Low-Effort Open-World Games That You Need To Avoid Like The Plague

On one side of the coin, we’ve got such well-made open-world games that actually discourage fast travel, so you spend more time making explorations and discoveries instead of mindlessly running toward one objective after another. But as opposed to titles like those, we’ve got a swath of other open-world games that may seem great on paper, but end up delivering nothing but a failed impression once you really dig into them. 

The purpose of this piece is to spread awareness and highlight some of the most low-effort open-world titles that you should avoid if their initial appeal has gotten to you and you’re now thinking about making the plunge. Read on as to why I think such games aren’t going to do you any good and leave you feeling as if there’s more to be desired.  

Here Are Some Of The Titles That Do Their Open World Injustice 

In case you happen to have a like-minded suggestion of your own, make sure to take to the comments ahead and fire up a discussion. 

1. Hogwarts Legacy

Don’t get me wrong, Hogwarts Legacy is a gorgeous-looking game with admirable combat, but once you’ve sat down to play it, and you’ve sunk about 10 hours into it, that’s when you’re going to realize that the world this game offers is fairly empty. One could assume that part of the open-world RPG’s success is due to nostalgia, it being the first proper AAA Harry Potter title in ages and all. 

The dungeons in Hogwarts Legacy are selectively bad, with each of them following a formulaic design, with little to no innovation between them. The Keeper Trials can be fairly repetitive and tedious, while the Bandit Camps appear to be nothing more than a slog-fest.

On the other hand, however, the RPG has a lot going on for itself as well, you know. eXputer 4.5/5.0 review of the game praises its “decent storyline which is augmented by interesting characters, a beautifully crafted world, and excellent combat.” I’d still recommend playing this just because, but don’t go in expecting it to blow you away with its replayability. 

2. Biomutant

Labeled as a “post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG” with a unique combat system, Biomutant is a passable game on its own, but it pains me to see the sheer amount of untapped potential on display. This title’s open world is too huge for what little is there to look for in it. In that regard, it can feel lacking quite a bit, especially when you’ve gone through all the major quests, and there’s nothing more left to do.

3. Forspoken 

With lackluster sales and a disappointing launch, Forspoken looked solid prior to its arrival, but unfortunately, the once-ambitious RPG failed to hit home in terms of driving a remarkable gameplay experience upon launch. On top of its mountainous dialogue issues that render the title often unplayable is the actual lack of depth in Forspoken’s world design. 

eXputer reviewed the RPG and called it “half-baked” and “uninspired.” The author, Usama Mehmood, remarked, 

If you can bear through Frey and Cuff’s childish banter, you may just find yourself enjoying Forspoken, even if it’s another cookie-cutter open-world RPG with the same style and approach that’s been done for years now.” 

4. Rage 2

There’s a reason why fans and followers of the Rage franchise were angered beyond belief with Rage 2. The sequel to the 2011-released first-person shooter couldn’t get off to a strong start, primarily because of how its open world held the game back. The gameplay is still commendable for what it’s worth, but I’d be hard-pressed to try a game on the same level as Rage 2 in 2024.  

The really awesome super chaotic gunplay totally clashes with the absolutely dead open world. I would have preferred the whole game was linear it’s so bad. Not sure if it got mega patched in the years after release but yeah,” says one u/Mattsidious on Reddit.

5. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

At this point, Rocksteady should just take Suicide Squad off life support, because it’s not even worth the time and hassle that the game is going through right now, hanging by a string. It’s failed to meet the expectations of publisher WB and there’s no wonder why. 

Suicide Squad’s first sin is adopting a live service business model, one that it didn’t understand how to run in a way that the players are catered to first and foremost. Secondly, why sport a world so large when there’s nothing in Metropolis to pique your interest? That’s pretty much my gameplay experience summed up.