Open-World Games That Have Unique Mechanics You Haven’t Seen Anywhere Else

It’s easy to see why people are getting bored with many modern open-world games. A lot of big-budget titles follow a similar formula, making it hard to get excited about buying them at release. They often end up feeling repetitive and lacking substance.

Open-world games that try new and interesting things deserve a lot of praise. It’s great when developers take chances, because it gives players something fresh and exciting to experience.

Death Stranding

The Unique Focus On Traversal And Deliveries That Is Only Seen In The Sequel

Death Stranding is a fantastic open-world game, though it doesn’t immediately feel that way when you first start playing. Players expecting a game similar to Metal Gear Solid were surprised by how different it was, especially its unusual focus on making deliveries rather than fast-paced action.

When *Death Stranding* first came out, its unusual gameplay turned some players off. However, it gradually gained a dedicated fanbase who loved its fresh take on open-world games. Those fans were disappointed that *Death Stranding 2* shifted away from the original’s emphasis on careful exploration and package delivery, focusing more on action, despite being a strong sequel overall.

Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor

The Nemesis System Should’ve Never Been Copyrighted

Now that Monolith Productions has closed, the decision to patent the Nemesis System seems particularly disappointing. While *Shadow of Mordor* played like many other open-world games, the Nemesis System was truly unique, creating dynamic and memorable battles with powerful orc enemies.

Honestly, one of the coolest things about playing *Shadow of War* was taking down enemies by exploiting their weaknesses, then watching them actually *benefit* from it – like they’d go on to win fights against other orcs. It was super satisfying! And it’s a shame because since that game, we haven’t really seen anything else with that awesome Nemesis System. It really added something special to the gameplay, and I miss having that kind of dynamic, action-packed experience in other games.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

The New Powers Enhance The Unique Formula Enhanced By Breath Of The Wild

Breath of the Wild was groundbreaking for its open world, allowing players to climb almost anything and use items in imaginative ways. Tears of the Kingdom builds on this foundation, offering even more abilities for players to explore and experiment with.

Players who enjoy *Garry’s Mod* might recognize the Ultrahand ability, but features like Fuse, Recall, and Ascend are quite original. These tools give players a lot of creative freedom to experiment within the game’s expansive world. The game’s many delays are understandable, as Nintendo clearly wanted to ensure all of its intricate systems worked perfectly before release.

Gothic

The Immersive And Natural Way Players Become More Competent In The Game Needs To Become The Norm

Starting *Gothic* can be really challenging – even a small group of enemies can quickly defeat you. It’s best to use quick attacks and retreat, focusing on the weakest foes, until you reach a camp. Once you do, the game becomes much more manageable and offers more options.

Most games allow characters to automatically get stronger or give them points to improve skills. But in Nameless Hero, you have to actively seek out trainers and experts to boost stats or learn new attacks after earning enough experience. This makes a real difference in how powerful your character feels – it’s most similar to *Kingdom Come: Deliverance*, though even that excellent RPG doesn’t quite match the immersive feeling of earning improvements in *Gothic*.

Driver: San Francisco

It’s A Crime That The Shift Mechanic Has Only Been Used By A Single Racing Game

Racing games feel stale and could really use something new, so it’s surprising no one has copied the cool ‘Shift’ feature from *Driver: San Francisco*. It’s a really straightforward way to make car chases and driving sequences much more exciting.

The ability to instantly switch into and control different vehicles makes driving in the game much more exciting and engaging. This feature greatly improves the experience of *Driver: San Francisco*, and players hope to see similar mechanics in future racing games.

Dragon’s Dogma

Climbing Any Large Enemy And Wailing On It Feels Great

Dragon’s Dogma is a thrilling action game from Capcom, and that’s high praise considering how many great games they’ve made. It’s really fun to try out different character classes and battle enemies in the game’s compact but interesting open world.

One of the most exciting parts of the game is fighting massive enemies. You can actually climb onto these giants and attack them, which is a surprisingly effective and fun way to make the combat even more intense. It’s strange that more action games don’t include this feature, as it would instantly make battles feel more lively and engaging.

Project Zomboid

One Of The Most Hardcore And Rewarding Survival Games Out There

Project Zomboid stands out even among other survival games due to its incredibly immersive and challenging gameplay. Players have to fight to stay alive in a dangerous world overrun by zombies, and they improve their abilities in a way that’s similar to how skills are developed in The Sims.

Unlike *The Sims*, which moved away from a fully open world, *Project Zomboid* fully embraces it, with incredibly realistic survival challenges. Players will carefully consider even simple actions, like breaking a window to get inside a building. This combination of features makes *Project Zomboid* stand out from many other open-world games, and it’s another example of how indie games can offer something truly different.

Watch Dogs: Legion

Turning Every Character Into A Possible Protagonist Is A Novel Concept

Watch Dogs: Legion largely follows the typical formula for Ubisoft’s open-world games. But it really stands out with its unique feature: the ability to recruit and play as almost any person you see in the game world.

Players can recruit a character by completing a mission, then use them as a member of DedSec. While the idea was really fresh and interesting – though not perfectly implemented – it’s disappointing that later open-world games from Ubisoft didn’t include similar creative approaches.

Read More

2025-10-09 06:05