Early open world games

[CheesyExplosive]

PS Nova is pretty restrictive.


I was finding the Forest from the original Online to be pretty big and open but this is closer to a dungeon crawler akin to Diablo than an open world. I'd still take it over NGS and its empty world.


I also remember how Surface from Goldeneye felt like an open world as well. This was the right amount of "openness".


Maybe nostalgia is speaking but I find those levels more interesting than Frontiers' "Open Zones".

well i can always say toy commander as open world and call it a day.

 

[qw90700]

I've been playing Zelda: Windwaker lately for the first time and I'm impressed by how close to an open world game it is -- the map is pretty large and once you beat the second dungeon the game just lets you wander off in any direction you like.
I also know of this 1999 Japan exclusive called "Germs Nerawareta Machi" which is described everywhere as an open world game... on the PS1. I played for like an hour and it seems to be true: from the beginning you can just get in your car and drive anywhere you want.
Both of these examples fascinate me, because I had heard some people say that game consoles before the seventh generation just "couldn't handle" an open world game. That leads me to ask: what other early open world games do you know of? Do you think these games are really pushing their hardware to the max?

Edit: Also hi, I'm new here. Pleasure to meet you all.

TBH open world game is just a game that doesn't have a linear progression of levels with a "point-of-no-return". Meaning, player can return to "previous levels" any time they want majority of the game or there is always a big map players can return to that where they go to smaller areas. So open world game doesn't have to be like a modern GTA game that you don't have to wait for loading screen to wait the game loading "next level", some open world games have a hub system that as the virtual area change you gotta wait for the game to load.

For example this game is an open world game:

There is no such thing as a video game console cannot handle an open world game. Open world game doesn't have to be something like GTA that has tons of building and people around. Open world game is just the way the game works and what player can do.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Dragon Quest III, as soon as you get the boat you can do whatever the hell you want (The only limitation being beef gates)
The first three SaGa games also let's you do the objetives in any order as long as you, once again don't push it versus the beef gates

 

[dropsmegamega]

I'd say Might and Magic VI to IX are the closest I can think of early open world as we have nowadays. They have huge worlds with many cities and dungeons that you can explore in a fairly unlinear way, plus unique NPCs that teach you skills and can even join your party.

 

[Max]

River City Ransom, you can visit a park, many stores and restaurants, even a public shower, it really improved the beat em up genre

 

[hazys]

"Open world" is actually a pretty old design philosophy for RPGs. The original Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Zelda were all basically "open world."

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Despite how "empty" Wind Waker's great sea felt I love how there are enemy camps long before it became a staple.