His answer is so perfect, this is like 90% of the reason I don't ever feel invested in the story in open-world games! Wide-linear is the way to go, if you want to tell a story through video games.


It was interesting to see in the trailer that Nathan appears to take one of several routes in his Jeep. How open-world is this game?

Druckmann: Yeah, I mean the term we use is wide-linear. It's not open-world, because we wanted to tell a very specific story, with very specific tension. The thing I have a hard time with, in open-world games, is that there's a lack of tension. Say if my ally's life is in jeopardy; I can still go off and do five different side-quests, and I don't believe that jeopardy. So I feel we need some way to control the pacing, and it needs to be ways where you are still active as well.

For us, the story is king. I don't mean writing, and I don't mean script. What I mean is, there's a certain experience we're trying to make, and that's going to trump the gameplay, that's going to trump the graphics. This high-level experience we create should, eventually, win that argument of what this game is going to be.


Source: Gamespot interview


Do you agree with him?

wow that nails it.

Right now I am playing the witcher 3

!!!!!!!SPOILER !!!!!! Ciri is waiting on the Isle of the Mist to be rescue, but I am going around the world clearing sidequest. No tension. Ciri can wait. I need to do these quest before I level too high and they give me nothing. !!!! SPOILER!!!!!!!! over kinda

That said. I would not want every game to be a linear story driven adventure. In the Witcher I like the fact I don't have to save Ciri right now.

I enjoy open world games, but i do like the idea of 'wide-linear'. The cumulative experience that makes up Uncharted's story is why i enjoy the series so much, and if they can still provide that while also opening things up a bit, that would make me very happy. For all the effort they put into countering it, UC1, 2, and 3 could feel a bit stuffy at times.

And with that, the story becomes "secondary", it is no longer the priority and that is what ruins these types of games for me. 


If A is in immediate danger, I must save A now. Not after five side quests, crafting items or leveling up and what not. NOW!

Ya the key point was "In the Witcher". In some games like AC, Far Cry and other I feel it really hurt the game over all. They need to develop a mechanic where the story directs you to randomily expore. Its almost always someone is about to die BUUUUUUUUUUTTT I really want to just roam around and capture Broadcast antennas....

This is probably my biggest issue with open world games hit right on the head. I feel no sense of urgency or tension at any given time. I restarted Fallout 3 tonight, and what did I do instead of rushing over to Megaton to investigate why my father left and I had to escape the vault? I explored the ruins of the nearby town and started killing raiders in the old elementary school, acting like my dad will just sit still while I screw around out in the Wasteland. It never feels like I need to be anywhere. Sometimes it feels like there are places I certainly should be in open world games, but in my experience, it's usually only a series of events in end game where an open world game finally says "okay, this is something you have to do right now".

I think this is one of the reasons I love the Uncharted games so much. They're exciting to play. The bad guy is making waves, and I need to keep moving to stop him. He's invading a town right now, and regardless of what I could be doing, I have to go and stop him at that very instant. It feels intense, exciting, and fun. I feel like, as the gamer, there is a purpose for me from start to finish. I feel like some games being so open ended hurts the story telling. The side quests may expand the world, but story climaxes don't feel as amazing when you go gallivanting off to get somebody some wheels of cheese right before, then run off to slay some random monsters for a farmer right after.

In my opinion, it is up to the "writers", "mission desingers?" and "level designers" to find a solution for this problem, because there is no way in hell open-world games will ever move foward with its story telling, if they don't come up with something.

I mean, just look at Uncharted for a sek. Look at how the level designers have opened the map, presenting the player with the sense of openness and choice. In the E3 demo we can see how the mission designers takes full advantage of the map, we see that you can approach the mission in different ways, yet maintain the level of tension the story requires.

The writing makes everything come to life. Sully comments on everything basically, to you drive down one path, you going into fences, TURN RIGHT!, interacting with people (first time driver here) and so on. 

I mean, this is just incredible.

Yes. UC4 has jaw dropping visuals, but I think its lasting impact will be on shaping stories are told. UC4 is not open world, however the concepts they will introduce will be adopted by others and implemented in more open world games.    An Open world game that tells a tight story is a god game. GTA 5 is the closest I have seen..... and not surprising it is the most popular game ever. (most sales for a non bundled game)

It really depends on the type of ''story'' the game is trying to tell. With Uncharted and even The Last of Us, its not really the story, its the characters that are the focal point.

Tention, peril, humor and the adrenaline rush from the set pieces physically would not have been possible in an open world game, unless its in a heavily scripted sequence.

I do find it strange how people are using the term open world to describe what they saw. What I saw wasn't open world, but its something that's rarely seen in video games or even hollywood these days, and thats balls to walls action.

The demo was incredibly expansive in its set pieces and environments, you had no idea where they would end up next. I'm not sure if its what I would call ''story'' just really good action direction and mission design.

He is one of the best. This is why I fear him. One day he might leave to form his own studio.