Elden Ring's open-world format has begun making other games of the same type feel vague and monotonous. The boring sandbox problem in open-world games was solved with the introduction of the Lands Between, but whether studios actually innovate in the coming years to build upon the newfound success is another question altogether. It would be in the best interest of future AAA open-world titles to incorporate the incentive of free and engulfing exploration into its DNA while still maintaining as many unique elements as possible.
Prior to Elden Ring showing up, the typical open-world environment was laid out in a precisely methodical way, such that players knew exactly where they needed to go at any given time. Major series such as Far Cry, Assassin's Creed, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and many others all followed similar patterns in differing fictional worlds. Some developers weren't happy Elden Ring broke conventional standards and decided to go off on its own to challenge the system that'd worked for some time. Nevertheless, FromSoftware did just that, and sales have soared through the roof since its launch in February; the game's success is no short secret for the industry to see.
What's made Elden Ring's open-world format so much better is how it encourages players to explore every corner of the Lands Between while progressing, and the design has somewhat ruined the experience of other popular games because they cannot give the same sort of immersion. While there are many games that have diligently crafted open worlds and have engulfing moments, the quest structure and RPG elements make it feel like a step-by-step guide rather than giving players a "sense of adventure," which is what Hidetaka Miyazaki (FromSoftware's President) said was the focal point. Elden Ring isn't perfect - no game is - but studios need to learn from what it has been able to do so well or risk the consequences of stagnation.
Elden Ring's Exploration Beats All Other Open Worlds (So Far)
Discussing Elden Ring's open world and its questing system is interesting because it's not the typical errand-running and objective-based design that's so prevalent in other games. All of Elden Ring's quests are loaded with hidden lore, and don't tell the player where to go on the map; rather, NPCs give clues through dialogue, and reliance on acquired knowledge is key to successfully progressing. It's like being thrown into the wilderness at ground zero and having to pay close attention to every detail to survive and thrive. Other open worlds such as Cyberpunk 2077's Night City, Horizon Forbidden West's apocalyptic U.S., and even God of War's Norse realms tell players exactly what to do and where to go, and gives them a difficulty to switch between if the game becomes too hard. Some players might like that style, but over time, it's made some beloved series boring - acceptable at the very least.
If studios want to reignite the flame of ambition and give fans something to hope for again, studying Elden Ring's world, the Lands Between, will be crucial to the process. It's time to restructure the open-world format so that the incredible fictional worlds that developers work so hard to create can be fully realized. However, if there is no innovation, video games - at least ones with open world maps - may begin to undergo a downfall.