Games With Different Ways To Solve The Same Encounter

Open-ended games allow players to approach challenges in any way they choose. While many games offer some freedom, it’s not always the main focus. Role-playing games (RPGs) provide options like melee combat, magic, and traps, which relate to problem-solving, but don’t quite capture the same open-ended experience.

These games let you make your own choices about how to play – from what you say to how you approach challenges, and even whether you choose violence or show mercy. This freedom makes them highly replayable, and we’ll look at some examples to show you what we mean.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Almost Too Much Freedom

In Baldur’s Gate 3, you have a lot of options during combat – you can choose to attack or find ways to avoid fighting altogether. If your character has high enough skills and knowledge, you can often overcome challenges or get what you need simply by talking to the characters you meet.

Okay, so race actually matters in this game, which is cool. For example, if you pick a Drow character, you can just stroll right into this enemy base at the start. The combat is turn-based, but it’s not just about clicking attacks – you really need to think things through. You get a good overview of the battlefield, so you can plan your moves, and you can customize your party back at camp, which is awesome.

The Outer Worlds 2

Even Your Flaws Are Strengths

The Outer Worlds 2 is a fantastic role-playing game that emphasizes meaningful conversations. When creating your character, you’ll select a backstory and skills, which will then influence the options available during dialogues.

Players who try to be stealthy can sometimes avoid fights by using skills like persuasion, especially if their character has relevant knowledge – for example, a repairperson might be able to talk their way past guards. When encountering obstacles, players usually have multiple options, such as picking a lock, forcing a door open with strength, or finding another way around. Battles themselves are generally simple and direct.

Cyberpunk 2077

You Rule The Night

In Cyberpunk 2077, you can create a unique character and then enhance them with cybernetic modifications throughout the game. These upgrades blur the line between human and machine, and provide benefits like new dialogue choices, improved stealth, and better combat abilities.

Players can use a variety of skills to succeed – hacking, social skills, or even precise aiming. Ultimately, how someone completes a mission is up to them, because most situations have multiple solutions.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Another Cyberpunk RPG

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a cyberpunk game featuring body modifications, similar to Cyberpunk 2077, but it emphasizes stealth gameplay from the beginning. Players take on the role of a special agent and are encouraged to develop skills like hacking and lock-picking to avoid enemies undetected.

When fighting, players can choose to kill enemies or knock them unconscious, which is a nice feature for a stealth game. While there aren’t many chances to use dialogue skills, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is generally a more action-packed game that offers players greater freedom in how they approach situations.

Hitman: World Of Assassination

From Detective To Drummer

In Hitman: World of Assassination, you play as Agent 47, a highly skilled assassin. This game combines most of the missions from the recent Hitman trilogy, which started in 2016. Each mission usually involves eliminating a single target, and players have a huge amount of freedom in how they accomplish this, including the option to eliminate other characters like bystanders or guards if necessary.

Okay, so in this game, you can actually take out a guard, steal his uniform, and become him. It’s awesome! I can get right up to important targets, maybe slip some poison in their drink, you know? A lot of the disguises are pretty silly looking, but honestly, that’s part of what makes it so fun. Each mission feels like a sandbox, and it’s totally worth replaying just to try different approaches.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

Balloon Fight

In Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, players explore expansive environments after starting missions from their mobile base, Mother Base. While players can head directly to their objectives, they also have the option to freely roam and discover extra items and rewards.

Players can collect various tools and gear through teamwork, which they’ll need to handle security. These gadgets are the most fun and engaging part of the game and its missions. Options include using disguises to create distractions, tranquilizing guards, or engaging in direct combat.

Star Wars Outlaws

Pitting Factions Against Each Other

While not a traditional role-playing game, Star Wars Outlaws introduces choices that affect how you play. Building a good reputation with a criminal group, for instance, can unlock new missions and opportunities, potentially making certain quests easier to complete.

Players had a lot of freedom in how they approached situations – they could be stealthy, use their pet to create diversions, or jump into action immediately. Compared to other Star Wars games, this one offered a particularly open and flexible experience.

The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom

Monster-Based Solutions

In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, players take control of Zelda, rather than Link, in a classic top-down adventure. She uses a special magic wand that allows her to capture the ‘echoes’ of objects and creatures – things like monsters, furniture, or even plants – to solve puzzles and overcome challenges.

Players can interact with objects in the environment to solve puzzles and find new ways to progress, such as building towers with stacked beds. During battles, players can summon creatures to fight for them, and each creature has its own special attack style. This game offers more variety in gameplay – blending puzzles and combat in a way that’s even more expansive than most Zelda titles, and that’s a definite plus.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

Let The Bodies Hit The Floor

Sniper Elite: Resistance is the newest game in the Sniper Elite series. Like previous installments, it offers large, open-level missions set during World War II, giving players freedom in how they approach each objective.

Taking down enemies with a well-aimed sniper shot is incredibly rewarding, though it takes skill to time the shot and silence the sound. You can also eliminate enemies at close range, or create diversions by damaging and destroying vehicles. Despite being set in the past, the game provides players with plenty of options for fighting against the Nazis.

Disco Elysium

Talk It Out

Disco Elysium is an ideal RPG for those who enjoy rich conversations and the unpredictable nature of dice rolls more than traditional combat. As you equip your detective with items and improve their skills, they’ll unlock new dialogue choices and have a better chance of succeeding in conversations, despite suffering from amnesia.

This game is played entirely through text. The Final Cut version includes more voice acting. Even battles are resolved by chance – players roll dice to try and persuade characters and unlock new conversation options.

2026-01-03 23:05