10 Games with DANGEROUS Yet REWARDING Exploration

(electronic jingle) - Exploration in video

games

can be many different things. It can be time-consuming, it can be tedious, but it can also be difficult but satisfying. Hello friends, I'm Falcon, and today on "Gameranx", 10

games

with

dangerous

but

rewarding

exploration

. Starting at number 10 is Subnautica, which is, I mean, a really obvious choice. If we didn't start with this, what would you say? You would say, come on. Subnautica, not to mention that? You have to mention that. You have to mention that first. It's the most obvious. If there's one game that comes to mind when you say that,

dangerous

but

rewarding

exploration

, it's this one.

The premise is simple: you are the survivor of an accident. You are stranded on an alien planet and if you want to escape, you will have to explore the deepest reaches and depths of the world. This is a survival game at heart. You will spend most of your time gathering resources and there are almost no conventional weapons. So you're mainly avoiding enemies instead of fighting them. All of this happens while your oxygen meter slowly ticks. Every second you're underwater, you're in danger from something, whether it's loss of oxygen, water pressure, or dangerous creatures lurking everywhere. (dramatic music) (character grunts) It wouldn't be worth it if the exploration wasn't rewarding, but at least for me, this is one of, if not the most rewarding mechanic of exploration, deployment, world, whatever you want to say. , is one of the best survival games I have ever played.

There are so many interesting biomes and alien structures to explore, and it's all up to you. You have to find everything. The game doesn't hold your hand at all. So the progress you make is yours and that feels great. Few games have managed to capture the pleasures and dangers of exploration like Subnautica. Hell, his own following couldn't even match it. And number nine is Dragon's Dogma II. Everyone should understand that exploration is a key element of what has to be one of the best games made in years. There are many things that are unique about this game among RPGs.

The pawn system, the simulation elements, its mysterious nature. And sometimes it can be frustrating in a fun way. There are so many little side areas and hidden secrets in this world that you'll never have to find. Sometimes you just get an empty cave, other times you get a huge dungeon or a way to bypass a blocked path entirely. (steps) - A hidden path. I suppose there are monsters lurking beyond. - Many of the most interesting places in the game are hidden or completely optional, and it is not only difficult to find them, but also to survive.

The thing about Dragon's Dogma II is that it's a marathon, not a sprint. When you're at full health, things can go pretty well, but if you're on the road for a while or in a deep dungeon, that maximum health can slowly decrease and suddenly everything becomes much more difficult. Certain side areas are total gauntlets that will throw multiple monsters at you in a row. Sometimes you have to fight multiple beasts at once and it can be brutally difficult. It's very, very satisfying because there are no checkpoints. Quests rarely send you to specific dungeons, so almost everything you find comes from just wandering around and finding things.

Compared to the mostly sterile and boring world of the original Dragon's Dogma, the sequel is much denser and more interesting. All kinds of unique places to find if you decide to go off the beaten path, and you will be rewarded for it. And number eight is Remnant 2. This one is a little unusual because its exploration isn't exactly traditional, it's not open world and its world is randomly generated, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the most intriguing games. of the last two years. What sets Remnant 2 apart are its secrets. There are tons of things hidden, from armor to weapons, bosses and completely new classes to play with.

And while many of the environments are completely random, the secrets themselves are unique. That doesn't make them easy to find, and sometimes the game doesn't even generate them. However, one of the most interesting ways Remnant 2 encourages repetition is how it generates the world. Sometimes entire sections of the level, dungeons, and even the story you follow can be completely different, based solely on the role of the dice, which is interesting in itself. But what really kept me coming back was all the secrets. Sometimes entire dungeons were hidden. There would be secrets within secrets, and it was always satisfying to find the loot because unlike most games of this type, new weapons and armor are really rare in Remnant 2.

It's not your standard open world game, but there are Few games that break that mold are as satisfying to explore as this one. At number seven is SnowRunner. How could a driving game offer rewarding exploration? Well, make it very difficult to get somewhere and you'll have a good starting point. The trick to this game is that you are navigating difficult terrain. In most games, driving on mud or snow is not that different from driving on concrete. Maybe a little different, although sometimes not at all. But that's not the case here. In this game, getting anywhere is difficult and requires a lot of patience and skill to deal with the types of challenges it throws at you.

When I first heard about this I assumed it was a simple game, but it's not, there are entire open world maps that you have to slowly navigate and explore. It's a game that requires a lot of patience and the actual exploration isn't as immediately satisfying as the other games on this list because it's mostly like a real world. There aren't really any fantastical elements that I can remember, so there aren't really crazy surprises around every corner, at least not in the way that other games on this list might have them. That doesn't change the fact that this is easily one of the most satisfying and difficult games in terms of exploration.

There's just nothing like it out there. It's not boring or simulation-like as you might first assume, it's still pretty fun as far as these things go and, to me, that makes it better. I know there will be people like that, but simulations. I also like simulations, but I like games. In fact, this year it got a new extension called Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, which you'd think would have more satisfying exploration, but is actually a bit more guided and linear. At least at the time of writing, SnowRunner is pretty much the most complete and fun game in the series.

It manages to make getting stuck in the mud fun, which is kind of a small miracle in itself. At number six is ​​Hollow Knight. It may not be the most challenging game you'll find on this list, but it isn't. And the exploration is still some of the best in the entire genre, in my opinion. A dirty little secret about the Metroidvania games, they seem open, but the vast majority of them have a single golden path to follow, so to speak. They are mostly linear and disguised with lots of progress blockers and upgrade controls. I assumed Hollow Knight was like this when I first played it, too, and that's how it seems for the first few hours.

You stick to the most obvious path, but that's not the case. Hollow Knight is actually one of the least linear games in the entire genre. There are so many different directions you can take from the beginning. You can collect updates in many different orders. You can encounter bosses at different times. (dramatic music) - Boss! (laughs) (laughs) (balls bouncing) (character grunting) (dramatic music) - It's crazy how open-ended this game is, and it somehow works despite this. There are also so many secrets. Side bonus areas, completely new locations, hidden bosses, all of this makes the game much more fun to explore because you never really know what you'll find around every corner.

Sometimes you'll just get a good view or a bit of background information, but often it's something interesting, like a whole new area, a difficult optional boss, or some useful rewards. The exploration here is very deep and while it's not brutally difficult, it is quite challenging. At number five is Enderall: Forgotten Stones. Bethesda Games has some of the best exploration in the business. Their worlds are huge and full of details. It is tremendously satisfying to get lost in them. If we're just talking about exploration, they fit perfectly on this list, but they're not, we're talking about dangerous exploration.

So the standard games don't quite fit, but one thing that does is Enderal: Forgotten Stones, which is a mod that you can download for free on Steam as a standalone game. You have to have Skyrim to play it, but otherwise it's completely free. It was built on Skyrim assets and it shows, but everything was built from the ground up to focus on exploration and discovery. The mod, set in a completely new world, has a more difficult combat system and makes exploration a much more dangerous task than in Skyrim. You can't go anywhere from the beginning. Traveling to certain areas means certain death.

In some ways it limits where you can go from the start, but on the other hand, exploration is much more important because you're desperate for everything you can get. Every piece of gold is a lifesaver and every potion you find is a big deal. It completely changes the Bethesda Games experience and all the locations you can explore in this huge world are highly detailed and carefully designed. While we're talking about Bethesda, you can also play Fallout 4 in survival mode. That makes exploration much more difficult. Fallout 4 is perhaps the best open world Fallout game simply in terms of exploration.

There are so many unique games and things to find, and while the base game isn't very difficult, survival mode basically changes the experience and arguably makes exploration much more satisfying due to how difficult it is. At number four is Outer Wilds. It's supposed to be a puzzle game. I don't know why I die so much. The Outer Wilds is kind of like The Witness if just wandering around could kill you, could kill you, probably would kill you. There is no combat in this game nor any survival elements, but it is still really dangerous and the exploration is second to none.

Really, the whole game is about exploration. You're given an entire solar system in miniature, and it's up to you to figure out what's going on and what you should be doing. There is very little direction here. It's mostly up to you to explore. You have to find clues, figure out what to do. As far as exploration and discovery goes, it's one of the best of all time. Even without the traditional rewards or surprises, this game is still one of the most satisfying experiences out there. The entire solar system is this huge interconnected puzzle. It's up to you to peel back the layers and figure out how this all works.

If there is no danger, it would be fun. But the constant threat of death really keeps things exciting. Running out of oxygen, being ejected into space, being eaten by a giant space anglerfish, all of these can and will happen often. It's a dangerous universe out there, and that makes the discovery even sweeter. At number three is Outward. It's an unusual survival RPG hybrid, I guess that's how I'd describe it. Although it is tremendously difficult. It makes expiration so much sweeter, so much more satisfying. Most RPGs simply limit you with arbitrary obstacles and high-level enemies. But Outward has disease, hunger, and more to keep you at bay.

This game can be tremendously difficult at first because you are basically a total idiot. You have almost nothing, and basic enemies like wolves can kick your butt, drag you into a cave, and leave you for dead in the middle of nowhere. (dramatic music) (sword cut) Getting anywhere in Outward is a terrible ordeal. You don't just need decent equipment. You need camping equipment. You need food, weapons, potions, and potions protect you against various status ailments. And sometimes that's still not enough. Pretty much any progress outside of the starting city in a few hours feels like a huge victory.

And while it never stops being difficult, eventually you reach a point where you can really explore the rest of the world. In most RPGs, exploration just means carrying some potions and a sword, but in Outward, the level of preparation and planning required for a long journey is insane. It's totally unique among RPGs. And while it's still pretty wacky and awkward in a lot of ways, I can't help but respect it. And number two is Elden Ring, an open world Dark Souls. So exploration, check, (bell rings) difficulty, check, (bell rings) and I think we're done here, right?

You get it. Oh really. You must have a lot of time for Souls games. I have a lot of time for Souls games, obviously, right? I talk a lot about them, but in realityIt's not the combat that gets me in games. It is the exploration, the feeling of discovery. All of these games excel at that in one way or another, but Elden Ring is at the top of the heap. Few games manage to capture the sense of wonder and awe that this game instills in you when you take a wrong turn and stumble upon a place that doesn't seem like where you should be.

A lot of games give you this feeling from time to time, but Elden Ring, I mean, it's all the time. There are so many impressive new features in Elden Ring that it blew my mind. The first time you take that elevator to the subway, the first time you discover the secret volcano mansion, the hidden passage at the bottom of the sewers, the secret path to the giant tree. There are so many secrets around every corner. Even things that aren't exactly hidden seem like a big deal when you find them because the world is really big and it's easy to miss certain places.

Many of these optional areas and side panels also contain some of the most difficult bosses in the game. The vast majority of the game is completely optional, and that specifically increases the satisfaction of discovery. You could miss it and never see it and beat the game. And finally, at number one, King's Field IV: The Ancient City. Before Souls, there was King's Field. The 1994 original seems extremely archaic by today's standards. Hell, it honestly seems pretty archaic by 1994 standards, but it's a pretty important part of From's history. King's Field is a series that's super clunky and super dated, but its brand of first-person exploration still holds up if you're the kind of person who can play something that looks like this.

I could talk about any game in the series, but if I had to choose one, I would say the fourth, The Ancient City. The PlayStation 2 graphics give a lot of detail and personality to its locations. It is easily the most complex and interconnected game in the series. And no wonder, it's a From game, it's very difficult. You can see a lot of the future of gaming in Ancient City. The depths of trolling start from the beginning with this death trap with just a few steps right at the beginning of the game. (character screaming) I mean, even for From, this is an unfair and obtuse game.

There are traps everywhere, progress can be very confusing, and maps may not exist. They are almost completely useless. However, if you are passionate about exploration, this is both a dream and a nightmare. It's brutally difficult, but uncovering the strange secrets of the underground city is super satisfying if you're able to overlook the extremely slow combat. And combat is extremely slow if you use the right words. It is not a game for everyone. But if you are an explorer at heart and a bit of a masochist, it may be an ideal game for you and you will love this strange underground world as much as I do.

That's all for today. Leave us a comment. Let us know what you think. If you like this video, please click like. If you are not subscribed, now is a good time to do so. We upload new videos every day of the week. The best way to see them first is, of course, a subscription, so click Subscribe. Don't forget to enable notifications. And as always, thank you very much for watching this video. I'm Falcon, you can follow me on Twitter @FalconTheHero. See you next time here on "Gameranx".