Summary
- Anthem's lack of dynamic cities didn't stop it from being a solid game to explore with friends.
- Biomutant's unique protagonist and world were overshadowed by glitches and a dull story.
- Chorus's open-world space game was underappreciated despite offering loot and satisfying combat.
It’s not easy getting to a 90 on an aggregate site like Metacritic. It’s not even easy making it to 70 in some circumstances, and open-world games can be all over the board. There is a lot of experimentation out there, and that should be praised even if the game doesn’t turn out as good as Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or Red Dead Redemption 2.
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So, while these open-world games are flawed in many ways, they executed some great gameplay mechanics and ideas that perhaps a sequel could have fixed. Maybe, one day, that can happen. For now, let’s see why these games deserve a bit more praise.
Anthem
Better Play It Before It’s Gone
Anthem
- Released
- February 22, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
Anthem was not an instant hit, unlike a lot of other BioWare games upon release. It lacked dynamic cities to explore and dialogue options that shaped the story. Instead, it had a hub town that served as a place to launch missions from, and even though it wasn’t another epic RPG, it was a solid game to explore with friends. There aren’t many games like Anthem, and shooting and flying around the lush environments was a treat that people are going to lose in January 2026 when it shuts down for good.
Biomutant
A Unique World And Hero
BioMutant
- Released
- May 25, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Biomutant allowed players to create a cute and fuzzy little critter as their protagonist. They could teach their hero to become a sword, gun, or martial arts expert to take on the world. They could pilot a mech and even learn to fly an old-school airship, but unlocking those two things took time. There were a lot of neat ideas, but glitches and a dull story kept it from becoming something bigger. The later ports and patches did make it better, but by that point, the damage was already done.
Chorus
Have You Even Heard Of This One?
Chorus
- Released
- December 3, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Chorus is an open-world space game that is nothing like most in the genre, including No Man’s Sky and Starfield. Players never get out of their ship, flying in it for exploration, combat, and everything in between.
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Thankfully, the galaxy is full of loot to grab and villains to shoot down. It’s a mystery why it didn’t get as much appreciation, but it could yet again equate to the story lacking punch. Also, because it is space, a lot of the game starts to look the same after a while, which is never a good thing for an open-world game.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise
Down In The Bayou
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise
- Released
- July 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Deadly Premonition was not the hottest game on the market, but it gathered a cult following because of the protagonist, Agent Francis York Morgan. That said, even diehard fans struggled to like Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise for a number of reasons. While it had quirky characters, it wasn’t as funny throughout, and some were disappointed that it was a prequel. Also, it completely struggled on the Switch between the frame rate and graphical hiccups. It’s rough, to say the least, but the game's charm, quirkiness, and open world that can be traversed on a skateboard all made it stand out.
Dynasty Warriors 9
Mount Up Musou Fans
Dynasty Warriors 9
- Released
- February 13, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Hack and Slash
Dynasty Warriors 9 was the first game in the series to go full open-world, and it was a bit buggy, to say the least. The draw distance alone made it funny to explore, and some of the quests just locked players out. The Dynasty Warriors franchise was never a top-tier series for everyone, but fans appreciated what it was trying to do for the action RPG genre. In that regard, Dynasty Warriors 9 still delivered as there were tons of varied characters to play with, and mowing down thousands of enemies didn’t lose its appeal.
Forspoken
Bad Protagonist, Good Gameplay
Forspoken
- Released
- January 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
What most players had a problem with in Forspoken was the protagonist, Frey, who butted heads with everyone. She could be a downer, and while the open world was large and fun to explore physically thanks to Frey’s parkour moves, there wasn’t a lot to do in it.
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Empty open-world games are rarely fun, but the key redeeming quality Forspoken did have was the magic system. It was easy to look cool while flinging fireballs and gusts of wind at enemies, which helped it gather some fans, and combined with the parkour elements, made the game worth playing for those willing to look past the narrative flaws.
Gotham Knights
Not The Arkham Series, But Still Good
Gotham Knights
- Released
- October 21, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
It’s hard to ever live up to the Batman: Arkham games since they reached a level for Batman that no games had before. Instead of featuring Batman again, Gotham Knights starred his trainees: Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood. They’re quality characters, but they aren’t Batman, which was part of the problem. Some also didn’t like the loot-based system, which is odd considering it was fun to play with friends. It’s kind of strange how this game was panned as hard as it was because everything worked, other than Batman not being playable.
Mad Max
Bad Timing
Mad Max
- Released
- September 1, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Mad Max had a couple of things going against it from the gate. First, it was released the same day as one of the best open-world games of all time, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. And second, it wasn’t as high octane as the film that was released months prior, Mad Max: Fury Road. This version of Max lacked some charisma, as did the world, because it was bleak even though it did tie in to the recent movie. However, players who gave it a chance saw that the driving and shooting segments, while not perfect, were solid enough to enjoy for those looking for a brutal post-apocalyptic game.
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