It’s one thing to create a huge open world, it’s quite another to fill it with content and characters that players will find really engaging. One way developers are trying to achieve this is through the implementation of side missions and other non-story-related content, in the hopes that these additional activities will not only make these worlds more immersive, but also give players a reason to fully explore them.
Unfortunately, after spending so much time creating it, it’s not uncommon for developers to try and push all of this side content straight down the player’s throat, often making it feel like players are being punished if they choose to skip. on certain side activities in favor of the main story focus. Fortunately, these fantastic open-world games don’t, so optional side activities are never required.
Shenmue
Not only is Shenmue one of the ancestors of the open-world genre, but it’s also one of the best examples of well-executed side content. As they explore the streets of 1980s Yokosuka, Shenmue players will naturally stumble upon a variety of pre-scripted events. Some of these interactions will lead to Ryo learning a new move, but most focus instead on further developing his relationships with some of the game’s many NPCs.
While the extra knowledge is certainly a nice bonus, missing it doesn’t really affect the outcome of the story, so those who want to rampage through the game will never feel like they’re being punished for failing to discover. The random nature of some of these events just encourages extra playthroughs, rather than making players feel bad for missing them the first time.
judgement
Like the Yakuza series from which they originated, the judgement games have tons of side content for players to enjoy. Considering how seamlessly it can blend into the overall gameplay experience, it’s clear that a lot of time and thought has gone into coming up with all of the judgement‘s side-cases and other non-story-related content, but it never feels like players are obligated to interact with it if they don’t want to.
Much of this is likely due to series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, who broke his teeth while working under Yu Suzuki in Sega’s famed AM2 division. Although all three are set in Japan (at least to start with), Yakuza and judgement are very different from Suzuki’s Shenmue franchise for the most part, but there are certainly some similarities when it comes to the way they integrate side content without ever forcing it on players.
Horizon Zero Dawn
There’s a real lack of innovation in modern open-word video games, and most of them adhere to the same tired concepts and ideas that have been around since the genre first made its way in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These include players finding collectibles, marking map locations by climbing towers or tall buildings, and claiming areas by clearing enemy camps, and can be found in just about every modern AAA open-world video game of one form or another.
This is again the case with Horizon Zero Dawn and the sequel in 2022, Horizon Forbidden WestAlthough the Horizon games at least try to put their own spin on things, with things like Cauldrons, Tallnecks, and Vista Points. In fact, these side activities are never forced down players’ throats like in some other open world games. In fact, players don’t even need to complete all of the game’s side activities to unlock their platinum trophies, which means Horizon one of the most generous and considerate open-world franchises in this regard.
Assassin’s Creed
Many people like to blame Ubisoft for the current state of the open-world genre, with the publisher’s formula-like cookie-cutter approach to game design spilling over to a number of other developers over the decades. This flawed idea that bigger is always better has had a huge negative impact on modern open-world video games, which many contemplate. Far cry and Assassin’s Creed are among the worst offenders in this regard.
In defense, however, neither series ever forces players to interact with side content if they don’t want to. This is especially true for the Assassin’s Creed games, where players can freely choose which side activities they do and do not interact with. Choosing to skip side content altogether also rarely affects the overall gameplay experience, so players never feel too bad to focus solely on the main story.
LA Noire
While Rockstar’s GTA series has never placed too much emphasis on side content, the ability to unlock new vehicles and weapons or participate in unique missions involving main characters can make some of the series’ side content feel a bit like essential reading. The same is not the case with the studio’s game from 2011 LA Noirehowever, with players being free to completely ignore everything but the main story without ever feeling like they’re missing out on anything.
To be clear, some of Street Crime’s side missions in LA Noire are a lot of fun to complete, while others are incredibly interesting and do a great job of expanding the world of the game. However, it never feels like the developers are trying to force players to interact with the side content, and the lack of real rewards for completing it ensures that players never really miss out on too much except experience and a strange bit of knowledge.
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