6 Open-World Games Carried By Their Characters

Summary

Some open-world games may prioritize gameplay over characters, but a strong character cast can elevate the entire experience.
Titles like Days Gone, Mafia 3, and Final Fantasy 15 showcase how memorable characters can make up for lackluster gameplay.
Watch Dogs: Legion takes a unique approach by allowing players to recruit and embody any NPC, resulting in personalized and emotional gameplay moments.

When approaching a game, every player has their preferences, yet few would argue that many video games live or die by their characters. At times, memorable or well-fleshed-out characters can even be a saving grace for an otherwise unremarkable video game.

In the realm of open-world games, it’s not uncommon for gameplay to come first, with titles sidelining characters or story beats to some degree, instead focusing on providing an enjoyable time through mechanics or activities alone. Some rare open-world games, on the other hand, may not shine too brightly in terms of gameplay or story, yet can feature surprisingly great characters. Spending time with them can be a reward in itself, capable of carrying the entire experience.

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Often synonymous with post-apocalyptic settings, these dying open worlds create a palpable atmosphere of loneliness and constant danger.

Below, we’ll take a look at open-world games that primarily shine through their diverse and memorable characters, even if other aspects of the experience may not fully live up to the best in the genre.

1

Days Gone

Deacon St. John, Boozer, And Sarah Whitaker

By almost any metric, Days Gone is a pretty average zombie open-world game, relying on familiar tropes of the genre and sticking a bit too close to the so-called Ubisoft formula. While the game doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with its gameplay loop or map activities, many players would agree that the character cast is one of its strongest aspects, easily captivating players from start to finish with how relatable and believable they are.

Played by Sam Witwer, the protagonist Deacon St. John, despite constantly crossing paths with other survivors, is mostly consumed with his own goals, which sets him apart from the tired trope of the noble savior. His habit of talking to himself is also much more convincing than in many other games, where protagonists seem to directly address the players. Additionally, Deacon’s relationship with his sworn brother, William “Boozer” Gray, shines throughout the entire game as one of the better examples of human friendship when the world around them is collapsing. The supporting cast is also strong, featuring memorable characters and antagonists like Skizzo, Rikki Patel, and Colonel Matthew Garret.

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Finally, Days Gone is filled with lengthy flashbacks of Deacon’s past life, fleshing out his relationship with his beloved missing wife, Sarah Whitaker. Full of heartwarming and slightly awkward moments that make these interactions feel all the more human, Days Gone‘s down-to-earth story and complex characters alone could carry players through the lengthy campaign.

2

Mafia 3

Lincoln Clay, John Donovan, And Father James Ballard

Unlike the first two Mafia games, with their beautiful and authentic open worlds serving only as a backdrop for the stories of Tommy Angelo and Vito Scaletta, Mafia 3 went in the opposite direction, leaning fully into the classic open-world gameplay formula, full of repetitive missions and activities. Yet, like a true Mafia game, Mafia 3 still features a robust cast of memorable characters and a surprisingly strong narrative, even if it doesn’t merge well enough with the core gameplay.

Played by Alex Hernandez, who also starred as the protagonist of Mindseye, Mafia 3′s Lincoln Clay is a strong and fitting character for this impactful revenge story, while also allowing the game to explore topics fresh for the franchise, such as racial inequality, civil rights, and the consequences of the Vietnam War. Other characters are no less brilliant, including John Donovan, Sammy Robinson, Sal and Giorgi Marcano, and even returning characters like Vito Scaletta. Adding to the game’s spectacular presentation is the pseudo-documentary style of cutscenes, with characters like Father James Ballard and FBI agent Jonathan Maguire often serving as narrators for key story events.

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These open-world titles offer robust endgame content and plenty of side activities to keep players engaged long after the main story.

Overall, the array of characters, coupled with strong and stylish presentation, could well be enough for many to stick with Mafia 3 to the very end, especially given how great the key missions in the game are. Fortunately, the creators have seemingly learned their lesson here, with the upcoming Mafia: The Old Country already being teased as a return to the formula of the first two, more story-focused entries. Hopefully, the characters will also be another highlight of the game.

3

Final Fantasy 15

Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, And Prompto

There is something about Final Fantasy 15 that can instantly hook players, even those unfamiliar with the series. The prospect of a group of young friends venturing on a road trip is rather underutilized in gaming, and Final Fantasy 15 delivers it almost flawlessly. Despite a somewhat sketchy, empty open world that begs for more interesting and diverse activities, Final Fantasy 15‘s lead cast — Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto — could be enough to completely captivate some players.

On their journey, the friends constantly chatter during driving, combat, or exploration, while special traits and hobbies, like Ignis’ passion for cooking and Prompto’s love for taking photos, add tangible, believable character dynamics and that relatable brotherhood flair. Whether staying at camps in the wilderness, discussing how the day has treated them, or collecting memories from the trip, their interactions feel genuine. Initially, Final Fantasy 15 was criticized for being too uneven in its narrative, yet to the developers’ credit, much effort was poured into the game after release to improve certain aspects. This includes special DLC episodes for each of the lead characters, allowing fans to explore them more deeply through Episode Ignis, Episode Gladiolus, and Episode Prompto.

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In the end, even if Final Fantasy 15 can feel a bit messy in its direction, overshadowing the lighthearted vibes with at times overly dramatic events, almost as if it’s unsure what it wants to be, the game’s characters remain the heart and soul of the entire experience, exactly as one would expect from the franchise.

4

Mass Effect: Andromeda

The Ryder Family & Their Allies

Mass Effect: Andromeda tried something new for the series, attempting to marry BioWare’s signature cinematic RPG narrative with open-world planetary environments. While the final result may not be as strong as many had hoped, with repetitive design, too many fetch quests, and unremarkable NPCs, the game remains faithful to the Mass Effect spirit, delivering a brand-new team of memorable space travelers. Even if Ryder’s team can’t quite match the companions of the original trilogy, the new characters have their charm.

Right from the start, Andromeda differentiates itself from previous games by placing the entire Ryder family in the spotlight, including Alec Ryder and his kids, Sara and Scott, one of whom is destined to become the new Pathfinder. Traditionally, for the series, fans can expect many charismatic allies (and aliens) to join them on their journey. From humans Cora Harper and Liam Costa to turian Vetra Nyx, asari Peebee, krogan Nakmor Drack, and even the new angara Jaal Ama Darav — everyone has a special place aboard the Tempest, sharing unique dynamics with other NPCs, dedicated missions (some of the best the game has to offer), or even being a romance option for the protagonist, if players are interested.

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Despite weak financial results, fans of the genre are sure to have tons of fun with these open-world games.

Even if Mass Effect: Andromeda hasn’t delivered on everything it set out to do, playing more like an average open-world game than a signature BioWare RPG, its characters are strong enough to deserve a sequel that would explore their growth and evolving personalities, just like the original trilogy did.

5

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, And King Shark

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is one of the biggest disappointments of recent years. Abandoning their traditional strengths in crafting story-driven open-world action-adventures set in the DC Universe, Rocksteady and Warner Bros. opted for a live-service direction with Suicide Squad. This resulted in a rather underwhelming, repetitive gameplay loop, an abrupt campaign without a proper ending, and an underutilized setting of Metropolis. One of the few redeeming qualities of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is the Squad itself, filled with bright, memorable personalities and a vivid group dynamic.

True to the studio’s core, the main characters — Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark — are all well-designed and portrayed, easily making them one of the best renditions of the Suicide Squad to date. Despite the live-service format, Kill the Justice League is full of creative story cutscenes, rich character interactions, and constant banter during intense gameplay. Supporting characters like Amanda Waller, The Flash, and Wonder Woman also stand out, although some key figures, like Batman and Superman, ended up feeling underwhelming, despite being performed by Kevin Conroy and Nolan North, respectively.

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These ambitious triple-A games fell short of lofty expectations, leading to huge financial losses for the companies behind them.

Nevertheless, even with some ambiguous plot turns and twists involving iconic DC superheroes, the characters are definitely carrying the experience, serving as one of the main draws to at least finish the story campaign. With all that, it’s easy to assume that if Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had been a condensed, story-driven experience akin to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, it likely would have been received much better.

6

Watch Dogs: Legion

Recruit Unique Specialists & Play As Anyone

Watch Dogs: Legion is a rather special breed of open-world game, even despite the largely familiar Ubisoft formula. Legion stands out not only due to its rare futuristic setting in a modern city, but even more so because of its approach to characters. Unlike almost every other open-world game, Watch Dogs: Legion doesn’t feature a classic fixed protagonist and supporting cast, instead allowing players to play as anyone, searching for, recruiting, and customizing any NPC on London’s streets.

This unique system can be an advantage for players open to experimentation, but also a disadvantage for those who prefer well-established and fleshed-out characters, like Aiden Pearce or Marcus Holloway from the first two Watch Dogs games (although some key characters return in DLC). Even with plenty of voice-over lines for every custom NPC, as well as rich combinations of unique perks and traits, the playable characters in Watch Dogs: Legion lack the personality of traditional hand-crafted protagonists. On the bright side, players can embody such unusual characters as elderly people or even play as a magician.

Nevertheless, such an unmatched approach to characters in an open-world game, as well as the freedom to play as anyone, deserves a spotlight, especially given that players may create truly unique characters for their playthrough, which, coupled with permadeath scenarios, can result in deeply personal and emotional moments that simply can’t be replicated in any other open-world game.