Fast travel is one of the best mechanics that has been implemented in games over the past couple of decades. Thanks to the feature, players can save time by not having to backtrack all the time. For some players who don’t have a lot of time to spend on games, fast travel is a great feature.
8 Good Open-World Games With Tedious Exploration
Though these open-world games are good, the lack of traversal options makes them somewhat hard to navigate.
However, there are some open-world games where it is better not to use fast travel, as it can help with discovery or because it is just fun to play with the game’s traversal mechanics. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a great open-world RPG, but fast travel is a must, and some other omissions include The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Red Dead Redemption 2, which are not RPGs but still important all the same. That said, let’s get to the games that did make the cut.
Elden Ring
Face Your Fears Head On
There’s not much in terms of fetch quests in Elden Ring, so the idea of having to fast-travel back and forth between places is almost funny. There are NPCs that can point players in the right direction for interesting loot or encounters, but it’s not the same thing as normal RPG quests.
The world is big but also dense, meaning there is practically something to find around every corner, and fast traveling would prevent players from exploring every nook and cranny. Plus, if players plan to play with two others online, then fast traveling is even more pointless. Overall, what makes exploration fun in Elden Ring is the horse, Torrent, who can double jump, and that makes traversal a bouncing good time.
Final Fantasy 15
Driving With The Boys
Final Fantasy 15 did a rare thing that most RPGs tend not to do: it gave players a car. Granted, it breaks down right away, but players can repair it after a quick initial quest. This snazzy car cannot go off-roading too much, but there are Chocobos to ride that will get through rougher terrain.
Between rare encounters, magic deposits, and looking for quest items, players will find it easier to hop off Chocobos rather than fast-travel around. Also, fast travel loads can be rough, meaning that it’s almost better to go anywhere, even on foot.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
A Denser Fantasy
While it may be odd to nominate another Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a different open-world structure that is worth discussing. Instead of giving players one giant seamless open world to explore like in Final Fantasy 15, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has dense biomes that are packed with content. In every biome, players can get a Chocobo that will act a bit differently from others in the game.
