Open-world video games have been a dime a dozen all through the 2010s, with studios chasing that Skyrim success with virtually reckless abandon. Advances in tech have since streamlined the method of creating big sport worlds, giving studios a greater cause to speculate their efforts in them. Whereas players nonetheless clamor for a satisfying open world to discover and immerse themselves in, curiosity has shifted to extra targeted and curated experiences. Linear video games are on an upward development, with platformers like Astro Bot and motion video games like Black Fantasy Wukong successful over players’ hearts and wallets this yr. Listed below are the 15 finest linear video games of 2024.
Arizona Sunshine Remake
The unique Arizona Sunshine from 2016 prompted a little bit of a stir concerning a few of its content material being locked behind Intel Core i7 CPUs. Now in 2024, you may play all of that content material, together with two giant DLCs and quite a few updates with a ground-up remake to match Arizona Sunshine 2’s visuals. You’re principally taking pictures zombies along with your two VR palms all through the linear narrated marketing campaign, however there’s additionally a whole lot of quirky environmental interactions that make this a basic VR expertise; and better of all, it has three-player co-op to triple the shenanigans. If you happen to personal a VR set, Arizona Sunshine Remake is a transparent no-brainer.
Warhammer 40K House Marine 2
House Marine 2’s multiplayer choices are super enjoyable, but it surely’s the solo marketing campaign the place the core meat and potatoes of the sport are discovered. The story kicks off the place House Marine 1 left off, with Captain Titus returning to command his squad in opposition to the Tyranid swarms after a mortal wound. With a runtime round 10 hours lengthy, House Marine 2’s marketing campaign is a riotous time stuffed with spectacular vistas and visceral fight. This can be a hack and slash in a whole lot of methods, however House Marine 2 emphasizes exact countering greater than its predecessor, including a bit of additional talent to the combo. Grabbing a associate to run by means of the separate co-op missions is a deal with as nicely, however the AI companions aren’t dangerous both with their constant therapeutic and tanky protection. House Marine 2 looks like a blast from the previous with its fast-paced marketing campaign density.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Remaking a horror masterpiece like Silent Hill 2 is not any straightforward feat, but Bloober one way or the other pulled it off with nice success. A key ingredient in that success is the expanded environments. The atmospheric hallways and foggy outside areas drastically encourage exploration, main the participant to a bunch of latest objects and collectables that may be seen from any angle. Serving to you navigate the expanded areas is the brand new over-the-shoulder digital camera perspective, which provides additional context to environments. The unique Silent Hill 2 clocked in at round 12 or so hours, however the remake can simply take double that point from all of the added exploration. Nonetheless, the remake maintains the dense pacing of the unique regardless of this, making it one of many extra spectacular and scary linear video games on this listing.
Black Fantasy Wukong
Black Fantasy Wukong takes a somewhat unorthodox strategy to stage design, seesawing backwards and forwards between corridor-like linearity to broad open environments. Most puzzling of all, there’s no map or navigation instruments to help your exploration within the sport. Regardless of this, we couldn’t assist however marvel on the number of biomes and great thing about environments throughout the Journey To the West-inspired story. However it isn’t simply a few of the environments that proceed linearly, your weapons and armor mechanically improve as you progress too. Black Fantasy Wukong is a masterclass in focus; it doesn’t meander and bloat the participant’s time with frivolous stuff, as a substitute honing in on what makes it nice.
Stellar Blade
If you happen to’re conversant in the best way Nier Automata handles stage design, you’ll really feel at house inside Stellar Blade. One space that Stellar Blade expands upon its stage design is the participating collectibles scattered throughout its environments. You’ve all the pieces from soda cans to posters and packing containers of loot to gather, rewarding you with new costumes for Eve and her companions to put on. The wide-linear nature of the environments hits a sweat spot that at all times manages to make you’re feeling such as you’re progressing ahead whereas giving satisfying room for exploration as you accomplish that. Elements of the story have you ever strictly going from A to B with collectibles nestled inside secret routes off the overwhelmed path, whereas others are open zones meant for questing and exploration. Stellar Blade excels in the best way it mixes urgency and exploration with its wide-linear stage design.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
Hellblade 2 takes fairly a distinct strategy to linear stage design. Because of the zoomed-in deal with very particular places, Ninja Concept managed to go all-out adorning every hand-crafted setting and presenting all of it with an unmatched cinematic aptitude. It’s no exaggeration to say that Hellblade 2 is among the many most graphically spectacular video games to this point. This mixture of chiseled graphical constancy with cinematic aptitude assist cement Hellblade 2’s Norse-inspired places into the participant’s reminiscence. It might be a simple sport in all elements of its gameplay, however Hellblade 2’s psychologically wealthy narrative and spectacular visible presentation punctuate its linear design with a daring exclamation level.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Regardless of introducing a crusing ship into the Mario & Luigi collection, Brothership nonetheless follows a kind of conventional crucial path. The brothers’ overarching purpose this time round is lighting the 4 Nice Lighthouses all through Concordia’s oceans. The builders made positive every of the 4 Nice Lighthouse dungeons have been top-tier, incomes the highest spot on my listing of Mario RPG dungeons. After they’re not puzzling their means by means of the Nice Lighthouse dungeons, Mario & Luigi are busy linking collectively the distinctly themed islands with the ship. Brothership threads its themes of connections brilliantly by means of the narrative and humorous writing, forming a cohesive story that impresses regardless of its fundamental look.
The Plucky Squire
The Plucky Squire mashes collectively a bunch of various genres onto the framework of a top-down journey sport. A majority of your time is spent swinging round a sword defeating enemies, however the sheer quantity of strange little minigames starting from Punch-Out sequences, to Duck Hunt shootouts, and even some turn-based RPG enjoyable, is chaotically enduring. After which there’s the puzzles that ask you to rearrange sentences for brand new props to look inside the image ebook you inhabit. And sure, you even get to come out of the ebook and into ‘the true world’ a number of occasions. The pop-up ebook aesthetic places a bow on the entire bundle, making The Plucky Squire probably the most enduring linear video games of the yr.
Neva
Just like the studio’s earlier sport Gris, Neva does extra than simply supply up a compelling platforming sport; it’s an emotional audio/visible artwork piece. The bond between Alba and her wolf pup Neva grows because the seasons change all through the journey, manifested in flip by extra superior platforming challenges. Neva differentiates itself from Gris with its emphasis on combo-based fight and precision platforming sequences, offering a punchy and satisfying linear journey filled with coronary heart.
Akimbot
If you happen to’re in search of an old-school motion/journey sport that’s as simple as it’s enjoyable, look no additional than Akimbot. Like its Ratchet and Clank inspiration, you might have a spread of gun sorts to unload on enemies with by means of a linear story. The pacing of the motion is continuous, supplying a relentless stream of action-platforming enjoyable. And the perfect factor is its gameplay doesn’t overstay its welcome because of a wide range of actions and sequences breaking apart the standard run-and-gunning (such because the bullet hell sections). Akimbot is likely one of the these video games that’s easy to only drop in and play with out an excessive amount of thought or prep-work, and I nonetheless usually get the urge to begin up one other playthrough many months after finishing it.
Lego Horizon Adventures
Regardless of its open world supply materials, the Lego-fied model of Horizon Zero Daybreak is likely one of the most linear and simple Lego video games to this point. You play by means of the essential storyline of Horizon Zero Daybreak by means of linear mission-based ranges, returning to the Mom’s Coronary heart hub space in between your excursions. There’s not a ton of exploration on this sport apart from some smaller open areas and branching paths within the ranges, however the hub does permit for some satisfying customization and personalization. Whether or not you’re a Horizon fan or a Lego connoisseur, you owe it to your self to play this distinctive tackle the PlayStation IP solo or with two different buddies.
Princess Peach Showtime
If you happen to’re in search of a enjoyable mish-mash of various gameplay concepts and themes offered in true Nintendo vogue, Princess Peach Showtime will fulfill. Every stage has a singular theme that utterly alters the gameplay and aesthetics, in addition to, after all, Peach’s outfit. From lassoing up bandits on a horse to swordfighting by means of hack and slash dungeons, the inventive ranges provide you with causes to come back again and replay them. Like earlier Good Really feel video games, phases are completely stuffed with collectables and secrets and techniques, offering stable replay worth.
Astro Bot
Not like Princess Peach or Akimbot, Astro Bot takes a extra open strategy to a few of its ranges, taking a cue from one thing like Tremendous Mario Galaxy. Nonetheless, Astro Bot’s ranges comprise principally linear challenges, and oh how enjoyable they’re. 3D platforming by no means felt higher than with Astro Bot’s excessive tech Twin Sense performance – it goes past a mere gimmick, being a main operate of gameplay. Each motion within the sport is accompanied by a signature rumble from the controller. Every stage is tailor-made particularly to the PS5 and its controller, offering a singular type of console expertise. Likewise, phases take full benefit of Astro’s talents in inventive and imaginative methods, proving that linearity might be an unlimited power in platforming video games.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails By way of Dawn
I do know, I do know, an ongoing JPRG collection with a dozen related video games is a tough promote for most people. However you owe it to your self to present Trails By way of Dawn the sunshine of day. For one, it varieties the start of a brand new arc with a recent forged of characters set in a distinct province from earlier video games. It’s additionally only a phenomenal turn-based RPG by means of and thru. If you happen to get pleasure from dialogue-heavy RPG tales with a linear construction that allows you to discover its cities at your personal tempo, Trails By way of Dawn stands out as the shock hit that will get you invested into the broader collection.
Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle
Not solely is that this the primary Indy sport in 15 years, it’s additionally a return for MachineGames after their run of profitable Wolfenstein reboot titles. As previews have noticed, Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle options a whole lot of stealth. Its core gameplay revolves much less round – nicely, revolvers – than you’d come to anticipate, supplying an expertise extra in keeping with the Thief collection. You’re usually hiding behind baddies to knock them out earlier than discovering that ever elusive key to the locked door down the hallway. What we’ve seen of the trailers has us reassured that MachineGames is aware of what makes Indiana Jones tales so enjoyable charming. Hopefully, the stealth mechanics and story handle to achieve the highs that the IP has been missing in recent times when Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle launches December 9th.