Open-World Video games That Don’t Know When to Finish (In a Good Means)

Open-world video games are recognized for his or her sometimes huge maps and prolonged tales, with some being so massive that they final over 100 hours. Whereas it may be mentioned that such video games already don’t know when to finish, some go even additional. A number of open-world titles use clever techniques to catch gamers off guard for a spectacular consequence.

This record appears to be like at open-world titles that the majority undoubtedly shock with how their storylines unfold, and even unlock completely new gameplay mechanics or playable characters many hours into the sport. It’s additionally common for them to ship false endings, the place the credit roll… however the story truly continues. Moments like that can be utilized to nice impact to shock gamers and shock them in the perfect methods attainable, so listed here are some titles that really excel at that.

The main target right here is essentially on story-driven open-world video games quite than free-form sandbox initiatives, the place gamers are largely in charge of the finale (meaning games like Kenshi are excluded). Additionally, solely base video games are thought of, with none expansions that will add continuations to the primary story after the unique finale or New Recreation+ modes to increase the expertise.

Spoiler Alert! Given the very nature of this record, main spoilers for a number of video games’ endings under are unavoidable. Proceed with warning!

NieR: Automata

Beat the Recreation As soon as? Haven’t Seen Something But

As of in the present day, Nier: Automata is extensively recognized for its distinctive strategy to story, not solely packing 26 completely different endings, but in addition requiring numerous playthroughs to totally perceive its complicated narrative, expertise a number of views, and attain the true ending with a really particular epilogue.

Luckily, in contrast to many related circumstances (as an illustration, the current Silent Hill f), that doesn’t imply that gamers need to play the identical sport time and again with solely minor variations, akin to a roguelike. As an alternative, Nier: Automata has three separate campaigns with completely different playable characters (despite the fact that some components of the 2B and 9S story could also be largely related), and solely by finishing all of them does the sport’s grand narrative come collectively into the larger image with a real emotional resonance. A particular must-play for followers of mind-blowing tales.

Murderer’s Creed Shadows

Wait, Are There Truly Templars within the Recreation?

True to the collection, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a big open-world sport, with an infinite map and dozens of targets to hunt and assassinate. Beginning the journey as Naoe, gamers are taken into the traditional revenge story, the place a shadowy group often known as Shinbakufu must be eradicated for the sake of all of Japan. Wait, however aren’t Murderer’s Creed video games supposed to be about Assassins versus Templars?

Whereas it’s no secret that Murderer’s Creed Shadows options two playable characters, Naoe and Yasuke, many gamers had been shocked by simply how huge the sport and its story are. Some gamers had been shocked to unlock Yasuke as a completely playable character after over 20 hours, and despite the fact that many refused to play as him at first (gamers can stick with their favourite more often than not), quickly they found that Yasuke isn’t any much less enjoyable to play. Furthermore, his personal arc actually involves Templars, however it’s unlocked so late into AC Shadows that many followers received’t even realize it’s there.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Congratulations, You’ve Overwhelmed the Recreation! It’s Time to Wake Up

Dragon’s Dogma 2 feels much less like a drastically completely different sequel to Dragon’s Dogma: Darkish Arisen, and extra like a definitive re-imagining of the unique, largely counting on the identical (albeit fairly particular) mechanics and distinctive programs like Pawns. Nevertheless, with regards to the ending, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is way bolder than its predecessor, serving as one of the vital notable examples of “fake” endings within the open-world style thus far.

Upon finishing Dragon’s Dogma 2, defeating the ultimate boss, and rolling the credit, gamers are suddenly returned to the game with their characters, solely to awaken within the so-called Unmoored World. This represents a particular post-game continuation, altering the whole world visually, whereas additionally throwing a bunch of additional story quests on the gamers, who’re pressured to urgently reply the decision. No relaxation for the depraved, proper?

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The By no means-Ending Seek for Ciri Is Far From Every little thing

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s plot is fairly easy: as Geralt, gamers observe Ciri’s path to search out out what occurred to Geralt’s adopted daughter, and the place she is now, whereas crossing paths with quite a few main characters from the Witcher universe, each from Sapkowski’s books and brand-new by CDPR themselves. Given how huge the explorable world of The Witcher 3 is, and the way lengthy the primary quest of trying to find Ciri goes on, it’s simple to imagine that after lastly reaching her, the sport will likely be over.

As some could guess, that’s not the case. Even after discovering Ciri in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which can simply take over 50 hours, the sport continues, with arguably the perfect and most epic of the sport’s moments nonetheless forward of the gamers. It’s protected to say that discovering Ciri marks round 2/3 of the sport’s sprawling narrative, and gamers get to spend a number of rewarding time together with her after two whole video games of hints and foreshadowing, main completely into the protagonist switch in the upcoming The Witcher 4.

Crimson Useless Redemption 2

Farewell to Arthur, Good day to John

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the perfect open-world game, no strings hooked up, with among the longest and most memorable tales in all of gaming. Gamers change into Arthur Morgan for some 50 to 80 hours, dwelling by means of the Van der Linde gang’s ups and downs all throughout the altering face of America. As Morgan’s story reaches its emotional climax within the finale, RDR2 finds the perfect solution to make the ending significant, whereas maintaining the participant’s world state as is, and letting them proceed.

That is achieved by an surprising protagonist swap after the finale, as gamers unlock the story epilogue with playable John Marston, who can even freely discover the world and deal with all of the aspect quests that Arthur Morgan missed. Not solely that, the whole Crimson Useless Redemption 2 epilogue has a surprisingly prolonged story too, providing 17 missions for nearly 10 hours of play, and even taking the gamers to new areas of the map.

Ghost of Yotei

This Time, Saito Certainly Received’t Escape

Ghost of Yotei isn’t as groundbreaking in its narrative methods as another video games on the record, but Sucker Punch’s samurai open-world journey deserves mentioning for no less than a few sturdy factors. The primary is the now-famous “Chapter 2” display screen that welcomes gamers abruptly after some 40 hours in Atsu’s story. Evidently, it proves an efficient technique to remind followers of how long and epic this adventure is, and judging by the sport’s subreddit filled with stunning posts, it undoubtedly hits the spot.

Second, whereas gamers could guess that they’re nearing the ending by the parts of the explored map in Ghost of Yotei, the sport nonetheless manages to shock a number of instances with its Yotei Six targets that preserve slipping from Atsu’s grasp, particularly Lord Saito himself. So many instances evidently Saito is lastly cornered, just for him to evade once more. Furthermore, the sport’s closing missions are positioned type of outdoors of the primary explorable map, making it even more durable for gamers to foretell when the finale truly occurs.

Unfolding True to Its Espionage Themes, so Belief Nothing

Although it’s solely pure to anticipate surprises from Hideo Kojima’s creations, as he’s recognized for toying with audiences all through the years, the legendary sport designer greater than outdid himself with Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Not solely does the sport function a separate Floor Zeroes prologue, serving as a type of smaller demo of the total sport’s stealth mechanics, however the true shock comes close to The Phantom Ache’s finale, as the sport abruptly ends on Mission 31, rolling the credit with none correct closure, leaving followers scratching their heads.

The excellent news is that Metallic Gear Stable 5 continues after that, permitting gamers to finish aspect aims, improve their base, and deal with quite a few post-game story missions. Nevertheless, it’s merely a distraction from the sport’s secret unlockable Mission 46 that lastly provides a real ending with a shocking twist to turn things upside down after some 80 hours. Who even dares to say that Kojima isn’t a genius after that?

Elden Ring

An Epic Finale That’s Exhausting to Predict

Final, however not least, Elden Ring is among the many greatest and longest open-world video games of this era to date, and despite the fact that Hidetaka Miyazaki’s masterpiece isn’t focused on particular methods aimed simply to shock the gamers, it’s merely a colossal sport that doesn’t know when to finish. Quite a few massive areas are hidden beneath the unique map’s floor, so gamers can by no means guess how a lot of the sport is left just by evaluating the portion of the explored map, as new areas are always launched relying on the characters’ quests that gamers observe.

Elden Ring additionally packs an surprising twist in its narrative close to the ending, as many would anticipate reaching the Forge of the Giants to burn the Erdtree to be the finale, just for the sport to show them unsuitable. As an alternative, the story continues within the forever-changed world beneath the burning tree, and the game’s toughest boss encounters and main revelations are but to be confronted.