Summary
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild redefined open-world games, pushing boundaries and inspiring new mechanics.
- The Witcher 3's narrative depth surpasses BOTW, offering moral gut-punches and complex storylines.
- Red Dead Redemption 2's world boasts realistic detail, while Elden Ring focuses on combat mastery with build crafting.
When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched in 2017, it raised the bar for open-world games to a whole new level and challenged every other game to touch it. Nintendo’s reimagined Hyrule was more than another digital map to explore; it was a physics playground and a survival sandbox, rolled into a world that begged players to get lost for hundreds of hours.
Hyrule was less of a game and more of an invitation to wander, climb, and tinker. Like the Beatles in rock, BOTW defined the era, yet left certain chords for others to perfect. For every area BO TW redefined, another open-world giant pushed boundaries further, showing there’s more than one way to be “best.” Whether it’s Red Dead Redemption 2’ s breathing frontier, or Elden Ring’s mechanical combat depth, these games pick one specialty and deliver a masterclass.
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7 Narrative Depth — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Bloody Baron’s Dilemma Hits Harder Than Any Memory in Hyrule
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- Released
- May 19, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Storytelling is where The Witcher 3 leaves most open-world games trailing, BOTW included. CD Projekt Red’s epic turns every quest, big or small, into a potential moral gut-punch, driven by layered characters and true consequences. Take the “Bloody Baron” saga — a quest that evolves from a simple information trade into a multi-hour descent into loss, abuse, and impossible choices. Players navigate tangled family trauma and ancient curses, only to realize there are no clean outcomes.
In contrast, Breath of the Wild embraces minimalism. Its story unfolds mostly through optional, out-of-order memories, piecing together Hyrule’s fall and Zelda’s struggles in the past tense. There’s rich lore, but the present-day narrative is deliberately thin, giving players the freedom to ignore or rush the main quest at will. The Witcher 3 puts players in the eye of an emotional storm, forcing decisions and letting players reshape the world.
6 World Density & Details — Red Dead Redemption 2
NPCs With Real Routines
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Released
- October 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Red Dead Redemption 2’s world is less a playground and more a living, breathing simulation. Arthur Morgan isn’t just a gunslinger; he’s a man who gains weight, grows a beard, and must eat and sleep to stay sharp. Animals hunt and rot, horses bond, and weapons need cleaning. But the real magic is in the NPCs. These digital townsfolk have daily routines, relationships, and grudges, all depending on whether the player ever meets them.
BOTW’s Hyrule is full of life, but in a different way. NPCs mostly exist to hand out quests, sell wares, or offer hints. Their routines are simple and rarely surprising, serving Link’s journey more than their own. Hyrule feels intentionally lonely; its quiet stretches match a world reclaimed by nature. RDR 2’s frontier, on the other hand, is filled with unscripted drama, and every corner feels lived-in.
5 Combat Mechanics — Elden Ring
Build Crafting and Boss Battles That Demand Mastery
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
Elden Ring isn’t just about hacking, slashing, and rolling away from danger. FromSoftware’s sprawling epic is built around a combat system with staggering depth. Hundreds of weapons, a vast arsenal of magic, and the Ashes of War system let players tailor their Tarnished however they want. Builds fundamentally alter how every fight plays out, encouraging experimentation, adaptation, and sometimes, complete reinvention via stat respecs.
Breath of the Wild’ s combat has its creativity, encouraging players to use its physics and chemistry engines in inventive ways, like throwing a metal sword in a thunderstorm or lighting grass on fire for updrafts. But RPG depth is purposefully shallow: stats are limited to hearts, stamina, and gear upgrades. Weapons break quickly, nudging players to keep moving rather than specializing. Elden Ring, in contrast, lets players settle into a style, invest in a favorite weapon, and keep refining their approach.
4 Gameplay Innovation — Death Stranding
The Social Strand System Changes Everything
Death Stranding
- Released
- November 8, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Breath of the Wild was innovative, revolutionizing open-world design by stripping away old tropes and focusing on player-driven discovery. However, Death Stranding introduced a fundamentally new gameplay concept. Kojima’s vision transforms traversal into the central challenge, making every journey a tense, physics-driven trek across haunted wilderness.
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But its true innovation is the Social Strand System. While players never meet in-game, their actions shape each other’s worlds. Build a bridge, leave a ladder, or contribute to highway construction, and that structure might help dozens of unseen fellow couriers. Compared to this, BOTW’s innovations feel like refinements and recombinations of existing mechanics, even though they were polished to perfection. Death Stranding has the upper hand because it introduces a true paradigm shift.
3 Character Customization — Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Build-Crafting That Breaks the Mold
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Released
- October 15, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey lets players forge their own legend, and not just in the story. Deep skill trees, a sprawling loot system, and the transformative engraving mechanic mean every player can create a unique build. Legendary engravings and carefully chosen gear can break the game’s difficulty curve in creative ways, making each adventure feel custom-made.
BOTW’s customization is all about function, featuring armor sets for heat, cold, climbing, or stealth, upgraded for defense and dyed for style. It’s clever, but ultimately limited. Link is always Link, and the “build” is about being prepared, not about defining a playstyle. Odyssey puts players in control of their own destiny, allowing them to experiment and reinvent themselves on a whim.
2 Side Quests and Activities — Fallout 4
Content That Shapes the World, From Radio Dramas to Settlement Empires
Fallout 4
- Released
- November 10, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M FOR MATURE: BLOOD AND GORE, INTENSE VIOLENCE, STRONG LANGUAGE, USE OF DRUGS
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Hyrule is filled with optional activities, primarily the 120 puzzle-shrines and 900 hidden Korok seeds that reward exploration and mastery of the environment. Fallout 4 surpasses this with the sheer volume and narrative depth of its side content. Quests like “The Silver Shroud” see players don a vigilante persona, changing dialogue and quest outcomes in creative ways.
Detective storylines, companion arcs, and multi-faction drama keep players invested for dozens of hours. BOTW’s side activities focus more on exploration. While these moments shine in their own right, they rarely shift the world or its inhabitants in significant ways. Fallout 4, by contrast, puts players in charge of rebuilding society. It’s a sandbox for those who want to leave their mark on the wasteland.
1 Replayability — The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
A Different Adventure Every Time With New Lives And New Legends
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim offers a different, deeper form of replayability which is built upon its core design. The game is driven by its flexible, skill-based progression and, most importantly, its system of joinable factions. A player can dedicate one playthrough to joining the Companions, experiencing a unique storyline focused on melee combat and lycanthropy. In the next, they can ignore that path entirely and enroll in the College of Winterhold for a magic-focused adventure, or become a deadly assassin in the Dark Brotherhood.
Whereas BOTW also encourages creative runs, like speed runs, minimal hearts, or self-imposed challenges, the main story, quests, and world remain the same. Link is always the hero of Hyrule, and the path to Ganon never truly changes. Skyrim, in contrast, is built for reinvention. It’s a blank canvas for new characters, choices, and allegiances every time.
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