3D games with evocative graphics and a sense of travel

[Kliwer]

Ok, I have a request to recommend me something to play, but I find it hard to say what I mean.

I'm looking for a cRPG (or semi-cRPG, or even an action-adventure game) with 3D graphics (not an isometric view) where I can travel around nice outdoor locations. By saying "nice" I do not mean that the graphics should be advanced - on the contrary, I mean older titles. I use a fairly old laptop, and the "old" (or stylized to look old) games have a special charm for me. My point is that art style should be atmospheric, stimulating the imagination and the desire to travel. Games I know that meet these criteria are, for example: Might and Magic 3-5 and 10, Gothic 1-3, Two Worlds 1, The Quest, Fate: Gates of Dawn (the game has its good sides, but in a long run is unplayable), Wizards and Warriors (to a lesser extent), the TES series (in theory, because I don't like any of those titles, except maybe Morrowind), Dark Souls, Grimoir, also some parts of Ravenloft/Menzoberranzan games. So anything from open-world blobbers to hiking simulators.

This (https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/the-darkness-below-a-retro-crpg-in-the-making.118437/) has a chance to be a great game of this type in the future.

The game doesn't have to be brilliant, it's just a jump from my "serious" list of titles. If only it wasn't completely shit. I am asking for not very obvious titles, I’m open to any obscure game. They may not even be a role-playing games, as long as they are set in a fantasy world and allow for (more or less) free traversal of landscapes.

For now, I am considering such titles as: Fable- The Lost Chapter (is it better to test the original or Anniversary edition?), Jade Empire, Kingdoms of Amalur. I'm also interested in Dragon's Dogma, but that's too much for my machine.

BTW: Are there any action or platform games with open world? Something like Rayman 2 or Severance: Blade of Darkness, but with a more open structure and some non-arcade elements? I only think of Dark Souls.

 

[CryptRat]

In Ishar 1 the world is open and you spend most of the time outdoor.

In Gates of Skeldal you're outdoor half of the time between the forests from which dungeons are accessible and outdoor dungeons. Probably not as a good answer to your request as Ishar but a better game.

 

[Kainan]

Well, there is Summoner with primitive 3d gfx but nice and kind of open world (overworld map). There is a simillar one cant remember the name, Soul something, with similar gfx style and travel.

 

[Kliwer]

Ishar games are not very good indeed, mostly due to atrocious combat and lack of good puzzles. Gates of Skeldal is unknown to me, I will check.

Summoner is great, I like it very much.

 

[CryptRat]

Gates of Skeldal is good, it's not exactly a classic turn-based games, it's closer to what something like Lands of Lore would be if it was turn-based, which kind of works, if anything as you would expect the combat is better than in those real-time games. Overall it is quite open, some strong monsters, puzzles and checkpoints will prevents you from exploring completely freely but that's not a bad point. Now regarding your starting request I'm less sure because it's more outdoor "corridors" rather than some big free overworld like you would find in most Might&Magic games or in Ishar for the matter.

 

[Kliwer]

Is somewhere a complete instruction how to install this game witch all patches and in english version? The thread on RPGWatch is a bit messy.

 

[CryptRat]

As stated, the launcher is in czech yet it's a full translation, it's not half-baked anymore (it used to be).

And the download link (opens up a directory with files), containing the full game (windows version) in Czech, my English translation and a readme.txt file:
https://mega.nz/#F!AENX1CZa!2zDeRq1CjDQ-XEwiY6nU-A

The only thing that is NOT translated is the game launcher, some programmer would have to rewrite it in English and compile it. The English.zip includes an installation guide and screenshots with translation to help you navigate through it (its easy, only 2 screens).

--------------
-Installation-
--------------
1) Download the game setup (~190 MB), either from my Mega repository:

https://mega.nz/#F!AENX1CZa!2zDeRq1CjDQ-XEwiY6nU-A

or from one of the Czech sites hosting it:

https://plnehry.idnes.cz/brany-skel...-zdarma-fpe-/Download.aspx?id=D071221_2306418
http://www.stahuj.centrum.cz/hry_a_zabava/adventury_a_rpg_hry/brany-skeldalu/

2) Run the setup and install the game.
3) Download the translated English adventure (English.zip) from my Mega repository:

https://mega.nz/#F!AENX1CZa!2zDeRq1CjDQ-XEwiY6nU-A

4) Extract the contents of the .zip file into the directory where you installed Gates of Skeldal.
5) Delete files POPISY.ENC and ENDTEXT.ENC from the game folder (these would prevent the translation from functioning properly).
6) Run Gates of Skeldal launcher, either with the icon on your desktop or using Skeldal.exe.
7) I recommend doing a first time setup before running the game. See the HTML version of this readme or screenshots in the game folder for help.
8) Select "Spustit", then select the English adventure.

 

[commie]

Try Drakan Order of the Flame. While not open world per se, it's kind of a action adventure with the ability to take out mooks from the air riding a dragon, in order to make the combat on the ground a bit easier. It's from 1999 so between the early TR and Severance in graphics which were actually really good then. It still remains one of my all time favourites.

Another game that is almost an RPG and a true open world action adventure and my all time favourite is Outcast. It has a remake now, which is pretty close but janky(as low budget), but not sure if your machine can handle it. If not then get the Outcast original or 1.1 version. That organic looking voxel world is still phenomenal as is the story progression and reactivity based on which regions you tackle first in your guerrilla war against the enemy where doing something in one, will weaken the enemy mobs in another.

 

[Kliwer]

I heard about Outcast a long time ago, but have never played it (I didn't have a proper computer in those days); time to try. Tomb Rider with a dragon looks cool too.

 

[JarlFrank]

I'm currently playing Subnautica and it would probably fit your bill but it's also too resource intensive for your machine I guess. Oh well.

For older shit, try the King's Field games that were ported to (or made for) the PC. Controls are utter shit, but it's atmospheric as fuck and focused on exploration:


Obviously you should play Thief and some of its fan missions. Not an RPG but peak exploration.

Anvil of Dawn is pretty decent for what it is.

 

[Kliwer]

Anvil of Dawn is very, very good, one of my favourites. During my first gameplay I had an impression that this game is, in many ways, similar to M&M (monsters design, general atmosphere, some puzzles, backstory from the manual...). I looked at credits and... voilà! Its executive producer was Jon Van Caneghem.

 

[Kliwer]

Try Drakan Order of the Flame. (...) Another game that is almost an RPG and a true open world action adventure and my all time favourite is Outcast.

I'm trying Drakan Order of the Flame. It is essentially Rune but with boobs. Good enough for me (Rune is one of my favourite non-RPG games). Thank you for this recommendation. In a future I will test Outcast also.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Legend of Grimrock II, a real-time blobber that (in part) leaves the dungeon for outdoor spaces:

 

[AdolfSatan]

Betrayal at Krondor

Spoiler

Legie (not an rpg but worth mentioning)

Spoiler

Star Trail

Spoiler

Lands of Lore 2

Spoiler

And two games still in dev stage you might wanna keep an eye for:

Call of Saregnar

Spoiler

Realm of the Tempest

Spoiler

Also, paging ERYFKRAD

 

[Cat Dude]

Two Worlds 1 and 2

 

[V_K]

Gates of Skeldal has a sequel of sorts 7 Mages that doesn't look half bad either:

 

[ShaggyMoose]

The Risen series has the same exploration vibe as Gothic.

I remember Ultima IX being fun to explore, if nothing else. But goddam was it ever a shitshow of a game...