Best Games That Become Great When They Open Up

The main reason why so many people prefer playing games over watching movies is that they can create and mold their own story as they progress, rather than being told what to do and see. However, while many games will give the player full agency over their character and journey right from the get-go, some developers will instead decide to pad out the first few hours for one reason or another, meaning the game will only open up once players dedicate a good amount of time to familiarize themselves with the world, characters, and controls.

This might sound a little tedious on the surface, but it can be useful for immersing players into the experience, while also teaching them everything they need to know to ensure they don’t run into too many Game Over screens during their adventure. These brilliant games listed below are a few examples of titles that only allow players to experience everything they have to offer after a few hours of game time, though this only makes coming out on the other side all the more satisfying.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Once Arthur Escapes The Snowstorm, The World Becomes His Oyster

It’s hard to find many people who don’t love Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, but in that same vein, it’s tricky to find many who enjoy the first hour or so of the game, which is commonly referred to as the ‘snow section’. Before players are able to gallop their way around the vast open world to participate in Stranger Missions and go hunting for rare animals, they will first be forced to navigate their way through a linear portion of the story, which is designed to introduce players to Dutch and his ragtag group of loyal servants, who will accompany Arthur throughout the game.

Outside of a shootout with a few bandits here and there, alongside a thrilling chase sequence up in the snowy mountains with some wolves, this part of the game is known for being incredibly slow and even a little dull to get through. Once players manage to make it out of the snow, though, they will be let loose to explore the world at their own leisure, and while the game from that point onwards is incredible, it’s a shame that so many people called it quits during the prologue, since this is a poor representation of how the game plays.

Persona 5

School Life Can Be Boring, But It Gets Much Better Once The Phantom Thieves Are Introduced

It’s no secret that the Persona games will always feature a lengthy tutorial before players are able to start creating Social Links and entering Dungeons, but in the case of Persona 5, this beginning section can take an extremely long time to complete. Because the main protagonist joins a new high school at the beginning of the story, Atlus clearly wanted to make players feel as if they, too, had entered a brand-new area that was completely unfamiliar territory. As a result, the first few hours of Persona 5 center around trying to find the train station that leads to the school, alongside speaking with the other classmates in a desperate attempt to try and make some new friends.

It’s only when Kamoshida, the malicious gym teacher, threatens the protagonist with expulsion that the story actually kicks off. Little by little, players are given access to social activities that they are able to participate in during the day, alongside new dungeons that must be completed by a specific deadline to continue on with the story. Persona 5 has become renowned for its lovable cast of characters, addictive turn-based combat, and effortlessly stylish presentation, but those first few hours can definitely feel a little grueling to get through.

Kingdom Hearts 2

A Brand New Protagonist Who Doesn’t Stick Around For Too Long

Considering Sora played the role of main protagonist in the first Kingdom Hearts game, many fans assumed that they would be continuing on with his journey in the sequel. This is why it came as such a surprise when a brand-new lead character named Roxas shows up at the beginning of the game in a mysterious new area called Twilight Town. Rather than taking down groups of Heartless in a mystical Disney World, in stark contrast, Roxas is more concerned with skateboarding around the town and completing a few side missions to earn pocket money.

In hindsight, it was honestly quite a bold choice for Square to start off the game with such a slow and mundane gameplay section, but it also manages to make the eventual reveal of Sora all the more exciting. Once Sora grabs his Keyblade and enters the Gummi Ship, the world will become the player’s own personal sandbox that they can venture through at their own pace, and while this might make it sound like the Roxas section was a complete waste of time, he does become a lot more relevant as the story goes on.

Cyberpunk 2077

The Journey Doesn’t Officially Begin Until V And Johnny Finally Meet

Night City is one of the most immersive, intriguing, and memorable open areas in gaming history, but players are only given a taste of what it has in store during the first few hours of Cyberpunk 2077. After creating a character and meeting up with Jackie, the game becomes laser-focused on an ambitious heist that V has begrudgingly accepted to be a part of. As a result, while there is the option to check out a few shops and grab a few guns, much of the game at this point is locked away until the heist is officially wrapped up, and more specifically, once the legendary Johnny Silverhand enters V’s mainframe.

With Johnny installed and a new objective in sight, the game world completely opens up to the player, giving them the option to do pretty much anything they want, whether it be hunting down a few Cyberpsychos, finishing up a gig, or simply just meeting the massive cast of characters who occupy the world. The action-packed heist is a great set piece to give players an idea of what they can expect for the rest of their playthrough, but the game only gets better from there.

Resident Evil Village

Ethan Needs An Hour Or Two To Fully Adjust To The Nightmare He Finds Himself In

Unlike other Resident Evil protagonists such as Leon and Chris, Ethan isn’t a veteran cop or a super-soldier who can single-handedly gun down swarms of zombies with nothing but a handgun. Instead, Capcom tried to present him as just an ordinary civilian who continues getting caught up in horrific scenarios, which is why it makes a lot of sense that the first hour or two of Village would essentially act as a warm-up to give Ethan, and the player, an opportunity to get used to the controls and mechanics to give them a chance of surviving the horrors that await them.

Once players make their way through the creepy linear pathway that leads to Miranda’s village, they will then end up in a horde section where they are surrounded by vicious Lycans, similar to the beginning of Resident Evil 4. After witnessing a few unfortunate deaths and barely making it past the village’s monsters in one piece, many new areas will begin to open up around the map which all contain their fair share of resources and secrets to uncover. Village is definitely a rather odd game in this iconic survival horror series, primarily because of its fantasy-like aesthetic and enemies, but it’s still an ambitious entry that many fans have warmed up to, and one which becomes a lot more fun and interactive after the tutorial section is finished.

Final Fantasy 13

Square Enix Definitely Could Have Inserted The Open-Area A Little Earlier In FF13’s Story

When playing through the first few hours of Final Fantasy 13, the game fools players into thinking that the entire adventure will be one long linear corridor with nothing but a few battles and cutscenes to keep things entertaining. Admittedly, the game follows this formula for between 10 to 15 hours of game time, until, eventually, players are finally given the chance to re-arrange their party members in any way they like. However, this is only the first instance of the game opening up, as once players reach chapter 11, they will then be able to explore an open hub area known as Gran Pulse, which is the first non-linear section in the entire game.

Clearly, this game takes way too long to actually open up, but it’s still hard to ignore the fact that it does become an absolute blast to play after players pour enough hours into it. For example, when on Gran Pulse, players can start thinking a lot more about which characters they should pair with specific Paradigms to create a team that can take on the strongest types of enemies, leading to an addictive gameplay loop which is ultimately very rewarding, especially when there’s also an abundance of side missions to complete along the way. Out of all the games on this list, Final Fantasy 13 is the biggest example of a title that gets much better once it finally gives players the tools they need to fully enjoy the experience, but the fact that it takes more than 10 hours to actually get there is a big reason why this specific entry is considered a little divisive.