What are the best games where you explore an area and uncover mysteries?

H

Hemingwayoffbase

Member
It sounds like a specific request, but over the years I find that exploring and solving mysteries/puzzles are my favorite parts of games. Combat is also fun, but it's best when it makes the exploration more dangerous/rewarding.

The modern Fallout games are great at this, but I've played them all to death. The Souls games are also amazing at exploring areas, but again, I've played them all multiple times.

Any other good suggestions for games where you explore a dangerous space and find interesting items?

(Also, nothing rogue-like, please. Procedural generation is basically the exact opposite of the experience I'm looking for.)
 
On My Way Link GIF by GIPHY Gaming


The Depths are super fun to explore in my opinion. The whole game is just exploring really.
 
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Crosscode has some really good exploration

Another option is DUSK, technically an action oriented boomer shooter but the level design and enviroment are cream of the crop stuff, with plenty of secrets and hidden areas.

Since you like RPGs, Baldurs Gate 3 is reeeeally good at this.

Other stuff i haven't played but get praised for this kind of stuff -> The Forgotten City, Subnautica, Outer Wilds.
 
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Scorn?

I only played a few minutes and I didn't like the aesthetic of it.
But I think "exploration, puzzles, and mysteries" are basically the entirety of the game.
 
Portal
Call of the Sea
Ghost Trick
Zelda
Professor Layton
The Witness
Talos Principle
Disco Elysium
L.A. Noir
Bioshock
Zero Escape
Etc.

Just from the top of my head. Kind of a wide spread I guess, some are more puzzle heavy than others.
 
The Forgotten City is really good at solving the mystery and has a very interesting way of approaching it. The game is not focused around combat though
 
Outer Wilds is exactly what you're looking for. Make sure to get the expansion pack before you start. If you aren't blown away, you're defective. It has some of the most amazing vistas of any video game, with a brilliant mystery to be solved in every location.
 
Super Metroid or the Metroid Prime games are more contained than Fallout or Souls, but they definitely encourage exploration in dangerous places and useful items are often the reward.
 
Super Metroid
Metroid Dread
Zelda Breath of the Wild
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Elden Ring
Skyrim
Oblivion
Hollow Knight
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
 
Most people won't agree with this and I understand why. And I get this isn't necessarily what the OP is asking for, but one reason I loved the first Mass Effect game was exploring the Uncharted Worlds. At the time I hadn't played anything like that and was blown away at all these different planets with little events taking place. I didn't care at all about cut and paste environments or anything like that. I was totally sucked in.

Metroid Prime was another game that totally sucked me in with its exploration and how the game evolved based on that.
 
A few smaller odd ones you might have missed:
Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom
Wonder Boy The Dragon's Trap
Zelda Link's Awakening
Legend of Grimrock
The Witness
Fantasian
Scorn
Fez
 
Husky said:
Outer Wilds is exactly what you're looking for. Make sure to get the expansion pack before you start. If you aren't blown away, you're defective. It has some of the most amazing vistas of any video game, with a brilliant mystery to be solved in every location.
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I think this would be perfect for OP.
 
Boralf said:
As easy as reading the op?
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I was quick, and missed this "The modern Fallout games are great at this, but I've played them all to death. The Souls games are also amazing at exploring areas, but again, I've played them all multiple times."

But please, don't act like the clever guy, please ;)
 
I was going to post Fallout 3 but you probably done it, there is Skyrim also, but I assume you done it too.
For me, both are really the top of open world pure exploration.
 
Hemingwayoffbase said:
It sounds like a specific request, but over the years I find that exploring and solving mysteries/puzzles are my favorite parts of games. Combat is also fun, but it's best when it makes the exploration more dangerous/rewarding.

The modern Fallout games are great at this, but I've played them all to death. The Souls games are also amazing at exploring areas, but again, I've played them all multiple times.

Any other good suggestions for games where you explore a dangerous space and find interesting items?

(Also, nothing rogue-like, please. Procedural generation is basically the exact opposite of the experience I'm looking for.)
Click to expand...

I have a recommendation for you but in the future, as the early access is already a 10/10 experience but it's not done.

Death Trash

It's a post apocalyptic bio nightmare that is a wink to the classic fallout, but with action. RPG and stat building as important as Fallout and items are key to survival. They're found everywhere you will look into, from dead enemies, or if you pickpocket them, from lockers, from plants, crystals, machinery, robots, etc. You can literally puke on the ground and pick it up. Ammo is hard to come by depending on difficulty. Crafting is important for that.



Of course raw exploration, I cannot recommend enough Outer Wilds (not outer worlds!)

Or you know, Dragon's Dogma 2 in a month
 
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Classic Tomb Raider as mentioned above

Blade of Darkness

Soul Reaver

Darksiders 2

Zelda BotW/TotK but honestly this felt like Zelda: Fallout to me

Eternal Darkness

Control

Signalis

Classic Horror games like RE1 or Fatal Frame series are primarily games that revolve around puzzles to progress.
 
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