By Vlad Mazanko
One of the usual tropes for the open-world genre is to throw players into a virtual world, as no one, unprepared, having no name, a clear agenda, or powers, and forcing them to start from scratch. On top of that, it’s not uncommon for a game to populate its world with strong, dangerous enemies, making the players stay constantly on edge as they navigate new pressures and fresh encounters. In recent years, even more games strive to become more challenging than before, with the ever-present sense of helplessness from the horror genre bleeding into numerous action and open-world games, especially after the enormous success of Elden Ring.
Some open-world games change the tables, though, granting the players a relatively rare sense of being the force to be reckoned with, instilling fear into enemies just by showing up. From unique backstory or reputation to overpowered abilities or other special traits — today, we are looking at open-world games where the protagonist is feared by everyone, highlighting how the fear mechanics define each of the titles below, making them feel special.
Prototype
Enemies Hunt the Unstoppable Mutant, Knowing They’ll Lose
The now-forgotten open-world series, Prototype, comes to mind instantly when thinking of a game like this. Taking the role of an overpowered mutant in a post-apocalyptic environment is a lot of fun, and even though Alex Mercer is actually hunted by everyone, the game delivers the feeling that every ordinary soldier knows it’s not the battle they can win. Mercer is capable of dispatching hordes of simple enemies with his bare hands with ease, gradually unlocking more superhuman abilities as the game progresses, including the ability to literally consume any human being, taking his form and shape, which can be especially useful for infiltration missions.
However, those are only a short distraction from Prototype’s action-focused core, where unleashing uncontrollable large-scale chaos is the most fun part of the game, seeing as Gentek forces throw all they’ve got to stop Mercer, to no avail, while he’s destroying soldiers, vehicles, tanks, and helicopters like it’s a piece of cake. So, who is really the hunter here?
Ghost of Tsushima
Is There Really a Vengeful Spirit Protecting the Island?
With its classic introduction for an open-world action-adventure game, where a well-established character loses almost everything in an instant, Ghost of Tsushima hides a unique, fear-driven twist for later. As Jin Sakai becomes the protector and liberator of his own lands, his legend grows across the world, with Mongol soldiers starting to recognize and fear him.
Later in Ghost of Tsushima, as Jin fully embodies his “Ghost” alias, using deadly poison to massively kill enemy soldiers that’s unexpected of a samurai, and unlocking a powerful Ghost stance, the tables turn completely. Not only is Jin able to kill almost every enemy with a single sword hit, but Mongols would just freeze in panic when witnessing the notorious Ghost, with many just fleeing the battlefield entirely. A truly special feeling of being a real force of nature, with the game’s sequel, Ghost of Yotei, offering comparable fear mechanics in the late game, as Atsu fully bonds with wild wolves to fight alongside her, confusing and terrifying enemies and bounty hunters who are quick to surrender.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Geralt Is a Mutant Freak Equally Despised and Dreaded
After the earlier Witcher games, where Geralt of Rivia had lost his memories entirely, in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt finally regains them, including his notorious past where he was known as “Butcher of Blaviken.” As Geralt roams the war-torn world, commonfolk such as villagers, peasants, and guards equally despise and fear him, welcoming him with slurs like “a freak.” While this reflects people’s prejudice against witchers as unnatural outcasts, emphasizing the hostility he faces, few would dare to face him in a swordcombat, knowing how things would go from there.
Throughout the game, several quests and episodes include such scenes, showing how people usually treat Geralt and fear him in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with some may even flee away as soon as they see his pale face. Interestingly, this perception rarely stretches to moment-to-moment gameplay encounters with ordinary bandits, who aren’t taught to fear a high-level witcher in the elite gear, attacking players on sight, which results in countless recognizable memes widely known in the fan community.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Dark Lord, Bright Lord — Same Thing Really
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor has slowly established the revived Talion and ghostly Ceelebrimbor’s unlikely symbiosis, gradually building his name and reputation over time, but Shadow of War already starts with Bright Lord being a legendary terror across the entire Mordor. Even stronger than before, having forged their new Ring of Power, wielding overpowered superhuman abilities, and capable of turning anyone to his side, the Bright Lord unleashes the full-fledged war on Sauron’s forces, hunting, eliminating, and recruiting his most elite commanders to his cause.
The Nemesis system is the cherry on top of the entire experience, creating unique bonds and interactions for each player, depending on his past encounters with orc warchiefs, many of whom will hate Talion, hunt him down relentlessly, or will be dreaded just by Bright Lord’s name, becoming a pathetic shell of their past selves, living only by the player’s own mercy. With Middle-earth: Shadow of War’s epic scope and large-scale stakes, allowing Talion to challenge the Dark Lord himself, the game stands unmatched in the open-world genre.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Notorious Misthios of Leonidas’ Bloodline
In the Assassin’s Creed series, players often walk the line from being no one to becoming a respected Hidden One, destined to be another prominent figure in the centuries-old conflict. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, things are a bit different from the start, as the protagonist and their sibling are direct descendants of well-respected King Leonidas I, who is himself descended from the otherworldly Isu, the so-called First Civilization. No matter who players choose as their character, Kassandra or Alexios, they will quickly become notorious misthios, to live up to their father’s reputation, tackling the most challenging war missions across Greece.
Wielding Leonidas’ spear that is imbued with fantastical powers, AC Odyssey players get some god-like abilities to become untouchable by enemies and feared by the entire Cult of Kosmos. On top of that, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey borrows the light version of the Nemesis system from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, for a dynamic mercenary system that can hunt or be hunted by the players in the open-world. This system resembles police mechanics in the GTA series, with more elite mercenaries being hired to stop the players from wreaking havoc or clearing major fortresses — but this often means just extra high-grade loot and more XP for the players.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
