Summary
- Terraria uses RNG for random item drops to motivate exploration.
- Borderlands 2's diverse array of firearms is RNG-dependent, dictating gameplay.
- In For The King, RNG blends with strategy combat, offering players a fighting chance.
Open-world games often lean on RNG to provide players with random loot. This tends to encourage gameplay centered on grinding, facilitated by crafting systems that require a large number of items. This can be ideal for certain players, and some open-world games utilize this to great effect; however, others use RNG more creatively.
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These open-world titles utilize random number generation (RNG) to enhance tension and variety. While games such as Terraria and Borderlands 2 aren't devoid of grinding, they make use of RNG in unique ways and, more importantly, with clear intent.
7 Heat Signature
Roguelike Action In An Open Galaxy
Heat Signature
- Released
- September 21, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- nr
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Heat Signature's open-world galaxy isn't likely to fulfill players looking for an exploration-focused experience; there aren't any planets to explore, and instead, the game puts players in a nebula packed with space stations. What this does allow for, however, is a sense of scale and freedom that elevates the gameplay.
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More specifically, players can fly through space, land at friendly stations, and board potential enemies however and whenever they see fit. This, combined with a variety of expressive weapons and items, makes for immersive gameplay. Elevating the overall experience is a healthy helping of RNG, which randomly generates both missions and characters to provide diverse and dynamic gameplay.
6 For The King
Accessible Combat That Blends RNG With Strategy
For The King
- Released
- April 19, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
For The King is a co-operative roguelike and strategy RPG that combines open exploration of a hexagonal overworld with intuitive turn-based combat and fast-paced dungeon crawls. All this is elevated by a healthy dose of RNG, allowing for random drops that spike excitement and combat that can swing on the roll of the dice.
This added randomness may be frustrating for some, especially in combat. However, the addition of luck-based mechanics in a game that's otherwise strategic allows players to almost always have a fighting chance. Furthermore, players are given a resource—Focus—that can be used to control this randomness in combat.
5 Fallout: New Vegas
Random Chance Encourages Adaptability
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Fallout: New Vegas is a first-person RPG that takes place in a hand-crafted open-world wasteland. The game's abundance of unique environments, characters, and quests makes for frequently engaging exploration, supported by a dynamic world that boasts emergent gameplay.
Randomness is at play not only in New Vegas' V.A.T.S. System, a mechanic that allows combat to be much more accessible, but also within its RPG systems. Similar to tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, Fallout: New Vegas often employs skill checks that test the player's current proficiency in a given area, such as Lockpicking or Speech. This blends perfectly with the game's expressive quests, allowing players to approach obstacles in their own way and forcing them to adapt when things go wrong. Provided players don't abuse quick-saves, that is.
4 The Long Dark
RNG That Keeps Exploration Unpredictable
The Long Dark
- Released
- August 1, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Quiet exploration and hardcore survival mechanics are The Long Dark's forte, championing careful planning and cautious play in harsh and hostile environments. The open-world exploration is often slow and methodical, with little to do but keep an eagle eye and a steady pace en route from one location to the next.
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However, the dangerous nature of the world and often high stakes of scavenging keep The Long Dark from becoming dull. This is supported by the game's use of RNG, which randomizes the locations of loot and prevents the game from becoming predictable. Furthermore, the game's immersive sound design, stylized visuals, and cozy interiors ensure it's a pleasant place to be, at least when players are covered by a roof and warmed by a crackling fire.
3 Caves Of Qud
A Combination Of Random & Hand-Crafted Content
Caves Of Qud
- Released
- July 15, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, RPG
Caves of Qud is a traditional roguelike RPG that excels with its exotic open world, providing a truly strange and intriguing place to explore. This world stands on the back of Qud's careful blend of hand-crafted and procedural content, combining memorable landmarks and locations with randomly generated caverns and wilderness.
Expanding this further is the heavy use of random chance in combat, a necessity for tension in a turn-based system that's so traditional. Furthermore, random loot offers frequent spikes of excitement while exploring, supported by a diverse array of unique items to find.
2 Terraria
Random Drops That Motivate Exploration
Terraria
- Released
- May 16, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
Terraria is more traditional in its use of RNG. This title generates procedural worlds to explore and change, motivating exploration and combat with random item drops. Since the random elements do little to increase the complexity of the gameplay itself, Terraria remains accessible, primarily using randomness as a way to increase replay value.
In addition, this randomness often guides the player. As mentioned, random drops provide ample motivation to explore the game world and its dangerous underground environments. This is especially true when acquiring new and more powerful items, which allow players to fight bigger, tougher bosses—one of the game's core motivations.
1 Borderlands 2
Random Weaponry That Dictates Game Flow
Borderlands 2
- Released
- September 18, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
Borderlands 2 is a first-person shooter that takes place in a series of interconnected regions, each offering free-form exploration and dynamic combat encounters. Elevating the overall experience is a tongue-in-cheek narrative tone, a vibrant visual style, and, most importantly, a diverse array of firearms.
This variety of weaponry is important, as Borderlands 2 heavily revolves around discovering new loot in hopes of finding more powerful guns. It's the core motivation of the game and the franchise, and it's the addition of RNG that makes it so long-lasting, offering randomly generated loot that's consistently exciting to find and use.
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