With so many great open-world fantasy games released this year, it’s really hard to pick a winner. From the graphics to the storyline we looked at everything and compiled a list of the top 5 games that we think are the best open world fantasy games released or to be released this year.
1) MIDDLE EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR
The sequel to the highly popular game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is another fantastic game by Monolith Productions. Just like its predecessor Middle-earth: Shadow of War is also an action role-playing game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective. Shadow of War carries on with the story of the ranger Talion and the spirit of the elf lord Celebrimbor, who shares Talion’s body, as they forge a new Ring of Power to amass an army to fight against Sauron. The game strengthens on the “Nemesis System” introduced in Shadow of Mordor, helping Talion to gain followers from several races of Middle-earth, including Uruks and Ologs, and plan out complicated strategies using these to complete missions. If you would like to know more about the game you can do so by clicking here.
2) FINAL FANTASY XIV: STORMBLOOD
This second expansion to the 2013 Final Fantasy XIV came out on June 20, 2017, and became an instant hit. Stormblood’s storyline focuses on liberating the city-states of Ala Mhigo and Doma from the Garlean Empire. Features include the increase of the level cap to 70, new dungeons and raids, new zones, swimming and diving gameplay, changes to the battle system, and two new jobs: Red Mage and Samurai. The release of Stormblood marks the end of PlayStation 3 support for Final Fantasy XIV.
3) DIVINITY: ORIGINAL SIN II
Set in a time of wars and religious persecution the sequel to Original Sin the game is in a class of its own. Not even a month since the release, the game is already being considered as one of the best role-playing games (RPGs) of all time. With characters to choose from and each character with their own unique storyline, the game is a must-have for all you RPG fans out there. For our in-depth review of the game click here.
4) Praey for the Gods
Praey for the Gods is an action-adventure survival game being developed by No Matter Studios. The game starts off with your character’s journey on a frozen island without any equipment whatsoever, wherein she must find items, to survive the dynamically generated weather, and climb onto massive bosses in order to defeat them. The game also features an exhaustion system. What that means is everything the player does will affect the level of exhaustion. For example, the player will walk slower in deep snow, and to spend too long or to run too fast will affect those levels. Said element will likewise slow down the player to the point where it is easier for the in-game giants can catch up. The game is expected to be released sometime in December. You can read our detailed review of the game here.
5) Styx: Shards of Darkness
The sequel to the 2014’s stealth video game Styx: Master of Shadows, Styx: Shards of Darkness set in the same fictional world of the Of Orcs and Men series. You play as Styx, the goblin who must infiltrate the city of Körangar and unearth the reason behind the alliance between dark elves and dwarfs. Styx like in the previous game can temporarily turn invisible and has some dark powers at his command. Styx in this game also seems to carry and/or possess significantly more equipment compared to the previous games. The game also has a multiplayer co-op mode, with the second player controlling one of Styx’s clones.
