Summary
Open-world games have become one of the most popular kinds of video games in modern memory, and with the upcoming release ofGrand Theft Auto 6, that’s not likely to stop any time soon. While the freedom they afford is one big reason, their expansive worlds are also usually populated by truly brilliant NPCs.
Whether they’re open-worlds where the NPCs on the street take on a crucial role or brilliantly written open-world RPGs where the NPCs are a core part of the experience, open-world games have a clear love for one of gaming’s greatest inventions.
While it’s fair to criticizeWatch Dogs Legionfor any number of design decisions, it’s hard to deny that its central premise of any NPC in the entire game world could become the story’s protagonist was ambitious, to say the least. If a gamer wants a granny to become the hero of DEDSEC, they’re more than welcome to do so (alongsideeven wilder possible recruits)
The actual execution of this central mechanic can be a little janky at times, but it remains one of the boldest game design decisions in recent AAA memory, so it deserves to have its flowers based on that alone by meaningful trying to reinterpret the role of the NPC in video games.
TheGrand Theft Autogames didn’t invent the open world structure, but they did popularize it to such an extent that the studio has become famous for their worlds, where Los Santos, Liberty City, and Vice City, have become legendary video game locations all on their own.
One major reason for this is that Rockstar always pay careful attention to the NPCs that populate the world. Not just the cast of whacky characters, but the everyday people on the street who give Los Santos its particular charms. When they’re not victims of absolute chaos, they’re one of the main reasons why places like Los Santos don’t just feel like a playground, but a real living and breathing place.
It wouldn’t be controversial to say that without NPCs, RPGs likeSkyrimwouldn’t exist. Bethesda popularized the modern first-person RPG formula, but the reason that the games stick in the mind is for the immense amount of work they put into populating their worlds with hundreds, if not thousands, of voiced characters who embodythe game’s many joinable factions.
Skyrimis their current crowning achievement, and although the world feels a little smaller than it once did, it’s still remarkable how many well-written NPCs are worked into the world that informs the culture, context, and the many, many quests players will be busy completing.
When the originalKingdom Come: Deliverancegame was released, it was praised for its adherence to realism and the hero’s journey of Henry rising from humble blacksmith to vengeful warrior. Yet, despite the luscious world and attention to historical detail, Warhorse’s games don’t have enough conversation about their NPC characters.
Warhorse are incredible at writing fully fleshed-out characters that don’t flatter the player but instead challenge them, making the world feel incredibly realistic. This continues inKingdom Come: Deliverance 2, expanding on the original, and creating entire cities full of characters that feel fully fleshed out,make up memorable side quests, and make the player feel like they’re stepping into the history books.
The cyberpunk genre isn’t just about mega-corporations, dystopian societies, or sci-fi ideas; it is about the people that the cyberpunk dystopia affects and how it changes them. After all, in a genre about changing the body to fit the world, how can it not be about the people on the street level?
For whatever flawsCyberpunk: 2077might have, keen attention to the humanity of the people affected by a Cyberpunk dystopia is not one of them. Night City is packed with ironically human NPCs that feel real, all with multi-layered motivations and tragic stories,making up its many memorable side quests. For a game with the dressing of cynicism, it’s deeply humanist, paying loving attention to its central cast of NPCs.
It’s long been debated whether video games are up to the same quality as films, TV shows, or novels, but that debate was put to rest in 2018 with the release ofRed Dead Redemption 2. In their Western Magnum Opusfull of stunningly beautiful locations, Rockstar has crafted a world with NPCs so rich in character that they don’t just rival other mediums, but far surpass them.
While the game may not have the interactivity with NPCs that others might, the sheer depth, consideration, and writing talent bringing Arthur Morgan’s camp to life deserves major recognition, and are major reasons why the game works. Rockstar clearly cares about their NPCs, andRed Dead Redemption 2is the perfect evidence.
WhereCyberpunkhad a clear beating heart for its NPCs, they don’t quite have the decades-long storied history with a richly-realized fantasy world thatThe Witchergames do. InThe Witcher 3, the end of the Geralt trilogy, CD Projekt Red pulled out all the stops, creating a world filled with memorable NPCs that make its world one of the most memorable ever made.
CDPR clearly knows that NPCs are the beating heart and soul of the greatest RPGs. Every character, no matter how small, has considerable thought put into them, and whether through art design, writing, or quest design, the NPCs are the primary joy of the game as Geralt makes his way through a broken world.
Though it released in a bit of a mess,Fallout: New Vegashas gradually become one of the best-loved RPGs ever made, building upon the foundations of Bethesda’sFallout 3, but taking far more time to explore the depth of the jolly apocalypse.
The NPCs, the factions they represent, as well as their politics and philosophy, are among the major reasons why this game is still talked about today. The game is richly populated with NPCs who don’t just muse on these big ideas but embody them and make the player’s decisions when deciding the course of the Mojave Wasteland real heft. NPCs react, die, and change throughout the game, making it the perfect ideal between great writing, and even better game design.
