When a franchise exists long enough, there comes a time when it needs to evolve and change. Sometimes a particular series decides to go the open-world route in an effort to evolve. Going into the genre is no easy feat, however, and many franchises tumble and fall in their attempts to branch out into an open-world experience.
This list celebrates the games that successfully reinvented themselves by going open-world, and laments five that did not make the cut in a similar manner. Fortunately, a good many of the failures managed to pick themselves up later on and find success.
10 Succeeded: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
While almost all Zelda titles have elements of open-world design, Breath of the Wild is arguably the first one since the debut entry to be a full fledged open-world adventure. Calling it a success would be an understatement. Breath of the Wild has significantly innovated on the open-world genre, and many games are taking influence from the Nintendo Switch launch title. Here’s hoping the sequel innovates in a similar manner.
9 Failed: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Mass Effect games have always been huge, but they were usually separated into distinct sections with various hubs. Mass Effect: Andromeda tried to significantly expand upon the formula by including larger open areas to explore. To be fair, the level design is far from Andromeda’s biggest problem. With a new Mass Effect in the works and the Legendary Edition hitting on May 14th, it looks like the series will return to its former glory in the near future.
8 Succeeded: The Witcher 3
With each game, CD Projekt Red tries to go ten times bigger and harder than its prior work. Unfortunately, they slipped and fumbled hard with Cyberpunk 2077. Whether the developer rectifies its mistakes has yet to be seen, but at least fans will always have The Witcher 3 to enjoy. The third entry in the fantasy series was the first open-world one. The first two Witcher games were relatively niche games, but the third is considered one of the best games ever made.
7 Failed: Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15 polarized fans with its changes to the structure one comes to expect from the series. It also does not help that the first several chapters take place on the open-world map, and the final handful of hours beeline players through the rest of the story.
Fortunately, the game has gotten better with time as updates improved upon many issues players had. One wonders how much of Final Fantasy 15’s DNA will be in Final Fantasy 16.
6 Succeeded: Batman: Arkham City
Rocksteady did the impossible with 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum by making an incredible game based on a comic book super hero. With the sequel, the developer significantly expanded the series’ scope by letting players run around Arkham City. The trilogy’s closing, Arkham Knight, takes things even further by taking place in Gotham City. The series’ combat is also worth mentioning, since it had a big influence on other open-world games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
5 Failed: Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
With each subsequent entry, the levels in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise became progressively larger. Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, the seventh mainline release, was the first open-world entry. It unfortunately suffers from the generation’s technical limitations forcing hidden load times that really don’t feel so hidden. The story mode is also extremely easy and does not take advantage of the open-world enough. Fortunately, the sequel, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, is an incredible open-world game and the last great game in the series before Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.
4 Succeeded: Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain
Despite all its problems and the controversy surrounding its release, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is still an incredible open-world action-stealth adventure with an intriguing narrative. Certain areas in the prior games have been large, but the open nature of the map in The Phantom Pain gives players a variety of ways to approach an objective. It is just a shame the series ends here, and it is better not to bring pain to fans by mentioning Metal Gear Survive.
3 Failed: Rage 2
Avalanche Studios is famous for its hectic open-world action games like Just Cause and Mad Max. It collaborated with Id Software for the sequel to Rage. There is still a lot to love about Rage 2, particular its shooting and vehicular combat, the latter of which was a big aspect of the 2011 debut, The actual exploration leaves a lot to be desired. You can still get a lot of enjoyment from the game if you beeline through the story, however.
2 Succeeded: Burnout Paradise
While it sadly turned out to be the last mainline entry in the franchise, there is no denying Burnout Paradise’s genius. Every stop light in the city is a new goal, and players are free to tackle them at their leisure.
Some of the challenges grow tough, but the freedom, discovery, and simple joy of driving through Paradise City is the real draw of this open-world racer. The remaster from 2018 shows just how well the game has aged.
1 Failed: Homefront: The Revolution
The first Homefront was a modest success, though critics were not too kind. In comparison to its successor, it is a masterpiece. Taking the idea of an invasion by North Korea into an open-world setting is intriguing, but the execution falls flat at every step. Even looking past all the technical issues, the map just is not fun to explore and the shooting feels wonky. Financial problems with the publisher and developer undoubtedly contributed to Homefront: The Revolution’s poor quality. It is a shame, too, because there are definitely interesting stories to tell with the concept.
