Summary
- Different games offer various ways to soar through the air, providing entertainment and solving challenges.
- The addition of a wingsuit in games like Far Cry 3 and Just Cause 3 changes traversal dynamics.
- Gliding mechanics in games like Prototype and Batman: Arkham Knight enhance superhero exploration and traversal.
Running or driving around in a massive world is always enjoyable, but there's something incredibly liberating about gliding through virtual skies and watching sprawling landscapes unfold below. It highlights the effort developers invest in creating open worlds, allowing players to relax and appreciate the beauty from above.
Whether it’s a parachute, hang glider, or wingsuit, different games offer various ways to soar through the air as a traversal method, especially when the distance between destinations is significant. They can not only be entertaining to use, but also valuable for solving puzzles and overcoming other gameplay challenges within the open world.
7 Far Cry 3
Unlocking The Wingsuit Changes The Game
Far Cry 3
- Released
- November 29, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- FPS, Open-World
There are many ways to get around the Rook Islands in Far Cry 3, from boats and jetskis in the ocean to trucks and ATVs on the land, which are effective when chased by pirates or animals. The open world is filled with many dangers, and while the protagonist can be armed to the teeth and even feature downright supernatural abilities, going through all the Rook Islands can be a slog.
Fortunately, Far Cry 3 introduced a hang glider that can be used to bypass by taking to the skies, but that is only the beginning. Later on, the player is upgraded to have a wingsuit that can be activated at any moment after jumping off a high place. This suit provides the same aerial protection but at much greater speed, rendering all other vehicles useless.
6 Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Evading The Zombies With Style And Grace
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
- Released
- February 4, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
Dying Light 2: Stay Human made the zombie-infested fictional city of Villedor even more massive than the previous game’s city, both horizontally and vertically. It allows for even more parkour challenges to overcome with more horror-inducing zombie variations during the day and night for an even more difficult experience. That’s where the paraglider comes in handy.
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While it takes time to unlock, the paraglider can be essential, allowing the player to hover between skyscrapers or get across the city without going through hordes of zombies. With the many air vents spread across the city, the paraglider can keep being launched back into the sky, extending airtime, which can be used to fly across the entire map.
5 Just Cause 3
Rico Feels Like A Superhero With His Wingsuit
Just Cause 3
- Released
- November 30, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Third-Person Shooter
While the stories and missions are enjoyable, part of what makes Just Cause 3 so fun is the freedom it offers players. It is almost comical how much can be destroyed on the island map of Medici. One of the major mechanics that helps the game stand out is the gliders and wingsuits that facilitate exploration almost anywhere.
At times, the main protagonist, Rico Rodriguez, feels like a comic book hero as he maneuvers through the skies in his wingsuit. When combined with his grapnel gun straight out of a Batman game, the wingsuit becomes the definitive means of transportation in Just Cause 3, which is why it appears on a lot of key art for the game.
4 Prototype
The Blacklight Virus Is Capable Of Many Things
Prototype
- Released
- June 9, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
From the same developers as The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Prototype features the same kind of open world where every car, bench, and building can be destroyed. This is all possible thanks to the Blacklight virus gifting the protagonist with shapeshifting abilities to conjure weapons, give him enhanced strength, or leap tall across the city.
Prototype feels like the closest thing to a Venom video game, and the M-rating allows players to embrace their dark anti-hero side. One of the Blacklight abilities is gliding, making Alex Mercer go from a powerful leap to a graceful hover for long distances across the city of Manhattan.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Link Would Be Lost Without His Paraglider
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
Gliding was already a pivotal part of Link’s journey in Breath Of The Wild, thanks to the massive version of Hyrule with its many towers, mountains, and other high locations. In Tears Of The Kingdom, it is amplified because not only is Hyrule even bigger than before, but there are floating islands in the sky that can be explored and Link’s glider becomes essential up there.
Anyone who has played Breath Of The Wild will transition to Tears Of The Kingdom with ease. It features many of the same mechanics from before integrated with new ones, such as new abilities like Ultrahand, which can allow players to create anything from machines to silly structures.
2 Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Soar Through The Skies As Peter And Miles
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action-Adventure, Superhero
The first Spider-Man game already borrowed heavily from the Batman: Arkham games with its use of free-flow combat and gadgets. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 goes even further by giving both Peter Parker and Miles Morales access to the web wings, allowing them to glide through any part of the open-world map.
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Web-swinging through Marvel’s New York City will always be a highlight of any Spider-Man game, but Insomniac Games delivered with the web wings. Not only is it simple to use with different challenges to have fun with, but it makes getting to the next destination faster, especially when hitting jetstreams that allow the Spider-Men to fly.
1 Batman: Arkham Knight
He’s Not Called The Caped Crusader For Nothing
Batman: Arkham Knight
- Released
- June 23, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action
Gliding has been in every Batman: Arkham title since Arkham Asylum, but Batman: Arkham Knight is where it was perfected. Not only was the grapnel boost kept from Arkham City and Arkham Origins, but it was also improved upon with the various upgrades that can be purchased throughout the game.
Not only are the grapnel boosts upgraded, but the gliding mechanic is built into the Batmobile’s ejection system. Now Batman can shoot into the sky and, if upgraded enough, he can glide and dive across entire islands of Gotham City without stopping. As fun as the Batmobile is, gliding remains a go-to traversal method in Batman: Arkham Knight.
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