Summary

  • RPGs can have engaging experiences in both expansive and smaller worlds, focusing on well-designed environments and meaningful interactions.
  • Games like .hack//G.U. Recode, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, and The Legend of Zelda utilize smaller maps effectively with immersive mechanics and storylines.
  • Smaller game worlds can offer a sense of intimacy and connection to the story and characters, while still providing diverse experiences and challenges.

RPGs are celebrated for their engaging stories, rich world development, and captivating characters. While many acclaimed RPGs feature expansive open worlds brimming with epic journeys and breathtaking boss fights, size isn't everything.

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Many fantastic RPGs thrive in smaller worlds, showcasing that intricate development, engaging mechanics, and well-designed quests can create an equally compelling adventure. These compact maps are often teeming with personality, offering a densely packed experience where every corner is thoughtfully designed, and every interaction is meaningful. In these smaller settings, developers can focus on creating rich environments, where the intimacy of the world enhances your connection to the story and characters.

Beware of minor story spoilers.

10 .hack//G.U. Recode

The World

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.hack//G.U. Last Recode

Action RPG Released November 3, 2017 Platform(s) PS4, PC, Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

.hack//G.U. series is set within a fictional MMORPG called The World, accessed by the game's players through virtual reality headsets in an alternate timeline of Earth. The World consists of several key root towns, which serve as hubs connecting players to an almost infinite number of fields and dungeons.

These areas act more as levels for grinding experience and materials than for story and lore (save for a few exceptions), so you spend most of your time around town.

Adding to the realism of the game, you can log out of The World to access your in-game computer desktop, which features email, news, forums, and other interactive apps. This mechanic reinforces the feeling of never leaving your room, emphasizing a small world, while maintaining the illusion of a boundless virtual reality within The World.

9 Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor

Mordor

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Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Action Adventure Released September 30, 2014 Platform(s) PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Linux, macOS Powered by Expand Collapse

Set between the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Shadow of Mordor is the adventure of Talion, a ranger who is ritually sacrificed alongside his family by the Black Hand of Sauron in an attempt to summon the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor revives Talion and merges with him, granting him wraith-like abilities and a second chance at life.

The Nemesis system in Shadow of Mordor helps to keep the game fresh despite the small map. Uruk ranks continually update as Uruks kill each other in a thirst for power.

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Talion and Celebrimbor focus on upending the Black Hand in Mordor. Despite how Mordor's landscape is vast and far-reaching in the Lord of the Rings movies, Mordor's map in Shadow of Morder is small by modern standards. Despite its size, Mordor is densely packed with encounters and quests that offer evolving challenges and rotating enemies.

8 The Legend Of Zelda

Hyrule: Era of Decline

The Legend of Zelda

Action-Adventure Released February 21, 1986 Platform(s) Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, 3DS, Wii, Nintendo Wii U Powered by Expand Collapse

The original Legend of Zelda (1986) was a groundbreaking title that launched one of the most influential game series in history. According to the official Zelda Chronology, The Legend of Zelda exists in an alternate reality: The Era of Decline. In this era, Hyrule is a small kingdom whose residents built their homes in caves and dungeons. While the map may seem humble compared to modern Zelda games, it was revolutionary at the time of its release.

The Legend of Zelda's world of Hyrule was originally inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's childhood in Kyoto.

Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's designer, brought his vision to the project. After his success with Donkey Kong and Mario Bros, Miyamoto aimed to create an open-world experience where players could explore freely, discovering hidden secrets and forging their own paths through Hyrule.

7 Tales Of Legendia

The Legacy

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  • Platform: PS2
  • Released: August 25, 2005

The Legacy in Tales of Legendia offers a unique backdrop for its story, diverging from the traditional Tales of world structure with its focus on a single city, Werites Beacon. This massive ship, akin to a floating island, is a relic of an advanced ancient civilization. The Legacy is filled to the brim with ruins, dungeons, and mountains to explore. Oh, and, beware of dragons.

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The fast-travel Duct System is a convenient feature created by the original builders of The Legacy. Its central hub in Werites Beacon allows access to all activated Ducts, streamlining travel across the ship. However, Ducts found in the field only offer a one-way trip back to Werites Beacon. Pretty convenient when you have a sudden need to visit the bakery in Werites Beacon!

6 Dredge

The Archipelago

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Dredge

Adventure Released March 31, 2023 Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X Powered by Expand Collapse

In Dredge, you play a fisherman who finds himself in the eerie town of Greater Marrow, set in the center of an archipelago, after responding to a Help Wanted ad. Your arrival is shrouded in darkness and dense fog, leading to a crash on the rocks surrounding the island. Fortunately, the mayor just so happens to have a replacement boat, so you can immediately start fishing.

As you navigate the archipelago's waters, the relaxing fishing game soon reveals a more sinister side as you encounter increasingly dangerous Lovecraftian creatures. These encounters are interspersed with side quests given by the local residents, each offering glimpses into their lives as you piece together the mystery of the archipelago.

5 Gothic

Prisoner Mining Colony

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Gothic

RPG Released November 23, 2001 Platform(s) PC, Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

In Gothic, you are a prisoner sent to a mining colony entirely encompassed by a magical dome. This dome was initially intended to prevent escape, but the magic went awry. The dome grew to cover the entire valley, trapping the guards and magicians inside with the convicts. Seizing the opportunity, the prisoners rose up and took control of the valley.

Your overarching mission is to help the Sect Camp wake up the Sleeper, a god they believe holds the key to dispelling the barrier. Your journey throughout the valley involves tracking down clues, delivering messages, and interacting with various factions and characters. Despite the relatively small size of the world map, Gothic offers a rich and immersive experience, making every corner of the map worth investigating.

4 Neversong

Red Wind Village

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  • Platform: iOS, macOS, Linux, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
  • Released: October 31, 2019

In Neversong, you play as Peet, a boy who wakes up from a coma after witnessing his girlfriend, Wren, being kidnapped by the ominous Dr. Smile. Upon coming to, he discovers that all the adults of Red Wind Village disappeared after looking for Wren. Left to their own devices, the children now run the village, wary of the strange screams coming from the Neverwood forest just outside of town.

Peet's journey keeps him within the confines of his hometown and the surrounding forest, but the game developers utilized every nook and cranny to create six intricate, engaging levels to explore. Neversong balances its eerie atmosphere and dark themes with moments of charm and fun puzzle mechanics.

3 Yakuza 0

Kamurochō and Sotenbori Districts

Yakuza 0

Action Adventure Beat 'Em Up Released January 24, 2017 Platform(s) PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Powered by Expand Collapse

Inspired by yakuza films and pre-millennial Japanese crime dramas, Yakuza 0 is a prequel following former Yakuza members Kazuma Kiryu of the Tojo Clan and Goro Majima of the Shimano Family.

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The game is set in the fictional Kamurochō District in Tokyo and Sotenbori District in Osaka from late 1988 to early 1989. Despite the confines of the city, the world is filled with engaging, interactive elements. When you aren't tracking down targets, you can while away your time playing arcade games, racing Pocket Circuit cars, shopping, and dancing in a disco club.

2 Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!

Town of Lostime

Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy!

RPG Adventure Strategy Released March 20, 2019 Platform(s) PS4, Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

Chocobo is Cid's stalwart companion and treasure-hunting buddy in Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon, a spin-off Final Fantasy game. While exploring the Tower of the Sands, Chocobo and Cid are unexpectedly transported to Lostime, a mysterious town that vanished 50 years ago. They soon discover that the Bell of Oblivion erases the residents' memories. Chocobo takes on the task of retrieving the lost memories, investigating the bell's origins, and ultimately restoring time to Lostime.

Mystery Dungeon games are rogue-like RPGs that integrate procedurally generated dungeons with turn-based actions and grid movement mechanics.

The bulk of the game occurs within Lostime, where Chocobo conducts his investigations while enjoying simple tasks like fishing and shopping. There is very little exploration, as the game focuses on the randomly-generated dungeons that Chocobo must complete to return lost memories.

1 Disco Elysium

Martinaise District and Terminal B in Greater Revachol Industrial Harbor

Disco Elysium

RPG Released October 15, 2019 Platform(s) PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia Powered by Expand Collapse

In Disco Elysium, you step into the shoes of Harrier Du Bois, an amnesiac detective tasked with solving the Hanged Man case. This gripping investigation takes Harrier through the Martinaise District of Revachol City and Terminal B of the Greater Revachol Industrial Harbor.

Disco Elysium began life as a tabletop RPG. The game retained many tabletop mechanics, such as choices and dice rolls, in its video game form.

The vibrant and detailed environment of Martinaise is brought to life through its diverse inhabitants, each with their own stories, secrets, and perspectives. Your interactions with these characters significantly impact how they perceive you, influencing the level of assistance they offer during your investigations. Each decision carries weight, with consequences that can alter the difficulty in solving the case of the Hanging Man and retrieving Harrier's fragmented memories.

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