{"id":192624,"date":"2021-02-13T15:30:07","date_gmt":"2021-02-13T15:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/open-world-games-small-great-maps\/"},"modified":"2021-02-13T15:30:07","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T15:30:07","slug":"size-doesnt-matter-10-open-world-games-with-small-but-great-maps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2021\/02\/13\/size-doesnt-matter-10-open-world-games-with-small-but-great-maps\/","title":{"rendered":"Size Doesn’t Matter: 10 Open-World Games With Small But Great Maps"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The open-world genre has become a cornerstone of the gaming industry, with the promise of enormous game worlds that offer 100+ hours of content<\/a> making linear titles look inferior on paper.\u00a0However, following a few years of open-world titles being\u00a0in the spotlight, prominent cracks are beginning to show; with some gamers starting to revert to more linear titles, having grown frustrated at developers focusing on the sheer size and amount of content in their open-worlds, rather than how enjoyable\u00a0it is to play.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a015 Open-World Games That Take The Longest To Beat<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Just a quick Google search will result in numerous opinion pieces<\/a> where journalists are calling for developers to opt for a quality over quantity approach to their open-world maps, as the novelty of size over substance has started to wear off. The 10 games on this list show the true value of cutting down on the map size, as they offer meticulously designed worlds that are fascinating to explore despite their limited\u00a0range.<\/p>\n

10 <\/span>Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor<\/h2>\n
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When the open-world genre began to rise in prominence,\u00a0J. R. R. Tolkien’s\u00a0Middle-Earth<\/a> was on the top of many gamers’ wishlists as places they’d love to explore. Monolith Productions and\u00a0Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment fulfilled this wish in 2014 when they created an\u00a0Assassin’s Creed<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>inspired open-world game in the fantasy\u00a0setting of\u00a0The Lord of the Rings<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>has one of the largest maps on this list, but it’s still a small game-world by modern standards. Very few complaints were made about the map’s size when the game was released though, as\u00a0Shadow of Mordor\u00a0<\/em>crams tons of well-crafted content into its reduced space.<\/p>\n

9 <\/span>The Simpsons: Hit & Run<\/h2>\n
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The original “Grand Theft Auto<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>for kids,”\u00a0The Simpsons: Hit & Run\u00a0<\/em>was released in 2003 and took Rockstar’s\u00a0GTA\u00a0<\/em>formula<\/a> to the iconic town of Springfield.\u00a0Radical Entertainment predominantly focused on the driving aspect of\u00a0GTA,\u00a0<\/em>with\u00a0the majority of\u00a0Hit & Run<\/em>‘s missions consisting of driving from A to B in a set time limit.<\/p>\n

Although the mission variety is lacking, driving around the selection of Springfield maps is an absolute joy, earning the game a spot on this list. Calls for the game to be remastered or even remade have been heard for well over a decade now, but sadly there’s still no word on its return.<\/p>\n

8 <\/span>Grand Theft Auto III<\/h2>\n
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Whether or not a\u00a0Grand Theft Auto\u00a0<\/em>game would be featured on this list was never really in question, the choice was simply which one to include. Rockstar’s iconic series is the first name that springs to many gamers’ minds when thinking about the open-world genre, with the recent\u00a0Grand Theft Auto V<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>being considered\u00a0by some to be the genre’s best entries.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a010 Xbox One Games With Absolutely Huge Open-World Maps<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Grand Theft Auto III<\/em><\/a>‘s map was an incredible achievement for the time of its release, and the now-dated visuals don’t prevent\u00a0it from still being great fun to play in 2021.<\/p>\n

7 <\/span>Mafia II<\/h2>\n
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Mafia II<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>was released in 2010 by\u00a02K Games. The action-adventure takes players back to the US in the 1940s and 50s and puts them in the shoes of\u00a0a\u00a0Sicilian immigrant named\u00a0Vito Scaletta, who soon\u00a0finds himself working for and against a number of mafia families.<\/p>\n

The game doesn’t hide its influences\u00a0from the aforementioned\u00a0Grand Theft Auto\u00a0<\/em>series, with players being free to walk or drive around the game’s map that is inspired by numerous US cities<\/a>. Rockstar seemingly were fans of\u00a0Mafia II<\/em>‘s direction, as their detective adventure\u00a0L.A. Noire<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>takes place in a similar time period.<\/p>\n

6 <\/span>Batman: Arkham City<\/h2>\n
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The Batman<\/em><\/a> brand was in the midst of a winning-streak prior to\u00a0Arkham City<\/em><\/a>‘s release in 2011, with\u00a0The Dark Knight\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Arkham Asylum<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>both being released to enormous praise from fans and critics.<\/p>\n

Rocksteady Studios ensured that they kept the momentum going with\u00a0Arkham City,\u00a0<\/em>which differentiated itself from its predecessor by offering a meticulously detailed open-world that was filled with easter eggs, side-quests, and Riddler\u00a0trophies to find.<\/p>\n

5 <\/span>Assassin’s Creed\u00a0Syndicate<\/h2>\n
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Ubisoft’s\u00a0Assassin’s Creed\u00a0<\/em>franchise has carved itself a comfy spot in the modern open-world genre. The series recently had a change of direction, when\u00a0Assassin’s Creed Origins\u00a0<\/em>took the franchise’s formula and kicked it through\u00a0The Witcher 3.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s safe to say that\u00a0Assassin’s Creed Syndicate<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>isn’t the most beloved entry in the franchise, but its\u00a0wonderful take on Victorian-era England is one of the best in the series,\u00a0particularly due to how a simple\u00a0stroll\u00a0through London’s streets\u00a0can feel like an interactive history lesson.<\/p>\n

4 <\/span>Bully<\/h2>\n
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The second game on this list that is commonly referred to as\u00a0“Grand Theft Auto\u00a0<\/em>for kids,” Rockstar’s\u00a0Bully<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>was initially released in 2006 and is regarded as one of the companies best releases, despite it being somewhat rough around the edges.<\/p>\n

Bully<\/em>‘s school and town are both very compact, but they cram a lot into their limited space by having some of Rockstar’s most weird and wonderful NPCs tucked around every corner, who offer some of the most fittingly bizarre side quests ever conceived.<\/p>\n

3 <\/span>The Legend Of Zelda<\/h2>\n
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It would be unfair to\u00a0write a list such as this and not include one of the most influential open-world games of all time,\u00a0the original\u00a0Legend of Zelda<\/em><\/a>. Although the map seems tiny by today’s standards, it was incredible to explore the game’s overworld in 1986.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0The 10 Best Open-World PC Games, Ranked<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Legend of Zelda<\/em>\u00a0was particularly innovative in giving the player very little direction in terms of where to go or what to do, a style of open-world gameplay that has returned to prominence with the Soulsborne titles<\/a> and the latest entry in the\u00a0Legend of Zelda\u00a0<\/em>series, B<\/em><\/a>reath of the Wild<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

2 <\/span>The Witness<\/h2>\n
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Another game that utilizes\u00a0The Legend Of Zelda<\/em>‘s “show don’t tell” approach to open-world gameplay, Jonathan Blow’s\u00a0The Witness<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>puts players on a beautifully designed island that is reminiscent of Cyan’s\u00a0Myst<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>and tasks them with solving increasingly difficult puzzles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unlike\u00a0Myst\u00a0<\/em>which had a ton of variety in its array of puzzles,\u00a0The Witness\u00a0<\/em>sticks to line-puzzles. Impressively, the style of puzzle-solving never becomes tiresome, as the game manages to offer an\u00a0excellent\u00a0amount of variety\u00a0between\u00a0the separate areas.<\/p>\n

1 <\/span>The Yakuza Series<\/h2>\n
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Following the\u00a0Yakuza<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>series’ arrival on Game Pass, Sega’s franchise is finally getting the acclaim that it deserves for being a cornerstone of the small open-world market.<\/p>\n

Sega has done a great job of compensating for the series’ lack of map size by making many of the world’s shops and stores accessible; as players can take a break from the overarching story of organized crime to go bowling, play darts, compete in pocket circuit racing, sing karaoke, dance in clubs, and much, much more. The game also offers a break from the main story’s serious tone with a selection of side quests<\/a> that ensure the\u00a0Yakuza\u00a0<\/em>series doesn’t take itself too seriously.<\/p>\n

NEXT:\u00a0The 10 Best Open-World Horror Games (According To Metacritic)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n

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A big open-world doesn’t necessarily make for a quality game. These titles manage to do more with less.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":925,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Size Doesn't Matter: 10 Open-World Games With Small But Great Maps - ITTeacherITFreelance.hk","description":"A big open-world doesn't necessarily make for a quality game. These titles manage to do more with less."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[607],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192624"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/925"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192624"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192625,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192624\/revisions\/192625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}