The Best Open-World Game of 2017

It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best open-worlds from 2017. Voted on by our editors, these games, in particular, stood out as among the best sandbox experiences in 2017. Let’s start our top vote-getting honorable mentions, runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner!

Honorable Mention: Super Mario Odyssey

Best Open World-Game 2017

It has to be a hell of a year for open-worlds when the effort put forth by Super Mario Odyssey is just an honorable mention. Just to be clear, it was close between all four of the games on this list and Super Mario Odyssey was a worthy contender.

Its bright and colorful worlds hearken back to the days of Super Mario 64. Each kingdom is a completely new experience. Aesthetically, they are all bright and beautiful in their own way. But not only that, each kingdom embraces Cappy in a unique way as well. The ability to explore either as Mario, one of his many transformations made possible by Cappy opens up so many gameplay possibilities. And, of course, that leads to a TON of Power Moons to collect.

Once you beat the story, and have all of the kingdoms open to you, Super Mario Odyssey’s world truly opens up. If you’re dead set on uncovering the 900+ Power Moons that are out there, you’ll need to comb every inch of every kingdom. We should all be fortunate then that Super Mario Odyssey’s is such a joy to spend time in.

Second Runner-Up: Assassin’s Creed Origins

Best Open-World Game 2017

It took nine titles over the period of a decade before Ubisoft finally hit the reset button on the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and we’re so glad that they did. Origins completely shakes up the conventions that had stagnated the series somewhat over the past few years. An all-new emphasis on RPG mechanics, overhauled combat, and an origins story that transports players to a superbly detailed rendition of Ancient Egypt has been a tremendous boon. The Assassin’s Creed franchise is back, and it’s once again standing proudly among the best open-world games of this year.

Assassin’s Creed games have always featured stunningly beautiful worlds, but things have really gone up a notch in Origins. The blemishes that so often spoiled the illusion of realism in previous games have been polished away. Origins’ environment lives and breathes thanks to well-animated NPCs and convincing dialogue. The stories within its world are a cut above previous entries in the series, with writing that does well to explain the struggles of life in Ptolemaic Egypt. The main protagonists, Bayek and Aya form an interesting duo, and the alternate history tale of the Creed’s formation contains enough twists and surprises to make it interesting until the end.

We love that Origins incorporates popular gameplay components of both Ubisoft and other popular open-world games. It ends up mashing together these elements, but with a big enough dose of classic Assassin’s Creed tropes to make it feel part of the iconic series. Origins is an exciting new direction for Assassin’s Creed, and we’re excited to see where it goes next.

First Runner-Up: Horizon Zero Dawn

Best Open-World Game 2017

Horizon Zero Dawn is the total package: a complete and polished open-world gameplay experience with an enticing premise, moving narrative, and explosive gameplay. Few all-new IPs have captured the gaming industry and garnered such a massive fanbase so suddenly, but Horizon Zero Dawn’s fascinating twist on the post-apocalyptic setting, juxtaposing awe-inspiring robotic creatures against the natural beauty of what is arguably the best looking sandbox ever made, was an instant hit.

The narrative pacing and the scope of its open-world are superbly balanced. Players find themselves thrust into the middle of a page-turning science fiction story, but there’s enough depth to its world to become totally lost in exploration or experiment in its emergent gameplay. Horizon Zero Dawn is a part blockbuster, part giant playground that thrills and entertains in equal measure.

Developer Guerrilla Games has managed to produce what will certainly become one of Sony’s most important franchises moving forward. We absolutely expect to see Aloy continue her adventure through more gorgeously rendered open-worlds in the future. It’s just a shame for Guerrilla Games that this year, its latest IP debuted alongside competition of such a high quality that its accolades are less than what they otherwise might have been. Any other year and Horizon Zero Dawn might well have made a clean sweep…

Winner: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Best Open-World Game 2017

Of all the vast open-worlds brought to life by the various games nominated for this award, Breath of the Wild’s is perhaps the least visually detailed, the least populated, and tells the most shallow of stories. And yet, the first proper open-world rendition of Hyrule is among the most compelling and captivating environments we’ve ever played. Its go-anywhere-do-anything design, aided by revelatory traversal mechanics and the sum of hundreds of tiny but incredible details culminates to produce a truly astonishing game. Breath of the Wild hasn’t just shaken up the Zelda franchise, it’s ushered fresh innovation and ideas into an entire genre… in its debut outing. It may well be remembered as a seminal open-world game in years to come.

With Breath of the Wild, series producer Eiji Aonuma once likened Zelda’s transition to going from “Japanese food to Western-style food”. But while there’s no doubt one can see the influences of popular Ubisoft and Bethesda titles in the roots of Breath of the Wild’s design, this is far from a carbon copy. In fact, by stripping away typical features and tropes of the by now well-established open-world template, Breath of the Wild feels so much more rewarding. The lack of waypoints or handholding make each discovery – shrine, faery, side quest, Korok seed, you name it – feel like a special achievement. It’s a game in which investigating a small glimmer in the distance leads to magical chance encounters that constantly thrill and surprise.

Binding this wonderful experience together, a charming aesthetic, melodic score, and endearing characters make for a special and heartwarming adventure. Breath of the Wild has completely reset the benchmark for the genre, and it’s hard to imagine many games will dethrone this open-world title for some time to come.