As the title suggests: I’ve had it with open worlds with dozens of things to do and checklists to complete. What are your favorite, delightfully simple, linear games?
This question is sparked by the discussion in the Final Fantasy thread, were I disclosed that I actually kind of like XIII because of its linearity. Other linear favorites of mine include: Half-Life series, Portal series, Uncharted series, some COD campaigns, Undertale, Journey, Super Mario 3D World, Plague Tale, Spec Ops: The Line
A shout out to A Way Out in the co-op catergory!
Hi-fi Rush is really good if you’re into rhythm action, Call of Juarez is one I’m trying now and it feels nice to play
The OG Mafia and the Metro 2033 series are excellent linear games. Night in the Woods is a really fun little quirky game that’s not too long.
If you like adventure games, I’d suggest Gemini Rue, Primordia, and Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis.
Perhaps Snatcher, if you’re open to something older and different. Same with the classic cinematic platformer, Another World.
I suppose I have to ask how linear. Like can it be mostly linear while having the chance to explore off the beaten path very briefly? Or like straight up hallway simulator.
Ive been using a site actually to rate games I’ve played so I’ll start listing some of my 5 and 4.5 star games that I would personally consider linear.
5 star games
- Astrobot
- Silent hill 2 (enhanced edition mod for PC, remake I’m still working through but it’s good)
- Rayman origins
- Mario and Luigi superstar saga (borderline linear)
- Kingdom hearts 2 (you can pick the order of worlds at times and have the option to backtrack but not necessary
- Mother 3
- Re4 (og and remake both 10/10 to me)
4.5 star games
- Chants of sennaar
- Kirby super Star ultra
- Halo 2
- Rayman legends
- WolfenStein the new order
- Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
- Dead Space
- The last of us
- the last of us 2 (has one shortish open area section)
- Alan wake 2 (has some open exploration areas at points)
- Celeste
- The case of the golden idol
I could go on, and some are borderline linear, but these are my faves that mostly involve going from one moment to the next
Edit: the site I’ve been using. Feel free to check out my list of played games ordered by rating if you want more. I have a lot on there: https://backloggd.com/u/chloyster/games/user-rating/type:played?page=1
Is it recommended to play the other Mother games before 3?
I’m waiting patiently on Astrobot to get within my feasible price range, I adored Playroom :).
Earthbound / mother 2 is also 5 stars for me and can definitely be played before hand. There is overlap in the antagonist and references but otherwise mother 3 takes place an incomprehensible amount of time in the future. I didn’t include earthbound since its a tiny bit more backtracky and explory but tbh it’s about as linear as m&l superstar saga so I’d def recommend it if you want to play!
So, I’ll just go through my Steam favourites and list the ones that fit the bill.
I recently played I Am Your Beast and absolutely loved it. Not really a story focused game, but it’s it has some of it, the voice actors are better than you would expect and the gameplay is top notch.
Pretty much all Call of Juarez games (well, maybe not The Cartel), but start with Gunslinger. The others are old and clunky, but Gunslinger still holds up and is one of my favourite arcady shooters.
Mirror’s Edge is a classic, if you haven’t played it, you definitely should. You can skip the sequel, Catalyst. That one added open world and was mediocre at best anyway.
Speaking of classics, Dishonored is probably one of the best stealth games out there, in my opinion at least. I would consider the first one fairly linear, altho the game does expect you to explore the individual levels quite a bit.
Mafia 2 (I honestly recommend you play the classic edition, you get it when you buy the definitive. It just runs better and isn’t as buggy. The remaster barely improves anything anyway) and the remake of Mafia 1. Yes, they are open world, but only by technicality. The story is very linear and you barely need to interact with said open world. The games never expect you to explore or collect stuff and there’s fuckall to do on the map besides drive around anyway.
If you like Ace combat, Project Wingman would be right up your alley. I’m not sure if I would call it simple per se, but it’s linear, level based and great.
Tactical Breach Wizards is another recent favourite of mine. It’s slightly x-com-y altho more of a puzzle than a strategy game with some pretty decent humour.
Gunpoint is another indie puzzle game with great humour. It’s by the same guy as Tactical Breach Wizards.
Since you said you like Uncharted, I imagine you might enjoy the older Tomb Raider games, before the 2013 reboot when they went open world. Legend is my favourite of them altho I know it’s a bit clunky by modern standards.
Last but not least, SUPERHOT. You probably know it, but in case you don’t, play it. It’s short, it’s simple and it’s great.
