The open-world concept has been a part of gaming since the very beginning; many early examples of the medium sought to emulate the fantastical thrill of sprawling tabletop campaigns, and this design philosophy dates back to some of the earliest text-based adventures. In fact, one of the games often recognized as the first-ever open-world CRPG, Ultima I, was a digital interpretation of a chess variant created by game designer Robert Abbot in 1962. Though it was a step above things like Adventureland or Zork, the game’s rough visual approximations still left a lot to be desired.
Things would continue to progress, and gamers would be treated to innovative new titles in the genre like Wasteland in 1988 and Body Harvest a decade later. However, the modern-day open-world renaissance was more or less sparked by Ubisoft’s first Assassin’s Creed title. The first to typify sprawling sandboxes, slews of collectibles, side missions, and geographically-significant vantage points, there’s no denying that the 2007 action-adventure masterclass inspired a ton of copycats and set the blueprint for Ubisoft’s next ten-plus years of production.
Of course, the early to mid-2000s were awash with titles touting total player freedom; Grand Theft Auto III allowed players to explore an entire city, while Just Cause and Far Cry offered entire islands to conquer. Yet, that said, none of these games necessarily made the most out of the genre. While they may have been liberating, all of these games strung player along with a very linear set of missions, and, though they were free to roam around and cause as much chaos as they wanted in between specific events, the experiences still felt fairly contained.
Everything changed when Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017. As a spiritual remaster of the original 1987 release, Breath of the Wild did what so few before it even attempted: it justified its open world.
Breath of the Wild is, first and foremost, a game about exploration. After finishing the game’s introductory stages, the player is set free to explore as they see fit. Story progression only ever comes as a mere suggestion, and, should the player decide to scout out a volcano, brave the strange Gerudo deserts, or head straight for Calamity Ganon himself, there’s nothing stopping them — save perhaps a few guardians.
That’s what sets BotW apart from every other open-world game; every moment feels natural and organic. It’s not a long string of artificial fetch quests, nor is it a linear romp through a series of dungeons. Breath of the Wild is quite literally whatever the player wants it to be, and the experience of gaining the peak of a mountain and discovering what lies beyond for the first time is something entirely unique to this modern Zelda iteration.
Though we’re only two years removed from the game’s release, it’s surprising to see how relatively negligible the impact has been on other developers. Games like Far Cry: New Dawn, Crackdown 3, and Anthem all failed to emulate the sense of wonder BotW so effortlessly propagates. In fact, most open-world titles that launched after BotW’s release have been fairly riddled, collectible-dotted, run-of-the-mill endeavors, which is, quite frankly, a little disheartening.
That’s not to say that every game has failed to challenge the new standards set by Nintendo; 2018’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey may have been a bug-riddled grind-fest, but it offered an absolutely massive world which warranted some organic exploration. Though some monuments were obviously copied and pasted, the game’s interpretation of ancient Greece still had players wondering what might lie just down the road or over the hill.
Similarly, 2015’s Yakuza 0 held a definite understanding of what makes an open-world game worthwhile. Though it’s world was small and geographically homogeneous, it was so jammed packed with interesting, fleshed-out little side objectives and mini-games that it made the player-driven open-world experience feel necessary.
These examples drastically contrast with a majority of what we see on the market today: games like Watch Dogs, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3, and even Metal Gear Solid 5 did nothing to justify their massive, expansive maps. In fact, the gameplay in most of these kinds of games would likely be enhanced were they re-designed to fit in smaller, more tightly-designed spaces. At their best, these games inspire a sense of awe and discovery. However, at their worst, they’re nothing more than a slog enforcing a ten-minute hike, drive, or even flight in between two missions.
It’s hard to say if Breath of the Wild will always be the benchmark; developers are bound to catch up eventually. Yet, at the moment, Zelda’s only true competitor seems to be itself. As we all know, a yet-to-be-titled sequel to Breath of the Wild is due out at some point, likely in the next two to three years, and it’s the only release on the horizon guaranteed to have taken Breath of the Wild’s open-world philosophy to heart.
Something will eventually top Nintendo’s 2017 triumph — barring another major industry crash, it’s basically inevitable. However, it may be quite a while until that time comes, and Breath of the Wild will always remain in the history books as one of the most important, genre-defining video games of all time.