Summary
The open-world and sandbox genres often go hand in hand. It’s because they give players a big open level where they can do anything to entertain themselves. Particularly theGrand Theft Autoseries, where they could ride around Liberty City/Vice City/San Andreas, and cause so much mayhem that the authorities have to break out tanks and choppers against them.
Some games tone down the mayhem but generally stick to guns, fisticuffs, or even superpowers to fight off foes and rule the land. But there are some that prefer a more artful way of dispatching enemies: breaking out a sharp blade and cutting their way to the end of the game. If players want open-world games with hack and slash combat, these are the best of the bunch.
AfterNieRmanaged to improve onDrakengardwith its open-zone action gameplay,NieR: Automatastepped up from its predecessor by going open-world. Kind of. Compared to its rivals, its world is rather small and linear. But then there’s not much to explore in a proxy war between Androids and Machines. Its combat is rather straightforward too.
Players mix light and heavy attacks into different combos to rack up damage. With the right timing, they could create openings by launching counterattacks on striking foes or slip past them altogether. What is unique is that, if they die, they can respawn and find their old body, wherethey can retrieve or repair it. If the repair works, they’ll gain a temporary ally. If it fails, they’ll become an enemy they must fight.
Hack and slash games don’t have to be set in the past or a medieval-looking fantasy world. It just helps would-be swordfighters to be in a time and place when guns were either not a thing or were much clunkier to use. However, when it comes to helping the Arisen take down the dragon who marked them inDragon’s Dogma 2, guns might be the least of their worries.
As the Arisen, the player must make their way through a world torn into civil strife by picking the right class and weaponry for themselvesand their Pawns. These are AI-controlled NPCs who can help make a difference, either as blade-wielding knights, spellcasting Tricksters, or more. The more the player and their Pawns work at the right vocation, the better they’ll be at handling foes, emergent events, and eventually the dragon itself.
TheMiddle Earthgames were a case of snatching defeat from victory, as players loved its approach to the world of J.R.R Tolkien, but weren’t as big on Warner Bros’ business practices, particularly regarding microtransactions, with a big stink needed for them to get removed later on. Even then, players generallyprefer the first game,Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Here, players take control of Talion in his search for revenge on the forces of Sauron for killing his family.
The combat resembled theBatman: Arkhamgames, of all things, as building up combo chains from its freeflow fights could help players pull off different moves. But it was best known for its Nemesis system, where the game will track specific Uruk orcs, letting players decide whether to cut them down ASAP, or get stronger, so they can get better rewards for beating them later.
Style-switching feels like it’s been part of theYakuza/Like a Dragonseries since the beginning. But RGG Studio only began dabbling in it with their samurai games,Ryu Ga Gotoku: KenzanandRyu Ga Gotoku: Ishin. The former is still locked to Japanese PS3s, but the latter got remade for the West asLike a Dragon: Ishin.
It follows Ryōma Sakamoto as he hunts down the masked assassin responsible for killing his lord. Players can swap between beating enemies with their fists, hacking them with Ryoma’s sword, shooting them with a pistol, or in a new style that combines sword slashes and gunshots in a whirling frenzy. All of them have their own uses (thoughsome are better than others) and can be chained together for some impressive combos.
Sucker Punch hasn’t been a stranger to open-world games, but the melee combat in theInFamousgames was pretty simplistic. By joining forces with Japan Studio, and visiting the real island of Tsushima, the studio madeGhost of Tsushima, where samurai Jin Sakai is caught between upholding the warrior code or breaking it to defend the island against the Mongols.
Players can distract foes with smoke bombs and firecrackers before taking them out with chain assassinations for stealth sections, while head-to-head combat involves matching their stance to their armed opponent (stone stance for swordsmen, water stance for shield bearers, etc.). It’s a more involved process that’s got fans looking forward to how it’ll evolve for its upcoming sequel,Ghost of Yotei.
