Summary
Open-world games can offer tremendously immersive single-player adventures that span vast expanses and tell dramatic stories. However, some are more refined in their theme, offeringgameplay and narratives that focus on community.
This can result in a satisfying open-world experience. Be it the tribal community-building ofSpore’s small open environments or the vast scale ofDeath Stranding, these titles offer a variety of open-world experiences that excel with their focus onbuilding a strong community.
Sporeis an open-world sandbox game about creating and guiding an entire species through a series of evolutionary stages, starting from a single cell. This results in truly dynamic gameplay that allows players to be creative at every step.
AsSporeprogresses into the latter stages of evolution, players become tasked with managing not just a single cell, but an entire community. Upon reaching the creature stage, players can even explore and interact with other species as they attempt to expand and evolve their own.
6Flotsam
Maintaining A Drifting Colony
Flotsamhas been in Early Access for many years, and its gameplay can be repetitive at times, but it remains a unique experience for its combination ofopen-world explorationand colony-sim gameplay. InFlotsam, players must manage a floating colony, built from the scraps of aWaterworld-esque post-apocalypse.
This watery settingbrings with it a tranquil ambiancethat carries much of the experience, but the gameplay itself remains sturdy. More importantly, the open-world exploration and scavenging blend well with the colony-sim gameplay, resulting in a community-building experience that’s uniquely engaging.
State of Decay
WHERE TO PLAY
State of Decay: Year-One brings the hit zombie survival-fantasy franchise to Xbox One. Delivered in beautifully remastered 1080p, along with improved lighting, textures, animations, and combat mechanics, State of Decay: Year-One pulls you even deeper into the post-outbreak world. Make your stand against the collapse of society in the ultimate zombie survival-fantasy game. Explore an open world full of dangers and opportunities that respond to your every decision. Recruit a community of playable survivors, each with their own unique skills and talents. Design and fortify your base against the relentless hordes of the undead. Perform daring raids for food and ammunition, and do whatever it takes to live another day.
State of Decayis an open-world survival sandbox game that takes place during a zombie apocalypse. Unlike zombie games likeLeft 4 Dead, however,State of Decayfocuses on building a strong community over linear design. What results is an experience that’s heavily focused on scouring the world for supplies, avoiding/battling the undead horrors, and trying to make it back in one piece.
This can be a particularly thematic experience, and fans of zombie media, such as the hit TV seriesThe Walking Dead, are sure to enjoy it. However, the game can be a somewhat simplistic experience, especially in its combat. Still, scavenging the open-world environments ofState of Decayis tense, and managing the burgeoning community is satisfying.
Terrariais an open-world survival-craft game that facilitates a great deal of creativity. In the game, players are able to freely explore, gathering resources andbuilding a base that facilitates their needs. Best of all, base-building is both a creative and meaningful endeavor, as players are charged with attracting a variety of NPCs.
These NPCs require the proper facilities before they can move in, and players will need them if they want easy access to what they have to offer. As a result,Terrariais as much about exploration and crafting as it is about building a community. This provides even more motivation to explore every nook and cranny of the world, adding diversity to the experience as time goes on.
Kenshiis a distinctive sandbox RPG that takes place in a harsh and hostile open world,giving players the freedom to set and pursue their own goals. While players can carve a path on their own,Kenshi’s world is dangerous, and building a tight-knit crew of companions can be of great benefit.
Furthermore,Kenshiallows players to effectively build their own towns. Whileit can be dangerous to do so at first, building a strong community provides players with a much-needed base of operations. In addition, building a community can help to attract business, allowing players to gain more than safety from their headquarters.
Death Strandingis a unique game that tasks players withcarrying cargo across a dangerous and at-times supernatural wilderness. KeepingDeath Strandingfrom effectively becoming a walking simulator is the tactile controls and the addition of myriad threats and hazards.
Thematically,Death Strandingis about building connections between outposts, helping to build a strong community and bring people together. This is furthered by an asynchronous multiplayer element that allows the community to lend a hand to one another.
Fallout 4differentiates itself from other entries in the series in myriad ways. Most notably, this title includes base-building. Whileplayers can spend their time pursuing narrative progressand venturing into the lesser-known corners of its open-world,Fallout 4encourages one to build and maintain strong communities.
Building isn’t the most intuitive system, but it can be rewarding to develop and maintain a healthy settlement. Players must worry about the resources and general happiness of their settlements, and defenses must also be built in order to keep towns safe. In addition, players can even build supply lines that connect settlements and allow them to help each other. For some, building these settlements won’t be as interesting as the rest of the game, but it’s an undeniably large part of what makesFallout 4unique.
