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Top 5 Epic Gaming Worlds You Should Explore Now

Top 5 Epic Gaming Worlds You Should Explore Now

One of the reasons we play games is in order to inhabit strange worlds that are different from our own. These worlds can range from mostly similar and recognizable to outlandish. Sometimes the worlds themselves serve as cautionary tales or fun hypotheticals. Setting is obviously a huge part of storytelling and is worth paying attention to. That is all the more true in the case of these five exceptional video game worlds.

Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X

For the most part, each Final Fantasy game takes place in a different world, and often they hit the proverbial nail on the head when it comes to designing an enveloping world. Of all of these worlds, Spira, the world of Final Fantasy X stands out the most to me. It’s a world trying to enjoy itself in a cycle of tragedy. It has a well-defined culture, its own form of escapism, in the fantasy sport of Blitzball, political intrigue, and interesting takes on religion and technology.

Super Mario Games

Super Mario Games

The worlds Nintendo builds are often vibrant, unique, and far from banal. The world of Super Mario Bros. has developed into something special throughout the years. From the very basic, yet outlandish, idea that mushrooms can make you a giant to the rolling mountains with faces, there’s always something to look at. Constant invasions by the lovably evil Bowser and the presence of Yoshi make the Mushroom Kingdom a pretty cool place to be.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Hyrule is the land in which The Legend of Zelda games usually take place, and it often has a different look and feel to it. It’s iterative this way, and of all the various iterations, the Hyrule you explore in Ocarina of Time is an absolute classic. It was, for many, the first time we got to see places like Death Mountain in 3D and it also did a lot to bring the series’ different species to life. Walking around the tranquil Zora’s domain gave me an all new sense of what the previously sinister-seeming monsters could be.

Pokemon

Pokemon

The various islands seen throughout the Pokemon franchise have real world inspiration, and it’s easy to see where they come from. That doesn’t mean they’re boring, though. Each time, the aspects of places like France are entirely redefined by being in a world that is full of adorable monster companions. The villains also take the form of organizations and are a healthy mix of comical and evil.

Bioshock

Bioshock

Bioshock has so much going for it. It has a narrative that would likely only be effective in a video game and extraordinarily satisfying gameplay. The world of the game, the underwater city of Rapture, is one of the most impressive places I’ve been, though. Seeing through glass walls to the ocean gives a feeling of claustrophobia that plays well with the game’s horror genre. It also is visibly dystopian, with enough evidence of its former glory to be unsettling.

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