The FPS genre is well-known for intense gameplay and often fast-paced action that can be quite difficult to keep up with at times. Many players feel a lot more enjoyment when they can play through a game at their own pace, rather than being forced to rapidly shoot through hordes of enemies and run between objective after objective.
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Thankfully, the genre has quite a range of games that fall into the slower category, giving players a chance to choose how they want to engage with the world as opposed to being pushed through it. Some do this by reducing the amount of compulsory tasks that players need to overcome, while others take a step back and simply give players more choice with regard to actually approaching the missions themselves.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Exploration Over Urgency
Details:
- Large spaces in between quests
- Minimal time pressure
Frontier of Pandora manages to perfectly capture the essence of the Avatar universe, thrusting players into the lush forested world, with all the tools they need to explore and engage with it however they choose. The mission structure is already very freeing, often forcing players to travel far across the world, whilst encountering new areas and side-quests along the way.
Despite a few timed moments, players are free to fly around and take in the sights for a while, forage for materials, or speedrun all the way to the end of the story, with no one approach being better than the other. It is truly an exceptional open-world game purely from an exploration perspective, having a sense of scale that very few other titles even come close to.
STALKE 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Keeping The Tension High Throughout
Details:
- Open-ended structure
- Combat becomes optional at times
STALKER allows players to dictate their own pace by giving them the freedom to explore its open landscape without imposing any real-time constraints. The Zone does not push players with constant momentum, instead encouraging them to take in their surroundings and progress at a rate that suits them.
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A lot of encounters can actually be avoided entirely through patience and planning, and the core element of survival depends solely on the player's ability to absorb environmental information and manage their resources, without running in guns blazing whenever they get a chance.
Far Cry 6
Chaos On Demand
Details:
- Flexible combat encounters
- No rush for the main missions
Far Cry 6 offers a flexible structure where aggression and speed are largely optional. Main objectives can be approached head-on or ignored in favor of side activities, exploration, and character progression, with the player rarely being penalized for deviating from the primary path.
There is also not much intensity within the actual combat, as encounters scale gently and players are given more than enough time to experiment and try new things, without feeling pressured into progressing further down one specific route.
Metro Exodus
Silence In The Midst Of War
Details:
- Semi-open explorable zones
- Emphasis on atmosphere over speed
Metro Exodus is an incredible post-apocalyptic experience that blends linear storytelling with semi-open environments that reward patience above all else. Outside of scripted story moments, players are free to explore however they want, scavenging resources and avoiding conflict altogether should they choose to.
Stealth is not only viable but encouraged, allowing for an alternative combat strategy that has just as much, if not more value, in a lot of cases. The game’s strongest moments often occur in the quieter moments, reinforcing the concept of patience that greatly contrasts with traditional FPS design.
BioShock
Atmosphere On Another Level
Details:
- No forced urgency
- Time to explore and take in the world
BioShock is a fan favorite in the FPS space, and it is easy to see why. The game's world is so compelling, both from a thematic and a visual perspective, and the story that ties it all together has so many unique and interesting moments that are all just as memorable as the last.
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In terms of gameplay, there is a good amount of variety in terms of what weapons and powers the players can use. They can run in and spray down anything that moves, or carefully take out turrets and approach larger rooms with caution, making each encounter feel far more open, despite the game being entirely linear.
Dishonored
Stealth And Tactics Galore
Details:
- Big focus on choice in encounters
- Multiple non-lethal encounters
Dishonored is built around player-driven tempo, as missions can be completed with or without combat and as slow or fast as the player decides. The level design supports slow traversal through the various alternate paths, letting players approach from above or stick to ground level to take out enemies up close.
The chaos mechanic also directly feeds into how the player plays the game, whether by being aggressive and loud or silent and careful. This choice means that there are just as many reasons and chances to play smart and slow for players who prefer to take their time and find the right moment to strike.
Fallout: New Vegas
Explore First, Ask Questions Later
Details:
- RPG gameplay at its core
- Little pressure to advance certain arcs
New Vegas is the polar opposite of most other FPS games. Rather than sending players on a wild chase across several insanely action-packed missions, they are instead allowed to engage with the world on a more personal level, making connections and growing relationships over time.
The gunplay almost feels secondary to the star of the show, which has to be the RPG elements. Very few other games come close to the level of depth and choice available, turning the world into a living, breathing landscape that players are free to explore at their own pace.
Half-Life 2
Slower Pace But Plenty Of Action
Details:
- Natural pacing through level structure
- Opportunities to slow down and explore
Half-Life 2 revolutionized the FPS space in a big way, not with fast-paced gunplay, but by captivating players with a gripping narrative and an engaging set of levels to interact with. Each section comes with its own challenges and puzzles, often letting players use physics to engineer new methods to fight and engage in combat.
There aren't large sweeping areas or a huge range of side content, but there are enough nooks and crannies for players to explore, and super well-thought-out stages that players will never feel rushed to get through in a set amount of time. Despite its age, the game has held up superbly well on virtually all fronts, delivering a timeless FPS campaign that has had players begging for a sequel for over 20 years.
Northern Journey
Strange In The Best Way Possible
Details:
- Gradual progress with very little direction
- Calmer, atmospheric flow
Northern Journey is a game that can be described in so many ways. Strange, spooky, beautiful, and so much more, but arguably the one that defines it the best is meditative. Players don't spawn in with a specific overarching goal in mind, nor are they completely directionless in the world, so instead, they are tasked with slowly exploring and venturing out into the unknown, using anything they can to help them fight and progress further.
There are opportunities for speed as well as care, as at several points, players will come face-to-face with some pretty deadly enemies, and will need to carefully think about how they want to fight them. It isn't a conventional FPS experience by any means, but it is unique in so many ways that fantasy lovers will be missing out if they don't choose to give it a try.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Perfecting Player Agency
Details:
- Multiple viable playstyles
- Dense yet engaging area designs
Deus Ex: Human Revolution exemplifies the idea of control in every single mission. The pace of the game is largely dictated by whether the player wants to sneak, fight, or hack their way through the missions, letting them slow down or speed up whenever they desire.
The levels are also dense with alternate routes, meaning that there is never one right path or one right speed at which to clear the area. The absence of any real-time pressures, combined with a meaningful sense of choice, ensures that the pacing remains entirely player-defined, being equally engaging and satisfying to play regardless of how high-octane or careful the player chooses to be.
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