There is nothing quite like a true open-world to scratch the itch every gamer has oflosing themselves in a fictional reality, away from the world’s troubles. The format remains as popular as ever and is the best way for players to immerse themselves in a game.
However, perhaps due to the high development costs associated with creating an open-world game, most of them usually excel at either melee or ranged combat, rarely both, which makes finding an open-world game that equally emphasizes both types of combat difficult. Luckily, the gaming landscape is vast, and options are available to those willing to look.
Outwardis anoften-overlooked indie titlethat creates a unique world of might and magic, placing equal importance on both aspects of combat in a satisfying mixture. The gameplay has a distinct feel that’s quite unlike anything else players will have encountered before.
Melee combat rewards stamina management and precise timings, punishing getting too comfortable in close quarters with enemies. Different weapon types have different movesets and can be enchanted to increase their effectiveness. Magic, on the other hand, is devastatingly powerful but is balanced by the fact that it takes a long time to cast and requires near-perfect positioning in the later stages of the game. Acquiring magical abilities is also something that’s interwoven with the overarching storyline, requiring players to join certain factions to acquire their brand of magic and so on.
Ghost of Tsushimais thebest samurai open-world game, period. Loosely based on the Mongol invasion of Japan in the 1200s, it tells the tale of Jin, the last samurai on an island besieged by invading forces, tasked with saving his home by any means possible, even if it goes against the Samurai code.
Traditionally, a samurai fantasy evokes an image of a katana-wielding warrior with a blade, a straw hat, and flowing robes slashing against his foes.GoTis faithful to that vision while seamlessly incorporating ranged combat in the form of two types of bows (Longbow and Half-Bow) as well as multiple ‘Ghost weapons’ like throwing knives, bombs, and caltrops. The protagonist, Jin, wields theseless honorable weaponsbecause a lone Samurai doesn’t have any hope of defeating the Mongols, but a ‘Ghost’ just might.
Cyberpunk 2077’s combat tends to favor gunplay over melee combat; however, some of thebest builds in the gameuse bladed weapons like katanas, machetes, and mantis blades. Players can also opt for blunt weapons, favoring sheer power over cutting skill.
Ranged options mostly involve guns of different flavors, though there are throwing knives, too, as an alternative. Most builds favor either melee or ranged, with some auxiliary options to cover up their weaknesses. However, any build is viable, especially with the right cyberware and a maxed-out skill tree.
Dragon’s Dogma 2is avast open-world ARPGthat expands on the original’s vision while keeping its core idea intact. Just like the firstDragon’s Dogma,DD2offers players the choice between melee and ranged options in the form of an easily swappable class system called Vocations.
Each Vocation uses a unique weapon type, which dictates whether they deal damage at range or in melee. The Warrior Vocation, for example, only uses two-handed weapons to dish out damage, whereas the Sorcerer needs to be at range. Build variety isDragon’s Dogma 2’s strong suit, as each Vocation is just as viable as the others. Even when players are playing as a melee Vocation, they will have three Pawns (AI followers) in their party, each with their own unique Vocations.
Elden Ring’s status as one of the greatest games of all time is set in stone, andamong all the FromSoftware games, this is the one that offers the most melee and ranged options for players to experiment with. Not to mention that with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, that list has expanded even more.
For melee combat,Elden Ringoffers players swords, maces, greatswords, colossal weapons, whips, twinblades, and many,many more weapon types. For ranged combat, the main two options are Incantations and Sorceries, both types of spells that can be cast using a focus. Of course, bows are also a thing inElden Ring, but they’re overshadowed by the magic.
Say what you will aboutThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but even after years post-release,Skyrimstill holds the crown in terms of build variety suited for both melee and ranged combat. For melee, players have the options of swords, maces, daggers, warhammers, battleaxes, and more, each with multiple tiers of rarity, unique variants with powerful effects, and enchantable to become even more powerful.
For ranged players, there is even more variety. There aresix schools of magic to invest in, each one completely different from the others. A dedicated archery tree, which can turn into one of the busted builds in the entire game (sneak archer), and finally, shouts. While all of this would definitely put Skyrim in the top three, the main reason it’s the king is because of thefrankly absurd number of modsplayers can use to completely revamp the aged combat style, add hundreds of new spells and weapons, and basically make the game they want to make.
