Summary
- Open world games constantly redefine exploration and storytelling.
- Titles like “Biomutant” and “Tales of Maj’Eyal” showcase nature vs. steampunk clashes.
- Games like “Greedfall” and “Outer Worlds” excellently depict steampunk’s clash with nature.
Open world games are constantly pushing the boundaries of what this genre of game can do. What it means to explore, to exist in another world, is constantly being redefined. Alongside this, the kinds of worlds being created by developers and writers leave nearly endless room for storytelling. Conflict, while not prevalent in every single story, certainly appears in a lot of them. Clashes of wills, ideas, beliefs, or less abstract things such as people with guns who dislike each other, often end up serving as the basis for many open world titles.
An idea that has captured human imagination for millennia is the idea of oneness with nature. The idea of wandering through idyllic landscapes, being at peace with the animals that roam there, and overall finding a sense of purpose away from society has been utilized in a huge range of games, from Red Dead Redemption 2 to text-based games and everything in between. An idea that is almost the antithesis of this is the Steampunk aesthetic, which takes concepts of industrialization, alternate technology, retro-futurism, and a very hardline look at the material instead of the immaterial, before dialing all these things up to eleven. Players wanting to see a bit more of how these two forces of nature and Steampunk clash should check out these open-world titles.
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7
Biomutant
Explore An Overgrown World With Remnants Of Industrial Technology
Starting off this list is a game that combines steam-punk elements (albeit in a color scheme that doesn’t usually suit the aesthetic) alongside a vibrant natural world, a kung-fu fable story, genetic manipulation, and adorable, wide-eyed critters — some of whom want to burn the world to a crisp.
Biomutant wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but players looking for a light time-sink that goes on frequent sales with a truly unique premise and means of storytelling could do worse than this title. The clash between steampunk elements and nature here is grounded in the post-apocalypse, where “Steampunk” is mostly rickety, hand-cranked items scavenged together in the ruins of an overgrown earth.
6
Tales Of Maj’Eyal
A World Where Nature, Magic, And Technology Clash
The story of Tales of Maj’Eyal is one where “magic” in its arcane sense clashes with a mastery over the natural world. In essence, it’s a battle between wizards and druids. The Ashes of Urh’Rok DLC adds a technological element to this battle, as steampunk Orcs utilizing artifacts, contraptions, and guns also throw their hat into the ring.
Ashes takes place in the next age after the base game of ToME, and is another example of how expansive and dense this open-world roguelike is, especially considering it comes from a single developer. Players looking to explore a clash between artificial and naturalistic forces, with or without a Steampunk spin, should give Tales of Maj’Eyal a try, alongside its three DLC packs.
5
Greedfall
An Excellent Open World Title With A Unique Setting
While technically emulating the highly imperialistic Age of Discovery, which preceded the Industrial Revolution that usually inspires the Steampunk aesthetic, Greedfall is still a fantastic example of Steampunk aesthetics and ideals clashing with the natural world. It’s the foundation of the entire narrative, in fact.
De Sardet’s journey will pull players between the forces seeking to exploit this newly found, lush land, or protect it from colonizing forces. Along the way, technology such as steam automatons and early firearms bring that Steampunk style to life — either as forces helping De Sardet, or hindering the protagonist from keeping the lush island of Teer Fradee safe.
4
The Outer Worlds
Retro-Futuristic Capitalism At Its Finest
Showing gamers that Steampunk aesthetics don’t just have to appear on Earth, The Outer Worlds is an excellent example of the Steampunk vs Nature clash, set within a limited span of tighter open-world environments. The capitalist forces of The Board are clearly inspired by Steampunk, with the retro-futuristic style of technology dominating the otherwise untouched environments of the game’s worlds.
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3
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Victorian London Was The Inspiration Of Steampunk
Harkening back to the roots of the Steampunk style, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate shows players the clash between natural and artificial forces at its most basic level. While this clash isn’t the main conflict of the story (which is, of course, the battle between Assassins and Templars), there is still much to explore beyond this conflict.
On an environmental level, this clash of industry against nature is everywhere in Syndicate. It colors the setting as London’s greenery slowly fades away and makes room for the smog-choked rooftops of the Victorian age.
2
Arcanum: Of Steamworks And Magic Obscura
A Classic Steampunk CRPG
There are many exceptional modern CRPGs on the shelves that bring light to this foundational genre of gaming, but there are some older CRPGs that have rightfully earned the title of classic as well.
Arcanum is a game with very few equals in terms of both style and quality. It’s a truly huge game, not necessarily in terms of its open-world traversal, but simply with the amount of dialogue and branches to its narrative that the game offers. At the core of this game is the clash between natural, magical forces and the new wave of Steampunk technology that’s come to define the world.
1
Avowed
A Tighter Experience Means More Rewarding Exploration
A more recent endeavor from Obsidan that’s been met with high praise, Avowed does an excellent job bringing the world that so many players fell in love with during Pillars of Eternity into an entirely new paradigm.
The heavy focus on colonization, gunpowder technology, and rampant industry in the lush and beautiful Living Lands is a perfect example of a limited-open-world game that highlights natural and Steampunk forces in equal measure.
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