Summary
- Open-world games explore deep themes like personal responsibility and morality through player choices.
- Games like "Kingdom Come: Deliverance" and "Fallout: New Vegas" immerse players in rich, mature narratives.
- These games tackle complex issues like justice, revenge, and the impact of personal relationships on characters' choices.
Open-world games provide the player with an immersive landscape to explore and interact with. Often these are sandbox-style games, allowing the player to develop their personal narrative in any way they see fit. Some games bring serious, mature themes to the fore, immersing the player in a deep story, often with branching endings.
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Mature themes such as redemption, shifting morality, justice, revenge, and personal loss are common and usually present the player with ambiguous choices, making player agency a large part of the gameplay. These choices often result in emergent gameplay. Whether tracking down murderers, fighting for freedom, or trying to head off disaster, these games all present thought-provoking topics to the player as part of the plot.
8 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Covers Themes Of Justice And Revenge
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Kingdom Come: Deliverance attempts to provide a pretty convincing recreation of a medieval world. Taking on the role of the blacksmith’s son, Henry, the player sets off on an adventure to gain retribution for the murder of his family.
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The game covers several mature themes, as Henry is out for justice and revenge. However, as the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that Henry will also have to overcome his own demons, as the theme of personal responsibility for one's actions is slowly introduced as well. Overall, a great open-world game that immerses the player in a detailed medieval world.
7 Fallout: New Vegas
Explores Themes Of War, Personal Agency, And Self-Governance
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Filling the shoes of the Courier, the player begins their adventures in Fallout: New Vegas, having been shot in the head and left for dead. They begin a quest for revenge, which involves them deeply within the political landscape of the Mojave Wasteland.
Moral decisions are often gray in Fallout: New Vegas, and the mature themes of the horrors of war, being responsible for their actions, and the need for society to have some form of governance are all explored in some depth by the player. The key takeaway here, is that the game tries to get across the notion that sometimes there are no good choices.
6 Death Stranding
Introduces The Topics Of Perseverance And The Importance Of Relationships
Death Stranding
- Released
- November 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Platform(s)
- iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Death Stranding is an open-world game that is set in America, but an America that is populated by supernatural beings, following the collapse of society. The player takes on the role of Sam Porter Bridges, as he makes his way around the world, delivering needed supplies.
As the plot unfolds, the player comes face to face with mature themes, including the increasing feelings of isolation that Sam has. These branch out to look at how personal relationships are important, and that sometimes you just have to keep on keeping on in the face of adversity.
5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Looks At The Themes Of Personal Sacrifice And Agency
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The player fills the shoes of Geralt of Riva when playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Most readers will already know that Geralt is a monster hunter, one of the Witchers. In this open-world game, Geralt is searching for his adopted daughter, whom the Wild Hunt is looking for.
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The main adult theme covered in The Witcher 3: Wild Hun t, is that, in reality, there are no truly good or evil choices and actions, simply shades of gray. The game also tackles the thorny topic of racism to some extent, and the impact that an existential threat can have on a person.
4 Ghost of Tsushima
Covers The Mature Theme Of Maintaining A Code Of Honor
Ghost of Tsushima
- Released
- July 17, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Sucker Punch
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The gameplay in Ghost of Tsushima is set during the Mongol invasion of Japan, in 1274. Playing as Jin Sakai, the player sets out to protect his homeland from the invaders in any way they can. This leads to a conflict between Jin’s samurai code of honor and the choices that must be made.
The game leans heavily on the mature theme of the conflict between a person’s beliefs and the duties they must perform. Jin comes to find that the strict code of honor that samurai warriors live by restricts their actions, and sometimes must be discarded, but at an emotional cost.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2
Explores The Impact Of Personal Tragedy And Redemption
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Following the exploits of the Van der Linde gang, the player takes on the role of Arthur Morgan, as he attempts to help the gang survive, as he increasingly comes to question his loyalty to them. Player agency is important in this game, as the choices a player makes will impact gameplay directly in many cases.
Arthur Morgan can take many routes through the main plot, with the story branching depending on the choices the player makes. Whether Arthur will embrace the dark side, or attempt to traverse his own personal redemption arc, is entirely in the player’s hands.
2 Cyberpunk 2077
Questions The Human Condition And Morality
Cyberpunk 2077
- Released
- December 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CD Projekt Red
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Exploring the open-world, sandbox game map of Night City, players fill the boots of V, a mercenary trying to find a way to survive in a harsh, often aggressive world. At the same time, they must deal with the invasive personality of Johnny Silverhand trying to overwrite their mind.
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The game does a great job of showing how morality can shift, depending on circumstances. But other mature themes are also covered, including the impact of unrestrained corporate greed, the post-human experience, and how, in some cases, freedom of choice is simply an illusion.
1 The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Delves Deeply Into The Impact Of Loss And Grief
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- Released
- October 26, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EAD
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 64, GameCube
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is far less lighthearted than other games in the franchise, and follows the adventures of Link, as they try and stop the moon from obliterating the world by crashing into it in three days.
Dark and depressing mature themes are explored in T he Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The overall sense of impending doom is palpable. As the game progresses, the player witnesses the impact of despair on people, and how, over time, this can erase any hope remaining. Overall, the depth that these topics are covered in the game, is what gained it the top place on this list.
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