From Tears of the Kingdom to Grand Theft Auto: How Open Worlds Set Us Free

ign.com:

Since their inception, video games have acted as portals to other worlds. Unlike books and films, they allow us to not just be immersed in another land but to truly explore one. It’s that core fantasy that has seen the concept of the open world flourish; what better way is there to create a sense of discovering a new world than to build one with as much depth and as few borders as possible? That goal has seen the open world advance from a form of environment design to a whole diverse genre in its own right.

Where linear game design delivers slices of another reality, the open world aims to simulate on a grander level. It combines geography, architecture, populations, and events to create a living city, region, or kingdom. The thing that truly separates open worlds from linear games, though, is freedom. For some developers this means offering a wide range of activities, buffet-style, to ensure you’re always free to play what you want. For others it’s providing the tools so that you can freely explore a world how you want.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, are emblematic of that play-how-you-want philosophy. Their core mechanics are built around the authentic sense of adventure that organic, freeform discovery can bring. This is why, outside of the main quest, you’re offered very little direction. Its map is devoid of activity icons. Instead, the architecture of Tears of the Kingdom’s world is designed to draw your attention and encourage you to uncover its untold secrets.

Since there are few pre-plotted objectives, the unknown journey towards your chosen goal is as important as the destination itself. That’s why the very topography of Hyrule, from its steep mountains to its