Games where you can get lost

[WolfThomas]

I've always thought this game didn't get the attention it deserved. The story was really well constructed and dark without being too edgy about things. The WW1 themed Darkness world was so eerie.

You are very right about getting lost in the city though. I remember countless times getting turned around and going in circles just trying to get to the next objective. Thematically, wandering around this cold, lonely city completely lost makes a lot of sense. While you're spending upwards of 15 minutes just trying to figure out where to go it's hard to embrace that.

Really great game. And the sequel while entirely different in style and gameplay was fun too. I prefer the first, one thing I've never another game do before is it's use of actual real life television shows and movies. The part with To Kill a Mockingbird and the way you'd find goons watching old black and white movies (which years ago is often what you'd find at 3-4am in the morning on TV stations.

Really grounded the whole thing.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

None of you guys ever played Daggerfall

 

[Smithnikov_v1legacy]

Project Zomboid can be easy to get lost in. Though you can look up an online map and easily triangulate your own position, but I don't think the game offers you anything in the way of navigation thus far. Go to loot house for more peanut butter, alarm goes off, gotta bounce in a random direction of least incoming zombies and hide in some shed somewhere.... no longer know where the hell I am or where my safehouse is.

Hence why it's a good idea to make your safehouse A: In a distinctive location or B: Leave some landmarkers of your own. Before I got pretty familiar with the towns, I built small signs at points just in case.

 

[Saelune]

None of you guys ever played Daggerfall

Considering Daggerfall is probably bigger than Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim combined, yet twice as empty, its not a fun kind of lost. But it also has justified fast travel.

Still better than Oblivion though. (To add, Arena is the worst TES game, but thats because it doesnt play like a TES game, cause it wasn't until Daggerfall that TES started down the path to TESdom, beyond the surprising amount of in-game lore.)

 

[MHR]

In fallout 3 you can get lost in a bad way in DC. All those metro tunnels linked disjointedly into random cells. Quest markers can be confusing and take you in the wrong direction.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

None of you guys ever played Daggerfall

Considering Daggerfall is probably bigger than Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim combined, yet twice as empty, its not a fun kind of lost. But it also has justified fast travel.

Still better than Oblivion though. (To add, Arena is the worst TES game, but thats because it doesnt play like a TES game, cause it wasn't until Daggerfall that TES started down the path to TESdom, beyond the surprising amount of in-game lore.)

Its not so much the sheer size of the land and more:

"WHERE AM I?! WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?!, WHY ARE THE KEYBINDINGS ALL OVER THE PLACE?!, WHY DOES EVERYTHING LOOK THE SAME AND INTERCHANGEABLE?! WHAT SKILLS ARE VALUABLE AND WHAT SKILLS ARE WORTHLESS?!"

 

[Glongpre]

As others said, Daggerfall, but specifically the dungeons. Those are labyrinths. I remember trying a couple years ago and maybe the 3rd or 4th dungeon I went to, and I got lost in it for a good 1 hour trying to find this one orc. I constantly went past the same areas dozens of times looking for one room. The map is hard to decipher.

Morrowind was pretty good for allowing you to discover things by yourself. I remember it taking awhile for me to find the ashlander camp as part of the main quest, because I tried to walk there in a straight line, and of course there are like 3 sets of mountains you have to walk around.

 

[Saelune]

None of you guys ever played Daggerfall

Considering Daggerfall is probably bigger than Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim combined, yet twice as empty, its not a fun kind of lost. But it also has justified fast travel.

Still better than Oblivion though. (To add, Arena is the worst TES game, but thats because it doesnt play like a TES game, cause it wasn't until Daggerfall that TES started down the path to TESdom, beyond the surprising amount of in-game lore.)

Its not so much the sheer size of the land and more:

"WHERE AM I?! WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?!, WHY ARE THE KEYBINDINGS ALL OVER THE PLACE?!, WHY DOES EVERYTHING LOOK THE SAME AND INTERCHANGEABLE?! WHAT SKILLS ARE VALUABLE AND WHAT SKILLS ARE WORTHLESS?!"

When I first got into Daggerfall, I ended up rebinding almost all the keys. Unfortunately, when I later played it on GoG, I tried to do the same but was less successful.

I really need to try again...hmm...

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

As others said, Daggerfall, but specifically the dungeons. Those are labyrinths. I remember trying a couple years ago and maybe the 3rd or 4th dungeon I went to, and I got lost in it for a good 1 hour trying to find this one orc. I constantly went past the same areas dozens of times looking for one room. The map is hard to decipher.

Morrowind was pretty good for allowing you to discover things by yourself. I remember it taking awhile for me to find the ashlander camp as part of the main quest, because I tried to walk there in a straight line, and of course there are like 3 sets of mountains you have to walk around.

Ugh Vvardenfell can be a pain to traverse because the majority of the land is covered by the Ashlands, this black rock region of the Red Mountain. I mean it looks visually a bore that I rather be in the generic forests of Cyrodiil.

 

[Saelune]

As others said, Daggerfall, but specifically the dungeons. Those are labyrinths. I remember trying a couple years ago and maybe the 3rd or 4th dungeon I went to, and I got lost in it for a good 1 hour trying to find this one orc. I constantly went past the same areas dozens of times looking for one room. The map is hard to decipher.

Morrowind was pretty good for allowing you to discover things by yourself. I remember it taking awhile for me to find the ashlander camp as part of the main quest, because I tried to walk there in a straight line, and of course there are like 3 sets of mountains you have to walk around.

Ugh Vvardenfell can be a pain to traverse because the majority of the land is covered by the Ashlands, this black rock region of the Red Mountain. I mean it looks visually a bore that I rather be in the generic forests of Cyrodiil.

You can fly in Morrowind. Tired of mountains and lava streams? Levitation! Ironically the quest arrows of Oblivion, and more so Skyrim, encourage straight-lines but the terrain does not. Hell, I think Skyrim needs levitation more than Morrowind.

Side note: I started Daggerfall again. Turns out the issue was the mouse mode. Changing it so I 'Go where I aim the mouse" makes the game playable. Woot. Already got out of the starting dungeon and to the city of Daggerfall.

 

[the_dramatica]

Yume nikki has a pretty bad world. Eve online also has a habit of being endless genocide for a few months until you are working with a corporation as a soldier.

 

[Saulkar]

Thief. You have a compass and map to navigate yourself around. Except in many cases the map looks like this:

Spoiler

[img src=http://66.media.tumblr.com/a2451155dfd4f2a1b9100b81d017d1d3/tumblr_nptbhghiis1uslacwo1_500.jpg][/spoiler]


And while some of the maps you get appear to be more detailed: [spoiler]
[img src=http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/thief/images/2/2c/TG_M7_map_PAGE001.jpg]
[img src=http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/wo1fwood/blog/thief4/citymap.jpg][/spoiler] Turns out these are also outdated, so many of the passages visible on the map are now blocked by crap or simply do not exist.

Which is a thing i like, cause it actually encourages you to explore and builds up the atmosphere of traversing through alien, unwelcoming territory.[/QUOTE]

Ditto. While I have never played the first one (despite getting it on GOG back in 2012-2013) the second one I can attest to being quite difficult to get your bearings on and not in a bad way as there is always something interesting to find off the beaten path. I remember when I was about 10 and trying to map out the entirety of every level's contents and secrets on pen and paper to create my own maps to upload online until I discovered professional cartographers were already uploading their own versions in different styles for the lulz. Well... that was a letdown. I did not play it again for another 10 years but I can safely say that I was thoroughly enjoying myself (unlike Morrowind, that unintuitive clunky ass) but suddenly stopped playing for no reasons. I really need to get back into it.

 

[retsupurae yahtsee]

Metal Gear Solid and Mother: Supremely weird worlds with lots of freedom to explore and experiment.
Shin Megami Tensei and Persona: Extremely difficult RPGs with very complex dungeons and no indicators of where to go. Fuck Shin megami Tensei 2.
Dark half: Another classic RPG recently translated, also having complex dungeons and a lot of challenging--and you have to move through the world fast.
Zelda and Metroid: Games in which nearly all of the upgrades have to be found throughout large open worlds, and you will die if you fail to get them. 2D Zeldas and 3D Metroids are the best.
Zeno Clash series: Large, complex worlds filled with insanity.
Witcher 1 and 3: Big worlds with plenty to see and do and kill. Very fun and creative.
Doom, Rise of the Triad, Duke Nukem 3D, Goldeneye: I remember when I could distinguish between shooters, and these were the best.
Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger: Classic RPGs with large worlds and lots of freedom, though 6 becomes too open at the end.

 

[kilenem]

X-men legends was so brutal with this. They had, timers in some missions and some missions had enemies would revive their fallen comrads.