Best Open-World Games That Rely Primarily On Dialogue

Summary

Older games were simpler, with minimal dialogue and easy controls.
Modern open-world games like GTA 5 & The Witcher 3 are dialogue-heavy.
Newer games like Cyberpunk 2077 & RDR 2 offer immersive dialogue experiences.

Some individuals yearn for the past when video games could guide players implicitly without verbally explaining everything. At most, instructions on how to play were included in the manual, and at best, players could deduce the controls from the game’s design itself. This was during a time when controllers had just a few action buttons, making it simple for players to understand their functions compared to today’s controllers with 8 or more buttons.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve noticed that over time, games have grown in scale, providing expansive worlds teeming with characters to engage with and intricate narratives to immerse oneself in. These tales often require dialogue, whether it’s text or voiceover, and some games are particularly chatty. If you’re a fan of games that love to gab (or prefer the quieter ones), you should definitely watch out for these titles.

8. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

A Hideo Kojima Game

The Metal Gear Solid series is often criticized for its extensive cutscenes disrupting gameplay. However, surprisingly, the first open-world title in the series, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, faces a different issue. While it provides ample gameplay hours due to the freedom to explore Afghanistan and the Zaire-Angola border at will, its narrative development was disorganized. Consequently, the storyline may seem incomplete. Nevertheless, it doesn’t skimp on dialogue.

In the game, you’ll find numerous audio tapes that can either be picked up on the field or unlocked within the gameplay. At times, players must eavesdrop on NPC conversations for strategic intel or dial the Codec for gaming advice. However, if Ocelot and Miller don’t provide enough chatter when an enemy is near (“Snake, beware! The enemy sniper…”), you’ll need to stay alert. Although it may not be as intense as other Metal Gear Solid games, it still falls under the Metal Gear Solid series.

7. Yakuza 5

A Giant Game With A Lot To Say

When Yakuza/Like a Dragon enthusiasts consider a game that leans too heavily on dialogues, they might recall the lengthy sequence in Yakuza 3 where Defense Minister Tamiya lays out the entire storyline using an extended sequence of visual novel-style text boxes. Alternatively, some may mention the slow beginning of Yakuza 0, which offers a more diverse experience, yet still guides players, regardless of their expertise level. However, it’s Yakuza 5 that stands out for its extensive use of dialogues due to its expansive nature.

Essentially, this game is a compilation of about four to five smaller Yakuza stories, where characters like Kiryu, Saejima, Haruka, Akiyama, and Shinada each have their unique campaigns, subplots, and side activities. These elements sometimes involve choosing the right words during combat situations. By the point where players are strategizing over Haruka’s responses in the Manzai minigame, they might have already forgotten the initial street-racing storyline from Kiryu’s introduction chapter in the game.

6. Grand Theft Auto 5

Attack People Verbally & Physically

In contrast to games like Yakuza/Like a Dragon, the Grand Theft Auto series didn’t heavily emphasize story development. However, this doesn’t mean they lacked narrative elements entirely; they boasted a variety of intriguing characters and unexpected plot twists, such as the dark tale of an ex-soldier’s past catching up to him in GTA4, or the story of betrayal found in GTA: San Andreas. Essentially, while these games had engaging stories, they took a backseat to features like city exploration and mayhem.

Grand Theft Auto 5 offers a unique experience by allowing players to control three distinct characters, Michael, Trevor, and Franklin. This setup provides players with three times the variety of conversations among the characters. Each character interacts differently, has their own set of associates who occasionally overlap, a vast array of missions, and the ability to converse with citizens in Los Santos in various ways, including adding extra dialogue or harsh remarks.

5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Requires A Sharp Tongue & A Sharp Sword

In addition to being dialogue-heavy with numerous cutscenes and textboxes, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and its prequel also emphasize other means of relying on dialogue. Restoring King Wenceslaus IV to the throne of Bohemia requires more than just physical strength in these games. Players will be challenged not only with their wit but also with their physical prowess, and Henry of Skalitz has many insights to share.

In this captivating game I’m playing, Henry’s dialogues often branch out into various paths through a conversation tree. Yet, the choices he gets aren’t merely handed to him; they depend on his abilities such as persuasion, intimidation, and coercion. If these skills are weakened, Henry might find himself at a standstill. This dialogue-rich experience can be overwhelming for those seeking more combat-focused gameplay, where hacking down other knights in battle is the main attraction.

4. Fallout 4

Become The Wit Of The Wasteland

In a simpler and more conversational style: KCD (Kingdom Come: Deliverance) didn’t create the idea of dialogue checks and statistics. Instead, it’s often linked with the Fallout series, where players could charm their way out of challenging situations during their tactical RPG phase. However, they only had this option if they had the appropriate stats to enable it. Alternatively, they could intentionally keep their stats low to receive disrespectful responses instead.

The feature of extensive dialogue found in “Fallout: New Vegas” was carried over to open-world games, earning it a Guinness World Record for the most lines of dialogue in a video game with 65,000. This record has since been surpassed, as “Fallout 4” now boasts 111,000 lines, a significant portion of which are different character voices players can choose. This leads one to ponder how long its script would have been if it didn’t restrict responses to a maximum of four per encounter.

3. Cyberpunk 2077

Worldbuilding Through Word-Building

Some individuals appreciate detailed, chatty games as long as the dialog supports the narrative and character growth. On the other hand, some prefer to bypass all that chatter and focus solely on gameplay. It’s simple enough to accomplish this in titles like Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid 5. The Yakuza games provide a “Premium Adventure” mode without a storyline, allowing players more freedom to explore the city with less dialogue compared to the main stories.

After the initial act, Cyberpunk 2077, known for its rich narrative, will provide players with the freedom to pursue main quests, side missions, and activities as they prefer. However, the game remains heavily dialogue-focused, featuring numerous walk & talk scenes where the player can either pay attention or fast-forward when convenient. This element is enjoyed by some as it enhances immersion in the game’s future setting and characters, while others find it somewhat tedious to navigate through.

2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Filling The Woods With Words

The “Witcher” series stands out among open-world fantasy games for both its quality and the abundance of dialogue, making them almost on par with the novels they’re adapted from. Notably, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” boasts a massive 450,000 lines of dialogue, with approximately 70,000 belonging to its main character, Geralt of Rivia, who is known for his brooding demeanor. A significant portion of these dialogues are linked to the game’s main quest, where Geralt and Yennefer work together to unravel why the Wild Hunt is hunting his former apprentice.

However, the game offers numerous optional tasks and activities aside from the main storyline. Some of these involve making appropriate responses at crucial moments, similar to “The Play’s The Thing.” This aspect frustrated certain players, who felt that the game was more about conversation (70%) than actual gameplay (30%). After editing, the developers reduced a significant amount of the original 900 hours of dialogue and the quests linked to it, primarily due to space and pacing considerations.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

It’s Not Only The Brooks That Are Babbling

Developing a successful sequel to the popular game, “Red Dead Redemption,” was quite a challenge. They aimed to create an expansion that would surpass its predecessor in scope and scale. It took approximately six years and $100 million to produce the original game. In contrast, the subsequent title, “Red Dead Redemption 2,” required seven years of production and an estimated budget between $370-540 million. Arthur Morgan’s journey across the Wild West unfolded during this sequel, as both he and the Van der Linde gang experienced decline.

The vast expanse of land equivalent to five fictional states required a significant investment of time and resources to explore, resulting in an intricate plot with numerous characters, various activities, and other elements requiring dialogue for clarity. As players progressed, their Honor level affected the dialogue they heard, creating unique experiences. To listen to all 500,000 lines of dialogue in the game, players would face a considerable task.

2025-06-03 07:05