Summary
Open-world games tend to be some of the most forgiving, especially as many open-world games tend to allow players toexplore the vast open worldat their own pace and therefore level up or prepare how they see fit to then interact with the main story or side content.
This doesn’t mean that all open-world games are easy to complete, as some titles are still quite punishing due to them requiring players to learn various mechanics or practice various battles repeatedly in the hopes of facing challenging foes. Therefore, these are by far the most punishing yet forgiving open-world games available for players to enjoy.
Open-world sandbox titles are arguably some of the most forgiving due to them allowing players to play the game how they want. However,Kenshiis somewhat of an exception, as this sandbox title can be quite harsh to survive in. Players don’t only have to look after one character, but also the rest of their squad, which requires players to train each member if they hope to survive.
Kenshihighlights that the player isn’t the chosen one or some hero, butinstead a regular personthat must work hard if they hope to survive in this hostile open world. With enough effort put into the game through the various forgiving occupations, a player will start to feel less punished by the various encounters they face in this sandbox.
Dragon’s Dogmais a classic that many players are thankful has returned withDragon’s Dogma 2. Players that are somehow nostalgic about the difficulty of the open-world RPG when it was originally released will be thankful to hear thatDragon’s Dogma 2is just as punishing for players, fromintense battles with deadly monstersto having to get creative with how they explore the world.
As players progress throughout the game, it does become a bit easier as they acquire ways to make traversing the world ofDragon’s Dogma 2easier, as well as leveling up their character and finding better pawns, which can even make the various battles of the game less grueling too.
Atomfallmay not be entirely open world as some of these games are. However, due to the open zones that players are instead able to explore, Atomfall feels large enough to allow players to feel as if they are exploring an entirely open-world game.
As another survival title,Atomfallcan be quite a punishing experience for players that haven’t experienced a title like that before, as well as the beginning of survival titles always being an uphill battle. Even as a survival game, each open zone inAtomfallis a fair experience as it attempts to provide the player with as many resources as they need, as long as the player is cautious about what they use.
There is nothing more punishing than being a simple human woman taking on giant mech animals. Exploring the open world ofHorizon Zero Dawnis quite an experience, as players will need to put the effort into Aloy if they hope to eventually take on some of the hardest robots in the game.
Players who hope to survive againstsome of the most violent of creatures, such as the Thunderjaw, will need to approach battles tactfully. These monsters can be some of the most punishing if a player doesn’t prepare properly. Fortunately,Horizon Zero Dawndoes provide players with a wide variety of weapons able to target an equally varied set of weaknesses in enemies, providing tools and traps to help in each type of fight players come across.
Since the success of the originalKingdom Come: Deliverance, players have been looking forward toKingdom Come: Deliverance 2. The original RPG title was quite a punishing experience for players, with quite a harsh learning curve for those that were interested in experiencing the original story of Henry.
WhileKingdom Come: Deliverance 2has received some quality of life changes to allow more players to enjoy the title, it can still be quite a punishing but fair experience. As players play more of the open-world RPG, they will start to quickly understand combat as well as level up Henry to make survival much easier for him.
Similarly toAtomfall,The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis an open-world game that is split into zones the player can freely explore. As a Witcher, it is the duty of Geralt to deal with the variousmonsters that threaten the villages and towns.
These monsters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with each of them having their own weaknesses that a player should be certain to exploit when dealing with them. If a player doesn’t pay attention to their Witcher training or use the tools available to them inThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, facing these monsters can be far more punishing, especially when playing at harder difficulties.
Unsurprisingly, one of the most punishing but fair open-world games isElden Ring. With players already enjoying FromSoftware’s more linear titles (comparatively) such asDark Souls, the jump to a fully open world was something few players even dreamed of for this iconic developer.
Due to the open-world experience ofElden Ring, the game is made more approachable compared to From’s previous games by allowing the player to make their own choices about where they go in the world and how they wish to prepare. This means spending time leveling in the dungeons aroundElden Ringbefore they take on the main bosses, as well as exploring to find the weapon and armor that fits them the best.
Out of all the punishing but balanced open-world games, the best that players should be sure to experience isThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While this game may not be as punishing as the likes ofElden Ring, it is similar in its approach to allowing the player to freely explore the world as they see fit to prepare before facing a possible boss or making it to the end of the game.
With plenty to find around the map ofBreath of the Wild, it is a fair experience due to how much Nintendo provides the player with. Evenif weapons can breakafter a certain number of uses, it causes the player to prepare and come to terms with the mechanics of the game.
