Support NeoGAF

[Speely]

I have never felt more engaged when exploring a world via traversal mechanics than I do in BotW. The gameplay loop of climbing and paragliding works so well. Also, using the physics and items (octo balloons!) in creative ways can lead to very interesting traversal experiences.

Also, shield-surfing.

 

[rockmanjoe]

Xenoblade X - Unlimited sprinting, no fall damage, big jumps. Just a joy to play. Mechs open up the world even more.

BotW is fantastic as well.

 

[LotusHD]

Hard to pick between Kat's Gravity Slide in Gravity Rush or Fetch's super speed in Infamous First Light.

Both are soooo good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGr5OuPUyJI

 

[Grisby]

Sunset overdrive easy

Sunset Overdrive. Movement is an art in that game. It's everything. It's honestly the number one reason Insomniac is such a great pick to be making Spider-man.

Sunset Overdrive. A good chunk of the fun was in finding traversal routes.

Gravity Rush 2 easily beats everyone else for me. BoTW is great too with the paraglider and climbing, but nothing beats having gravity powers that lets you "fly".

Also Lunar Style is pretty damn cool as well.

I go back to Gravity Rush 2 for this alot

Basically my choices with basically the explanations I'd use. Gravity Rush in particular I love because it feels like trying to wrangle a super power that isn't inherently controllable. And with so much grace.
_______________________________________

Gravity Rush 2 is just majestic and fluid

These guys get it. Both games are unmatched for traversal this gen. SO is so incredibley rewarding once you get the movement down and GR2 is basically the best superhero flying game ever made.

 

[Boss Man]

I have never felt more engaged when exploring a world via traversal mechanics than I do in BotW. The gameplay loop of climbing and paragliding works so well. Also, using the physics and items (octo balloons!) in creative ways can lead to very interesting traversal experiences.

Also, shield-surfing.

I agree but I don't think the actual act of traversal is something BoTW does spectacularly well. It doesn't do it poorly, it just doesn't stand out to me aside from paragliding. I genuinely think BoTW may be the best video game ever made but a lot of people are confusing "it's an amazing open world" with "the traversal mechanics are great."

 

[Canucked]

Infamous are my favourite games just to run around in and do nothing.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

Just Cause 3's grappling hook + paragliding + manflying. It's kind of like reverse Spider-Man, and a bit of Iron-Man. Don't have to walk or run anywhere, you just grapple. Don't have to drive anywhere, you just grapplefglidefly.

GTA V's manflying (Nice Fly) was possibly better than Just Cause's as you didn't need to produce lift to stay in the air, you were continually self-propelled. Quite literally Iron-Man. Swooshing by things was totally sweet.

 

[evolve9]

Gravity Rush is the only game where I actively avoided using fast travel. Traversing through the world coupled with its beautiful design was one of the best parts of the game.

I also enjoyed riding through W3's world but Roach glitching and randomly stopping everywhere kinda soured the experience.

 

[Nothing1016]

BOTW.

Playing through Horizon Zero Dawn right now, and while I think the game has been incredible so far, it just feels do restrictive after beating Zelda.

 

[jwk94]

Gravity Rush 2. It was just so much fun.

 

[Otherspacing]

I'm torn between Xenoblade X and BotW, in the former I can fly anywhere, go anywhere with ease, but I think the gameplay loop in the latter was better because there's more risk involved with losing your stamina and getting to your destination feels more rewarding as a result.

I also really enjoy the inFamous games, great stuff in those, it's a shame really that the best mechanics are also tied to the weakest game from the series.

 

[RSB]

Yep. This and Gravity Rush 2 are easily the best when it comes to the traversal mechanics. Just moving around is an absolute joy in both games.

I really hope we get Sunset Overdrive 2 and Gravity Rush 3 someday.

 

[Huge Succeeded]

Breath of the Wild beats out almost all other open world games to me in this regard. Simple traversal mechanics designed for multiplicity. Dismissing Breath of the Wild because you rationalize that one element of its traversal is more fleshed out in some other game, does a massive disservice to how the breadth of traversal options Breath of the Wild available at your fingertips impacts how you perceive and approach traversal in an RPG environment on a moment to moment basis. Citing Grow Home as a means to dismiss BoTW's climbing without considering any further context, for example, is a painfully hollow argument. (although the people who commit to that kind of argument aren't likely to listen to reason, because their opinions were set in stone 6 months ago during their attempts to downplay Zelda's traversal during pre-release. Same old shit arguments)

I'd put Sunset Overdrive alongside, regardless. That shit is just plain fun.

 

[Dice//]

Xenoblade Chronicles X

Winner.
I love the freedom and the moon jumping and the Skells.

Breath of the Wild for..."the difficulty" and added ability that NOTHING is out of bounds.

 

[Justinh]

For me it is by far Sunset Overdrive. It's been a while since I played it so I'm going from memory here but I remember it being fast, fun, and challenging to keep your combos up.

 

[DJwest]

Another vote for inFamous Second Son and the neon powers. So fun.

 

[Falchion]

Sunset Overdrive. Movement is an art in that game. It's everything. It's honestly the number one reason Insomniac is such a great pick to be making Spider-man.

This took way to long to bring up. Sunset Overdrive's traversal is so good it's in a completely different league than the other games.

 

[Ushay]

You can literally go anywhere in Zelda BotW, so that wins for me.

 

[MartyStu]

I know it is not from this gen, but anyone remember Prototype?

The game was not very good, but the one thing is absolutely did well was traversal. I think it may still be my favorite.

Nothing beats running up the side of a skyscraper.

 

[Huge Succeeded]

Ok this is really freaking cool.

No, let me explain how there's nothing that's actually cool about that, step by step;

He first cut down a tree, but Woodcutter Simulator had much more detailed and complex tree-cutting, and that came out in 2013.
Then, he froze the tree. Pretty much just Stasis from Dead Space, nothing new.
Then he hit the tree a few times. Physics manipulation? Half-Life 2 was doing that over 10 years ago.
Then he climbed onto the tree, wow. Way less depth than Grow Home's climbing.
And then, the tree flew, and so did Link. Am I supposed to be impressed? You don't need trees to fly in Arkham Knight and Just Cause 3.

Therefore, what you just saw was not novel, interesting, or unique, in any way, shape, or form. Just bog-standard traversal that we've seen done better in a dozen other games. Checkmate, Zelda fans

 

[MvmntInGrn]

Another mention to Sunset Overdrive. Fantastic traversal and a constant part of gameplay. Not a big Spider-Man fan or comic book heroes in general but super interested in Insomniacs take after how SO turned out.

Really enjoy the Gravity Rush games too though there is a lack of precision when it comes to landing on small objects that always saddens me.

 

[Smeags]

I also would like to give a shoutout to Sunset Overdrive. Insomniac did so much to ensure that getting to point A to B be as fun, fast, and fluid as possible. Still annoys me how the game was ignored by the masses. I'm sure Spiderman will blow some minds.

And yeah, there's a little too many posts telling others that their personal picks are wrong and/or overrated. Not really the point of the thead...

 

[Hattori]

BotW for me

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Three-way tie, for different modes:

Breath of the Wild for the climbing and gliding. These two things combined make for such an addictive mode of exploration that it now bothers me when other open world games won't let me.

Final Fantasy XV for the driving. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this. I only ever fast traveled by accident. Otherwise, I rode the open road, listening to my favorite FF tracks and taking in the views as I moved from place to place, and I fucking loved it.

Xenoblade Chronicles X for the mechs and the overall progression of traversal. You start off just running around on foot, and right around the time you might get tired of it, and really wish you could explore some of those interesting spots, it's time for your mechs. Now you can move faster, explore better, and leap to new heights, along with being able to take down bigger foes, which really opens things up. And then you get the flight ability. I fucking love flying. FFXV's flying was goddamn atrocious (probably my least-favorite thing in the game), while XCX's is just fantastic. The world opens up in a way I can't think of any game doing so since World of Warcraft added flight in BC.

 

[Frankenstrat]

I know it is not from this gen, but anyone remember Prototype?

The game was not very good, but the one thing is absolutely did well was traversal. I think it may still be my favorite.

Nothing beats running up the side of a skyscraper.

Gradually upgrading the sprint and getting a shield upgrade = plowing through NYC sidewalks at 40+mph. Fun stuff.

 

[TrynUrLuck]

Just Cause 3. Followed closely by Batman AK.

 

[Zakalwe]

The only thing about traversal in BotW I don't like is the horses. And I have some decent horses. The rest is a masterclass, especially after you've upgraded your stamina and found the climbing gear.

FFXV while on foot is really slick in terms of traversal.

I'm a bit confused by anyone saying TW3. Traversal in that game is an awkward mess even with the updated controls, but opinions so fair enough.