal Fantasygames, as players can go to towns or dungeons and also engage in battles once monsters are encountered. There are also materials to gather and hidden bosses just waiting to be challenged.
Based on howClair Obscur: Expedition 33looks and plays, players may not know it was developed by a French studio, Sandfall Interactive. At first, it may seem like a series of interconnected save points similar toa Soulslike game, but once they exit the first area, players may be surprised to see a genuine world map.
There are little in the way of towns to access directly from the world map, which is a shame, but it fits with the ethereally dark storyline. Players can, however, discover secrets, fight monsters, and even explode the whole world on the back of one of the strangest mounts in an RPG ever, but that won’t be spoiled here.
Unicorn Overlordis a different kind of RPG, as it’s a tactical one. Most tactical RPGs have a map with icons to select or just a menu to go from battle to battle linearly.Unicorn Overlordwill make players feel more immersed as they gather allies and free various nations from the clutches of an evil kingdom.
They can talk to NPCs and accept requests, engage in battles that will be redirected to other maps, find loot, and so on it goes. It’s a greatgame from Vanillaware, who often innovates in small ways for the RPG genre with every standalone release.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White WitchandNi no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdomboth have world maps and two flavors of RPGs to taste.Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witchis more like Pokemon with monster collecting and turn-based battles, whereasNi no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdomis an action-based RPG.
The latter game also has a more interesting set of mechanics, including a town-building simulator. Characters are simplified on the world map, which is cute, and on occasion, they can engage in RTS-like battles in real-time. Similar toUnicorn Overlord, it can make players feel the weight of nations from the plight of crooked rulers by engaging in battles.
