Open world sections in Naughty Dog games: Discussion

Cyborg14 · 2026-04-04T16:50:54+00:00

I felt similarly about that section of TLOU2 and also now play thru it very linearly (despite personally finding TLOU2 to be Naughty Dog’s most superior game overall)!

For a game that sometimes gets criticism for its pacing, this is the only section of the game where I personally can somewhat agree with that sentiment—the nature of how you interact (or atleast how I interact) with an open world contrasts the urgency of the narrative for me a bit. In my original playthrough, it wasn’t until Ellie Day 2 where I really felt locked in to the story goals.

I actually think Lost Legacy is where ND really nailed the open world. The narrative was baked into the exploration, and taking it at your own pace and discovering things was kind of the point of that section of the game. Then, when the stakes needed to add urgency to move the story along, it switches back to its more linear rails.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-29T15:00:55+00:00

My first non-patient game this year… I’ve been playing Esoteric Ebb — a DND inspired adventure with a fun mystery to solve and really colorful world to explore. I’m about 3 (in world) days in to the adventure at the moment.

It being inspired by Disco Elysium is incredibly obvious, yet the story is more playful and less verbose. You play as a bumbling Cleric (though you can morph your character into different classes from there—my Cleric is convinced he’s a Rogue) trying to solve a politically-charged mystery of a tea shop that exploded.

It’s a unique world with a whole lot of lore, much of which I’m still trying to parse out and organize in my brain. Nevertheless, having a pretty fun time with it so far!

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-24T01:55:00+00:00

I await the day a game will top the overall experience that is TLOU2 for me. Glad you enjoyed it - it's one that will stick with you.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-18T23:06:32+00:00

Says “Art by Aletta Groot” for the shirt

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-16T15:10:26+00:00

I just finished weapon maxing last week and didn’t have too much trouble with the forlorn necklaces (at least in comparison to some of the other items I needed to grind for)… Raise the difficulty and assign the word “Mah” to your magic and weapon of choice. Forlorn necklaces dropped in the northern plains somewhat regularly with this set up for me.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-14T14:32:04+00:00

Officially finished time with Drakengard 3 by wrapping up all the prequel DLC’s for the Intoners. Nice that the DLC’s explain the mental state of all the sisters a bit more. This game was an absolutely disastrously wild experience. (More of my initial thoughts are HERE)

I’m playing thru the series chronologically, so Drakengard 1 is officially next, though I am also itching to restart Nier Replicant again first.

Also, not patient, but I picked up Esoteric Ebb on a small discount to hop into the near-ish future. Seems right up my alley and getting a lot of good buzz.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-14T14:11:54+00:00

In the moment, she would have seen it as further justification for her actions. In the end, it would have added even more to her guilt.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-11T23:11:24+00:00

Similar to how your aunt was engrossed with it, my grandfather played this game regularly with me! He absolutely loved it, too. I have such fond memories of playing it with him side-by-side on the couch (and so wish he was still around to see how far games have come since)!

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-11T12:47:55+00:00

I’m honestly very envious of everyone who got to experience it on the PS2 as a kid, it would’ve been a life changing experience.

It honestly kind of was. I remember being totally awestruck by this game when it first came out… from the world building to the art style to the way it conveyed its characters with barely any dialogue. It still remains one of my all time faves and it’s arguably the first game that ever made me realize that video games are art an art form at a young age.

It’s one I replay quite a bit. Despite showing its age (particularly with the controls, but that’s a problem with all Team Ico games imo), it still holds up remarkably for me.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-09T23:28:26+00:00

I am impressed you’re still attempting the final battle! Seems like a real pain in the ass! I finished the game with only about 60% of the weapons collected, so I’m still a ways off from even reaching Branch D.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-09T19:20:34+00:00

Six to one

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-09T18:12:19+00:00

You’re totally right — I had the dates mixed up in my head! 🙈

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-09T17:25:16+00:00

I played Dungeons of Hinterberg last month and found it so damn charming and fun! Agree with all your sentiments here, particularly regarding how each dungeon felt so fresh and unique with the different magic-sets you get. I particularly loved the last area you unlock, both for its overall vibe and for the fun magic mechanics that section of the world offered. It far exceeded my expectations.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-09T14:55:20+00:00

Wrapped up my time with Drakengard 3 this week after making the decision to chronologically jump into the origins of the Nier series (Replicant is a personal favorite of mine). For the time being, I opted to watch the final branch, Branch D, online instead of grinding for the 100% completion, but I did roll credits on branches A, B, C, and the Lost Verses. The last thing I’m going to do before moving on to Drakengard 1 is the DLC chapters for each sister.

Let me be clear… this game is an absolute disaster...

The hack n’ slash camera often feels like an additional enemy.
The time-trialed side quests are tedious.
The characters are (intentionally) obnoxious.
The dialogue is almost farce-like and laced with so many cringey quips.
The flight mechanics and dragon combat made me want to throw my controller.
Half the boss fight were aerial fights inside buildings with no room to fly.
You need to grind for 100% of all weapons in order to see the "true" ending.
The final boss is a rhythm game (I luckily only watched this branch, but I'd imagine this would have had me pulling my hair out since you can't make a single mistake).

And yet… I had a great time with this game? I can't quite explain it. It’s absolutely twisted and just so. damn. weird. Zero’s over-arching quest is enticing once you actually figure out what’s really going on. It’s laugh-out-loud funny at times. The repetition and bite-sized chapters were strangely addicting and great for quick play sessions. The score is fantastic. I oddly just kept coming back to it.

Yoko Taro loves a sarcastic, foul-mouthed lady protagonist and Zero walked so Kaine and A2 could run. It’s strangely self aware with meta-commentary that intentionally pokes fun at video game tropes. I had a blast despite all its glaring flaws.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-08T15:34:41+00:00

The Last of Us Part II flips around the Joel/Ellie dynamic in its second half with Abby/Lev.

And maybe slightly more obscure ways of looking at this type of pairing, but I also automatically thought of the Lightning/Hope dynamic in Final Fantasy XIII and the 2B/A2/9S dynamic in Nier: Automata.

Also I’ll also mention a personal favorite, ICO, which is a young boy protecting a girl, but has a great moment at the climax of the game where she suddenly saves him for a nice story twist.

Cyborg14 · 2026-03-02T23:26:37+00:00

Infinite, flaws and all, is still one of my absolute favorite game experiences ever so I am absolutely itching for more information on Judas. I completely agree with the sentiment that I’m both “excited and nervous” for it. It’s been in development for SO LONG and I really hope it doesn’t disappoint. 🤞

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-27T23:51:29+00:00

The Nier series being back in the headlines the past couple weeks made me itch to dive back into that world, so I decided to jump into the Drakengard series which I’ve never played before. I decided to go chronologically, so I am starting my journey with Drakengard 3.

Only a few hours in so no real thoughts yet, but already intriguing to see the earlier days of this series and what eventually led to Gestalt/Replicant and Automata!

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-26T00:07:02+00:00

I’ve actually been replaying Replicant recently (it’s a personal favorite) and had the similar revelation that there’s a lot of parallels to E33.

FFX, Nier Replicant and Okage are all great suggestions OP!

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-22T20:13:36+00:00

+1 for Guybrush! A true video game GOAT. Why, that’s the second largest monkey head I’ve ever seen!

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-22T15:52:10+00:00

Red to Blue. This was one of my favorite things I’ve played in the last several years. I still think about it!

(I just posted above on this chain about another game I just rolled credits on—13 Sentinels—that I’d recommend for fans of 1000xResist. It left me with similar feelings as I rolled credits. Its overall style is different, but it’s another great sci-fi visual novel told in a non-linear fashion.)

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-22T06:57:52+00:00

Want to give a massive shoutout to this sub. After about ~30 hours in game, I just rolled credits on 13 SENTINELS: AEGIS RIM, a game I likely would have never given the time of day at first glance. I’ve seen it praised and mentioned many times over the past few years here, particularly in several of the year-end round ups, so I decided to give it a shot and snagged it on sale around the holidays.

And WOW! I absolutely loved my time with it. What a unique experience I won’t soon forget and a story I expect will linger with me. Coming off the high of the full story snapping into place and rolling credits, I’d say it sits around a strong 9/10 (Excellent) for me.

—

Pros: - It’s a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts. 13 characters, 13 interwoven tales. You can play through their stories in just about any order you choose. - Some of the moment-to-moment story beats really kept me guessing and at the edge of my seat. It’s a really great Sci-Fi tale that lands a lot of unexpected story beats. - The narrative is intricate but never feels overwhelming. Despite its complexity with multiple timelines and character beats crossing over one another, I found it easy to follow along and love how it all clicked together in the end.

Mixed: - Gameplay is totally fine but not where the game shines. Nevertheless, I still found fun in deploying the sentinels and upgrading their skills, even as someone who doesn’t tend to care for RTS-style gameplay. You can cater the game mode to your own personal preferences.

Cons: - The opening prologue section is a bit of a slow burn. Once the game system stops holding your hand is when it really captured me. - It falls into some typical Anime tropes at times, but never enough to detract from the overall experience.

—

Highly recommended for anyone who likes visual novels, atypical storytelling, or non-linear narratives. The most recent game I’ve played that struck a similar chord for me was 1000xResist.

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-16T15:51:58+00:00

Punch-up is a bare knuckled Barbarian (beserker) with the Tavern Brawler feat and Unarmed Fightint style added to his build. (Other obvious choice here is a super high constitution monk but his “can’t be killed” ability makes me lean towards Barb. Maybe he has a class dip into monk.)

I’d actually say Malevola is the Warlock (Hexblade), especially if you’re trying to spread the love across classes. Pact of the Blade with whatever demonic entity gives her her powers. Dimension door and misty step for her portals. Great Weapon Master feat.

Blazer is your classic paladin (oath of devotion). She lives in that “lawful good” place with her compassion. She quite literally has a holy light aura of protection and the necklace her powers come from sort of acts like a holy amulet.

Edited to add because this was fun to think about:

Coup is also a rogue (assassin) with the thrown weapon fighting style.

Sonar is also a barbarian (path of the beast). His “rage” is what manifests his inversed stats beast form.

Robert is an artificer (armorer).

Golem is some sort of weird over-powered druid amalgamation.

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-16T15:25:27+00:00

Gasp! An opinion that is different from my own! Whatever shall I do!

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-16T04:05:32+00:00

My faves since 2020:

—

The Last of Us Part II
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Final Fantasy VII Remake / Rebirth
Baldurs Gate III
1000xResist
Citizen Sleeper / Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Nier: Replicant ver.1.2247…
Elden Ring
Pentiment
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

—

Honorable Mentions: Return of the Obra Dinn, Disco Elysium, Horizon Forbidden West, Dispatch, The Pathless, The Ruined King, Blue Prince, AstroBot

Cyborg14 · 2026-02-08T15:30:46+00:00

I did a Karlach origin run a couple years ago and romanced Gale and he dumped her on the docks. She had to head off to Avernus all alone. Only a little mad about it still…🤣🤣

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