8 Best Unique NPC Mechanics In Open World Games

Key Takeaways

• The Nemesis system for NPCs in
  Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War
  was so inventive that Monolith Productions patented it so that no one else could use it.
• Destroy All Humans! 2:
  Reprobed features Crypto body-snatching humans for humor and infiltration.
• Making choices in
  Vampyr
  can drastically alter the game where players can feed as a vampire or help NPCs as a doctor.

Normally, gamers don’t pay much attention to NPCs since they are mostly just there to make an open world more immersive. However, occasionally, developers surprise gamers by making non-playable characters into vital parts of the journey, whether it is for storytelling reasons or changes to the gameplay.

Sometimes NPCs can be used as tools to help the player progress through main and side quests alike, while others become gameplay gimmicks that make up the bulk of a game. It showcases the imagination that developers can have when they can make characters that are supposed to be in the background as iconic as the main character.

8 Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed

The Sequel Allows Crypto To Body Snatch Humans And More

Cryptosporidium-137 can run around and toy with humans in any way the player wants to play as a killer alien. However, one of his signature abilities in Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed is being able to possess the bodies of humans with a simple button press, which can be comedic for running around the different open-world maps but also helpful in infiltrating enemy lines.

Crypto’s new abilities and weapons along with an improved control scheme for the UFO allow Destroy All Humans! 2 to feature endless carnage and chaos throughout the 1960s. The game’s remake keeps the original game’s zany style as players can cause endless amounts of destruction, from America to Japan, with plenty of irreverent humor.

7 Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

Being A Viking Warlord Can Be As Combative As It Is Peaceful

A big part of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is building up a Viking army to raid, pillage, and conquer enemy territories. However, if the player chooses to, there is more than just slaying enemies as a warlord, with the option to make friends, who can help overthrow certain camps and even entire cities.

It’s not just with simple grunts and lieutenants either, as there are also important figures to befriend and convince to join Eivor’s side in the conflict. This helps turn Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla into more of an RPG, while still featuring options for stealth and infiltration rather than just Eivor slashing at their enemies.

6 Stardew Valley

Every Character In The Valley Has Their Own Lives

ConcernedApe took the formula established in games such as Harvest Moon and enhanced it in Stardew Valley. Instead of the NPCs in and around Pelican Town being completely centered around the main protagonist, they have their own lives that evolve as months and years go by, with some even developing relationships with each other that can lead to marriages.

On top of that, befriending NPCs in Stardew Valley is not just for romancing, as friendships between the player and the NPCs can develop and result in new cutscenes, gifts, and opportunities to help or hinder people, depending on player choices. It’s one of many reasons why Stardew Valley is considered far superior to the Harvest Moon franchise.

5 Batman: Arkham Knight

Players Can Experience Gotham City As It Constantly Evolves

Rocksteady put so many neat details in Batman: Arkham Knight, from DC universe references to how Batman looks in his many suits. However, the NPCs in Gotham City are treated with so much care, such as the many ways Joker’s phantom breaks the fourth wall and how villains react to each other once locked up, with hundreds of evolving dialogue options.

Interactions with all the villains change if Batman’s identity is exposed before their arrest or after in Arkham Knight. That’s not even getting to the many thugs and mercenaries who have hundreds of enjoyable banter to listen to, making them feel more humanized. As a bonus, the player is allowed to go after any villain at any time, granting the freedom to craft the Batman adventure of their dreams.

4 Vampyr

All Humans In London Are Expendable At The Sacrifice Of Story

Normally, killing off important NPCs would result in the player losing the game early on, but Vampyr is different. From start to finish, Vampyr is about making choices that can drastically alter the game, which includes whether someone wishes to feed on people as a vampire. The more Jonathan Reid feeds, the more powerful he becomes, allowing players to drain the blood of everybody he meets.

On the more heroic side of things, the City of London is filled with NPCs that have investigations to solve. If someone wants to remain the hero, resolving cases in Vampyr also rewards experience, but at a much slower rate. As a bonus, Vampyr also features ill NPCs that allow the player to do Jonathan’s job as a doctor to help them, granting them additional influence in certain quests.

3 Bowser’s Fury

Everything Good And Bad Revolves Around A Godzilla-Sized Bowser

Bowser’s Fury not only was the first true open-world Mario experience, but it featured a constantly looming threat in the form of Fury Bowser, which is arguably the scariest version of him yet. Instead of at the very end, Bowser’s Fury is a rare example of a giant boss fight that recurs throughout the entire game.

Every five to ten minutes, Bowser in his inky corrupted kaiju state will emerge and transform the entire map to be a dark and stormy variation with more hazards, including the cats becoming hostile. Some of the collectible Cat Shines can only be collected with Fury Bowser present, forcing players to time certain objectives correctly and to move carefully when moving through Bowser’s Fury.

2 Watch Dogs: Legion

Anyone Can Fight For The Future Of London

Rather than a preset roster of characters, Watch Dogs: Legion features a dystopian cyberpunk future version of London where every single person on the streets can be recruited and become a new member of DeadSec. From construction workers to elderly people, anyone can be a freedom-fighting hacker taking on the tyranny of Albion, Zero Day, and crime syndicates.

On top of the thousands of possible NPC recruits in Watch Dogs: Legion, they can be customized once they join the roster at DeadSec. Their civilian jobs also play a part in their abilities and perks, such as spies having access to better weapons and gadgets, while Albion officers can sneak into locations without raising alarms. It makes the player pick and choose who they want to join the crew.

1 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War

No Playthrough Is Ever The Same Thanks To The Nemesis System

Monolith Productions not only made a strong story with Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War, but created and patented the Nemesis system which started in their first Middle-Earth game but Shadow Of War took it to another level by making the random generation of Uruk-Hai, Ologs, and Gongs even more diverse than before.

While the main story is always familiar, the army building and conquering is always different with each playthrough, with every Orc having a distinct personality and can have a personal story with the main character. This Nemesis system has become so iconic in Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War that Monolith Productions is bringing it back in their upcoming Wonder Woman game for DC.