Open-World Games With the Best Environmental Storytelling

A big advantage of the open-world genre is being able to use the natural environment to tell its own story. Rather than needing to tell the player directly how the world came to be and what its people have been through dialogue, talented developers will be able to spell this out clearly by inserting specific hints throughout the environment that players are able to pick up on during their grand adventure.

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Sometimes, this can be something as obvious as a gigantic sign or monument, but it can also be a lot more subtle, such as showing small wreckages being scattered around the land after a chaotic war for example. Environmental storytelling is incredibly hard to pull off effectively, but these games listed below have managed to execute it better than any others, so it’s time to learn about how they go about achieving this, and what impact it makes on the player’s overall experience.

6 Fallout: New Vegas

New Vegas Shows Players What Each Faction Is Capable Of To Help Them Form Their Own Opinions

Players are told little to nothing about the Mojave Wasteland after they wake up in Doc Mitchell’s house at the beginning of Fallout New Vegas. Once they’re let out into Goodsprings, there will be a subtle mention of Hoover Dam here and there, but in terms of the game’s major factions, a lot of the details are kept very vague. The reason for this is that the wasteland, which could be considered a character in and of itself, does an excellent job at giving players everything they need to know to help form their own opinions on each group.

Whether it’s seeing burning corpses strung up on crosses by Caesar’s Legion, or the tiny and unorganized NCR base camps, it’s evident a lot of effort went into making these small cues informative, rather than just random points on the map. Of course, there’s also New Vegas itself, which can always be seen shining brightly in the distance, acting as the controversial “safe haven” that everyone flocks to in order to have a second chance at life.

5 Far Cry 5

Each Subordinate’s Region In Far Cry 5 Is A Visual Representation Of Them As A Person

Even though Hope County acts as one giant map that players can explore in Far Cry 5, it is split up into three different regions, each of which is ruled by one of Joseph’s sick and twisted subordinates. These areas act as visual representations of the people who rule them, giving players an insight into the person whose land they’re currently trespassing on. In Faith’s region for example, it’s common to see junkies aimlessly wandering around while high on Bliss, while Jacob’s area is filled with small army camps and torture buildings where he squeezes information out of his targets.

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Far Cry games have always been admired for their unique open-world environments, but while Hope County looks amazing from a visual standpoint, there’s also so much it reveals about the wider cast of characters. It’s a beautiful, yet haunting area that constantly reminds players that they are wandering around a dangerous territory, and should never feel fully safe.

4 Batman Arkham Knight

The Dark And Gloomy Gotham City Feels Like Its Own Character In Arkham Knight

At the beginning of Arkham Knight, over 6 million civilians are forced to flee Gotham City after one of Batman’s most terrifying enemies, Scarecrow, threatens to spread a brand-new strain of fear gas across the entire city. What remains is a Gotham that has been completely taken over by criminals, and the city itself demonstrates how evil and sadistic these sorts of people can be once they are given an inch of power.

The broken neon signs and graffiti splattered all over the walls are just a few examples of ways that the criminals have tinkered with the environment, and when paired with the thick and gloomy smog that covers the city, it creates a truly immersive open world to explore. Despite all of this though, there’s still a large and beautiful moon in the sky that beams down onto Gotham, providing one final source of light, similar to how Batman is the only one trying to restore peace amidst all the darkness that surrounds him.

3 Horizon Forbidden West

Players Can Learn So Much About The World Of Horizon Just From The Environment Alone

Though players will get the chance to learn about all the different tribes and their cultures through dialogue exchanges in Horizon Forbidden West, they can also gather a lot of info about the people and the world at large through the environment. It’s not uncommon in Forbidden West to stumble across a gigantic machine that has been left to fade away into history, or a group of Leaplashers who are all sticking together as part of a pack, going about their daily lives. All of this hints at the long-lasting conflict between humans and machines which is very much at the core of Horizon’s story, alongside highlighting how the robots actually live in comparison to animals and humans.

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During their adventure, players will also be able to spot structures and monuments of old that have been completely taken over by nature. A few examples of this include the Salesforce Tower which is in California, and the Burning Shores which are designed after the inner city of LA. Seeing all of these well-known areas completely forgotten about and hidden away behind moss really drives home just how much society has changed after all those years.

2 Red Dead Redemption 2

Every Aspect Of Red Dead 2’s World Is Specifically Designed To Tell Some Sort Of Story

It’s honestly staggering how many small and obscure details are hidden away in Red Dead Redemption 2’s world, but it’s clear Rockstar was very particular in making sure everything players see has some sort of purpose. Sometimes, this can be fairly straightforward, such as coming across a creepy witch’s cabin, but then there are deeper forms of this, such as how each camp seems to represent the current emotional status of the gang at that point in the story.

A big reason why Red Dead Redemption 2 has become so beloved among fans, aside from its incredible story and well-written characters, is the fact Rockstar managed to make the world feel alive thanks to how richly detailed it is. As players explore at their own pace, they’ll be able to piece together information about the world and its inhabitants by galloping around on a horse and gazing at everything in the distance, whether it be a manmade structure, or simply the natural beauty of the world.

1 Cyberpunk 2077

The Richly Detailed Night City Tells The Story Of A Society Which Has Been Enslaved By Mass Corporatism

There are several points in Cyberpunk 2077’s story where characters will refer to Night City as if it’s a real person who is more than capable of luring someone in and taking them on a wild ride if they become too attached. The truth is, Night City tells players everything they need to know about the state of society, and what the people at large care about the most in this not-so-distant future. There are literally hundreds of flashing advertisements that offer all kinds of services such as implants, biochips, and augmentations, but while these are always presented in a jovial and happy tone, the people of Night City who consume these things couldn’t look more depressed.

There’s also a shocking amount of variation in the environments, which all allow players to fully understand where they’re stepping into by looking around for a minute or two. When entering Jig Jig Street for example, the narrow avenues, blasting music, and gunshots that can be heard in the background all give the impression of the area being quite dangerous, and this is only one example of many. This is perfectly complimented by the Badlands, which provide a breath of fresh air with its long stretches of road and small villages that present the image of a quiet, but difficult place to live because of how out-of-the-way it is.

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