Why exactly is BotW's open world design so good?
- Thread starter Squilookle
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I wish I could put my finger on it exactly, but I can't. The world in BotW makes me WANT to explore. Traversing the landscape itself can be a little puzzle at times juggling your stamina meter and the length of the climb, or the downward angle you glide and the distance you have to glide, etc. While the world has very little npcs in it outside of towns and such, there's always something to do. Be it picking up materials, clearing out a monster camp, helping out a lonely traveler or two that's being attacked, a shrine, an area where you can find a korok seed, etc. The environments are beautiful even though it uses shell-shaded and a bit outdated looking graphics. Your horse automatically runs along the roads if you don't steer it. Small other details in the world like lightning storms destroying trees or setting grass on fire. Or the clothes you wear giving different dialogue with npcs. Fire weapons giving warmth for cold areas and ice weapons giving colder temperature for hot areas. The rain creating pools of water in dips in the land, which disappear again after the rain. (which you can use with cryonis or electric arrows) Just all those little things.
From a technical standpoint, it's an open-world that has as much verticallity as horizontality. Most if not all open-world games lock you to ground level, even games with skyscrapers like Grand Theft Auto. Because BotW allows you to climb nearly every surface, the world is designed to invite you to do so, with mountains, cliffs, and canyons. It's the climbing mechanic that knocks the doors off of the exploration in a way that no other open-world game has yet.
Aesthetically this is the first cartoony free-roam open-world game since... I don't know, Jak2? Wind Waker? That's already something special. Beyond that the world has this calm, Ghibli-esque charm to it. Just running through a grassy field while soft piano music plays is a wonderous sensation.
And personally it just feels like pure exploration, without any sort of loot or upgrade or EXP system clouding it. If I saw a hill I went to the top of it just for the view. If from there I spotted a little forrested area, I would go to it just to wander around. I'd stand on a cliff or the beach just to watch the sun rise. I know, sounds gay and not very eventful, but BotW knows how to make being a simple wanderer enjoying the scenery compelling as all hell.
Aesthetically this is the first cartoony free-roam open-world game since... I don't know, Jak2? Wind Waker? That's already something special. Beyond that the world has this calm, Ghibli-esque charm to it. Just running through a grassy field while soft piano music plays is a wonderous sensation.
And personally it just feels like pure exploration, without any sort of loot or upgrade or EXP system clouding it. If I saw a hill I went to the top of it just for the view. If from there I spotted a little forrested area, I would go to it just to wander around. I'd stand on a cliff or the beach just to watch the sun rise. I know, sounds gay and not very eventful, but BotW knows how to make being a simple wanderer enjoying the scenery compelling as all hell.
Honestly, I don't really like it. it's vast and varied with so many unorthodox methods of travel but it manages to just be too barren for me to really have a lot of fun navigating it. From a size and technical standpoint it's very impressive and if you like open exploration sandboxes the game will keep you entertained for a long time, just don't expect substantial reward for the journey other than the satisfaction of having made the journey. (and maybe finding a korok seed or two)
Mostly, because it feels dense.
There are a lot of things to find for those that like to explore it, but the game never drags you by the nose to it. In most open world games, you know the only things of interests are those that have an icon on the map. Completing quests in AC is mostly clearing icons from the map.
There are a lot of things to find for those that like to explore it, but the game never drags you by the nose to it. In most open world games, you know the only things of interests are those that have an icon on the map. Completing quests in AC is mostly clearing icons from the map.
Everyone else touched on some good points, but the minimap is a big reason for mehermes said:
It makes you actually want to climb towers because you have to visibly look for things, and you have to manually mark what you want to put on your minimap. It doesn't flood your minimap with icons. Compare that with Farcry 3 where I climbed towers reluctantly, and eventually quit the game because it was boring
Plus riding a horse and climbing a mountain and gliding are both viable and fun ways to travel, so it gives you some good choices on how to get from point a to point b. Is it faster to ride my horse in a straight line, or is it faster to backtrack to this mountain and glide there?
Just the ability to climb and glide is what did it for me. If I could get up to a high point and just glide for a good while, I found it fun to do. Also, add in ability to use your shield to board down slopes, I was able to continue on based on that.
Now if only the rest of the game was as fun as just messing around in the open world.
Now if only the rest of the game was as fun as just messing around in the open world.
Climbing towers doesn't fill your map with all the waypoints, it reveals the terrain in the area (and you have an advantage point to mark a place that looks interesting and glide there). It's a comparison I have heard with Ubisoft games, where climbing the towers reveal everything in the map (Ubisoft games pretty much give you a checklist of places to visit, instead of letting you discover them yourself).
It's been said before but a lot of it is the way you move through it. You never have to find a way around anything. There's a mountain, you can climb it. There's a river, you can cross it. And so on an do forth. If you've played Just Cause 2 or 3 they have that too, to an extent, you have a grappling hook and an unlimited number of parachutes that let you get everywhere pretty quickly. 3 even gives a wingsuit. Compare that to something like Elder Scrolls or Witcher 3 or Fallout where you're pretty much glued to the ground.
The other and maybe most important factor is: it's a world you actually want to see more of. It's bright and colourful and lush. It feels alive. The grass sways in the wind, the sunsets are gorgeous, there are animals whereever you go. It actually feels like going on an adventure. There are some worlds in open world games I rather like. Witcher's is very beautiful. But I don't actually want to live in Velen. Or Skyrim. Or New Vegas. Or Los Santos. I do actually want to immerse myself in Hyrule, want to run through those meadows and forests and visit those towns. And that's the difference
The other and maybe most important factor is: it's a world you actually want to see more of. It's bright and colourful and lush. It feels alive. The grass sways in the wind, the sunsets are gorgeous, there are animals whereever you go. It actually feels like going on an adventure. There are some worlds in open world games I rather like. Witcher's is very beautiful. But I don't actually want to live in Velen. Or Skyrim. Or New Vegas. Or Los Santos. I do actually want to immerse myself in Hyrule, want to run through those meadows and forests and visit those towns. And that's the difference