Summary
Open-world gaming is one of the most popular genres that developers target time and time again. The mass appeal of this genre makes it a goldmine for publishers to target as they attempt to craft unique and impressive open worlds that are a joy to explore. Given how saturated this genre has become, it can be pretty challenging to capture the magic in a bottle when almost every open-world game feels the same, barring some minor changes.
As a result,the games in this genre try their hardest to seem as unique as possible. Everything from the gameplay mechanics to the visuals is fair game in this regard, and a rather interesting way developers make their open-world games interesting is by using an art style seen in various manga and anime.
Updated July 08, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Open-world games that utilize the anime aesthetic are few and far between despite the overwhelming popularity of anime as a whole and the huge overlap between the two hobbies. Other than a few notable MMOs and gacha games, most open-world titles tend to favor the Unreal Engine 5 3D-rendered look. Still, for fans willing to dig deep and find some gems in the rough, there are some stellar AA and indie options out there. Two new games have been added to the article to give players some additional options to explore.
The idea of playing an open-worldOne Piecegame was quite alluring for fans of the series. After all, who didn’t want to control the Straw Hat Pirates in one of their many exciting adventures? However, despite how fun it was to zoom through the open world of this game as Luffy, the game feels like a missed opportunity in many ways.
The game itself feels rather soulless and doesn’t do anything new to elevate the source material on the genre in any way. That being said, hardcoreOne Piecefans will enjoy controlling Luffy and other DLC characters, but that’s a pretty low bar to set for a game that should’ve been way more engaging than it ultimately was.
TheFinal Fantasy 13is either an interesting experiment or one of the worst things ever made by Square Enix, depending on which viewpoint players look at. Regardless, there’s no denying that the games have something interesting going for them in some form or the other, with the third title playing around with a rather interesting concept.
InLightning Returns, players work around a time limit that forces them to get on with it instead of trying to accomplish anything and everything in sight, which is a pretty novel concept for an open-world game. While some aspects of this game may fall flat, the final game in theFinal Fantasy 13trilogy is worth checking out for fans of unique anime open-world games.
Wuthering Waves, or WuWa, takesunapologetic inspiration from Mihoyo’sGenshin Impactbut introduces enough variance in the formula to prevent an accusation of being an outright clone. Its characters have the same anime-esque lookGenshinpopularized, but the overall design is a bit more grounded and somber, which is something that holds true for the rest of the game as well. Instead of the vibrant fantasy of Teyvat,Wuthering Waves’world is a mishmash of grasslands and industry. It shoots for basically the same demographic asTower of Fantasybut just with more success.
Another key difference is thatWuthering Waveshas a more lenient gacha system thanGenshin, with less emphasis on pulling for powerful weapons and the completely unique mechanic called Echoes. Every enemy players defeat in the game (including boss monsters) has a chance of dropping an Echo, which doubles as an artifact, as well as an equippable skill with unique effects. InWuthering Waves, grinding for artifacts is not just repeating the same dungeon over and over again likeGenshinbut involves hunting down specific monsters in the overworld. This incentivizes exploration, addressing one of the core issuesGenshinplayers have long complained about.
It’s a shame thatmore people don’t talk aboutGravity Rush 2, an ambitious title where players control a character who can manipulate gravity itself to traverse the world and engage in combat. It’s a dramatic improvement over the first game in every way and is easily one of the most underrated PlayStation exclusives of all time.
Unfortunately, it seems that this game will never receive a sequel. After all, the developer behind this game has shut down its doors, which is pretty disappointing for fans of this highly talented studio who played a huge role in the development of imaginative titles likeShadow of the ColossusandKnack.
12Hero must die. Again
Stuck In A Time Loop
Hero must die. Againis an open-world anime game that tries, and mostly succeeds, in doing something entirely different. Players start the game with a character who is at the peak of power. And instead of getting stronger as the game’s story progresses, this protagonist gets weaker and weaker until eventually dies permanently after five days of in-game time have passed.Hero must die. Againis then meant to be replayed from the start, with the same storyline but with slight differences. The end goal is to unlock the true ending, which takes about five replays of the story. Even with multiple replays, this is not a very long game and one that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Combat uses the standard JRPG turn-based formula and follows it to a tee. There is a rock-paper-scissors elemental system that works well for what it’s intended to do but doesn’t have much depth.
A mainline entry in theDigimon Worldseries,Digimon World: Next Orderbrings the franchise to an open-world setting, keeping its pet-rearing roots alive in a way the other Digimon titles in recent years have forgone for more traditional JRPG mechanics.
Players take control of two Digimon at a time, exploring a vast open world filled with activities to do and other Digimon to fight. The player takes care of these companions in every way imaginable, ranging from getting them food to taking them to a bathroom when nature calls. After a time, these Digimon will meet the requirements to Digivolve, turning into larger variants. How players care for their companions and what they do with them are the deciding factors for which Digivolution they get. Each Digimon can evolve into multiple variants with different stats, moves, and abilities. Digimon inNext Orderaren’t just pixels on a screen or Pokemon that can live inside a box forever. They live, breathe, and eventually die of old age. These Digimon are then reborn as eggs, with higher base stats than their first life, and are stronger as a result.
Most people may find it odd thatOctopath Traveleris considered an open-world game, but this justification makes sense once players realize how the world of this title is structured. Barring the protagonist that players choose for their adventure, every other character’s plotline can be accessed in a non-linear fashion, with levels being the only thing that gates a player’s progress.
This makes for an interesting way to explore the stories of eight protagonists who have motivations of their own. WhileOctopath Traveler’s lack of interaction between the main party can be rather irritating to deal with at times, the excellent dungeon exploration, fun combat, and excellent soundtrack more than makeup for its faults.
It’s hard to believe that one of the best modern JRPGs ever made initially started as an April Fool’s joke. However, this revitalization of theYakuzafranchise was well-received by many, and it helped that Ichiban quickly became a fan-favorite character in the eyes of many.
Exploring Isezaki Ijincho, Kamurocho, and Sotenbori makes for a great time, with the zany combat system adding to the game’s hilarity. It’s a step in the right direction forLike a Dragon, a series that shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Both new and old fans ofYakuzawill be elated to know the sheer amount of fun games that lie in wait for them, withLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthbeing the latest entry to grace them that continues the wacky adventures of Ichiban and Kiryu.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis a game that many people hyped to the moon and back, given that it allowed players to play through the story ofDBZin its entirety. It was an alluring prospect, and many fans loved the strong impression this game gave from the get-go with its engaging battles and fun exploration.
However, after a point,Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotstops wowing players all that much. The RPG mechanics are so hamfisted that the game could’ve been better off without it, and the battles end up losing their luster as players go through this experience and realize that the mechanics aren’t as deep as most people expected them to be.
TheYakuzaseries may have been an underrated gem on the PS2, but the fact that later games in the series weren’t localized meant that the audience of the series was slowly deteriorating. The franchise was on its last legs when Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio took the bold initiative of developing a prequel that would see a worldwide release. The result wasYakuza 0, a game that was a smash hit and single-handedly saved theYakuzaseries.
The story of Kiryu and Majima as they transformed from inexperienced yakuza lackeys into underworld legends is a treat to witness in every way. Both Kamurocho and Sotenbori may be small areas,but they are jam-packedwith everything from riveting substories to unique interactions.
