Regarding combat, preparation and knowledge are just as important as reflexes and skill. This interconnectedness makes the world come to life and truly immerses players. For example, the iconic Bloody Baron questline can end in many different ways depending on your decisions throughout the several more minor quests leading to its climax.Įven a separate mission not under the Bloody Baron’s questline could significantly affect its outcome. Every quest is handcrafted, featuring rich narratives and impactful choices. When it comes to its story, characters, and dialogue, the Witcher 3 is unmatched in this aspect. Geralt of Rivia inhabits a dark, depressing world, and he’s just trying to help out the best he can… but never for free.
#Best free open world games on nintendo switch full#
The Witcher 3 sinks you into its world full of dangerous monsters, interesting quest lines, deeply thought-out lore, and refuses to let you go. Or you could shoot a flaming arrow into dry grass, creating a strong updraft that allows you to escape upon the air using your paraglider.īreath of the Wild is one the best open-world games on Switch because you can pick any direction in the overworld, and you’re guaranteed to discover something amazing. For example, the weather system lets you use your metal weapons as lightning rods during thunderstorms. Every mountain can be scaled, every ingredient can be combined, every enemy can be challenged, and it’s all up to you.Įqually important, various systems are in place to encourage experimenting with your surroundings. The game provides a massive playground for players to experiment and explore.
Thirty-one years later, Breath of the Wild brings back everything great about the original to modern audiences. After the old man gives Link a sword accompanied with the iconic message, “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this”, players receive no instruction and are free to go and do wherever they want.Ĭonsequently, the map was a mystery waiting to be unraveled, and there were always secret items hiding in plain sight, waiting for the curious person to stumble upon them. One of the first open-world games is the original The Legend of Zelda, released in 1986. The world is well designed, and it captures the exploration theme perfectly. The main storyline is compelling, the characters are likable and there’s plenty to get distracted by outside of the main game. PLA offers everything that a good semi-open world game needs to thrive. The game heavily focuses on themes of research and learning more about them. While the Pokémon games that came before PLA showed Pokémon off as friendly and lovable, this game portrays them in an arguably more realistic sense as scary, wild and unfamiliar. You play as a mysterious character that quite literally falls from the heavens into the Hisui region, and have to help the local residents with a handful of mysteries, challenging battles and research tasks. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a story-driven game with plenty of colorful characters to meet and iconic Pokémon to catch along the way. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is considered by many to be an absolute breath of fresh air for the Pokemon franchise, and offers an immersive, vibrant world to explore. While this is technically only a semi-open world game, it would be a shame to leave it out of this list. These are the 20 best open-world games on Nintendo Switch right now.Ĭrysis Remastered Pokémon Legends: Arceus While it is easy to implement a barebones checklist to call a game open-world, it takes so much effort to sell a believable experience.įor this article, I list down the best of the best while also including other genres as possible, from classic action-adventure to racing, to an open-world with no combat. It evokes a sense of discovery and realism in its atmosphere that keeps players engaged and craving more. Great open-world games offer the player its world and respect their choice to explore and experiment, rewarding them with lore and items. But the finest open-world games are ones that can draw you into its captivating narrative with peculiar attention to detail. Unfortunately, it has become a buzzword that developers want to include just because it is what most modern players want to see. In this modern age of gaming, it seems that more and more games want to become open-world experiences even if it doesn’t serve their gameplay. There’s nothing like an immersive open-world game to provide a blissful escape from harsh reality.