Best Action-Adventure Games That Reward Exploration

A great action-adventure game should be able to balance the action of combat with the fun of exploring big or small worlds. The following games mostly strike a good balance overall, but they also lean more toward the idea of exploration over combat.

Sometimes, that’s exactly what players want out of their experience from big epics like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to smaller experiences like Dave the Diver. Either way, players are going to jump into rich worlds that will take them by the hand and never let go. With each discovery, players will feel that greater sense of reward.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Looking For Shrines

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a bright, big, beautiful Hyrulean world that is all about exploration, and it gives players the right tools at the start to make their way forward. There’s a lot to see and do, from climbing towers to get a view of the land to finding shrines, each with a unique puzzle inside.

There are also Koroks hiding literally everywhere, from in trees to under rocks, and the more players find, the more they can upgrade Link’s inventory. Nearly everything players can find in the game can benefit them in some way, from weapons to ingredients for stews.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

A 2D Open-World With Many Secrets

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a semi-open-world game in 2D and certainly one of the most expansive Metroidvanias ever made. Most of the game’s world is optional, with entrances to some areas hard to reach or hidden, like Sinner’s Road or Bilewater.

Inside these side areas are NPCs with quests, secret bosses, and rare loot that can ultimately change the way the game plays. The game is brutally difficult, so every way players can upgrade Hornet, from health to improving her needle weapon, will be beneficial in the long run.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Exploring A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has several planets players can visit, with their sizes varying. Koboh, for example, is teeming with places to explore and side quests, while other planets are a bit smaller and don’t offer up as much, but are still to explore as set pieces in a Star Wars game.

With such an exciting story to follow involving hidden Jedi awakening after years, the idea of exploring can slip away, but going off the beaten path is worth it to see decrepit ruins, usually hiding an upgrade or lightsaber part for Cal. Even though there is a lot of Star Wars content out there, fans always appreciate a way to enrich their lives by being able to explore the galaxy far, far away themselves.

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

No Stone Unturned

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a great hybrid between third-person and first-person gameplay. Most of the game is played through first-person, from exploring cities to brawling with enemies. The viewpoint switches when scaling walls or swinging around with the whip.

Even though the game does push players toward the linear story, there are side paths to follow, like in the Vatican. Exploring sewers, paying attention to flyers, talking to NPCs, and more can clue players into discovering secret little treasures, each with a fun puzzle to solve, which is rewarding for the brain.

Ghost Of Tsushima

Following Animals

Ghost of Tsushima’s island location, Tsushima, is drop-dead gorgeous, and even though the samurai gameplay is great, it’s not the selling point. The game practically knows it is more of a tourist experience, as there are things that guide players to hidden areas dynamically, which helps with immersion.

Foxes can lead players back to dens, and yellow birds can sing and lead players to mist other locations, like mountain paths or hot springs. All of these locations have some reward beyond the actual beauty of the area, like a weapon case, an accessory, a piece of rare material, and so on.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The Way Of The Wolf

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was developed by FromSoftware, but it is not a Soulslike game where players can grind for souls to level up their character. Instead, players will assume the role of a ninja, Wolf, who can gain new gear, items, and prosthetics to switch out his arms, along with some upgrade materials.

Every item is precious, given that players cannot level up, and this game’s difficulty is one of FromSoftware’s toughest. It behooves players to explore underneath every bridge, climb every tower, and hug every wall to find items or, in some cases, secret passages to new areas.

Donkey Kong Bananza

Search Through, Not Above Or Below

Donkey Kong Bananza lets players search high, low, and in-between as Donkey Kong is capable of surfing, climbing, swinging, and busting through rocks. Inside rocky terrain, players can find randomized treasure chests with disposable items, gold deposits, fossils, and so much more.

The biggest find is the Banandium deposits, which can lead to DK leveling up his skill tree. Every biome of this underground paradise contains so much, and yet it’s not impossible to 100% the game even with only a mediocre understanding of platformers; that’s how good the design of Donkey Kong Bananza is.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist

Expanding Your Homunculi Arsenal

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is another 2D Metroidvania, and this one takes place in a bleak world where the heroine, Lilac, has lost her memory. Players can come across broken-down mechanical beings called Homunculi, which serve as Lilac’s attack prompts and her exploratory aids.

Players can learn to grapple onto surfaces and glide, for example, and even though the world is not as big as Hollow Knight: Silksong, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is densely packed with secrets. There are hidden Homunculi, armor, upgrade nodes, and so on, and all it takes is a little curiosity to check between every nook and cranny.

Control

Going Beyond Horror

Control is not technically a horror game, but it is spooky, given that the protagonist Jesse Faden wanders into a federal building only to find it in lockdown. Also, most of the personnel are floating above, muttering to themselves in glowing red light, while others are on the ground fighting back in wild states of delusion.

The Federal Bureau of Control building is almost like a 3D Metroidvania, with players able to open up new pathways with powers and keys, so it’s important for players to take manual notes. Going back to previously locked installations or thoroughly exploring an office, even though it seems barren, could potentially net players something useful or a fun clue as to what’s going on in the story.

Dave The Diver

Under The Sea

Dave the Diver is two games in one, with daytime exploration and finding the titular Dave diving underwater to catch fish for his sushi restaurant. At night, players can have their chef prepare the sushi, and depending on how fast and accurately orders are completed, the more money players can earn, which can help fund better gear for deep-sea diving.

With better ways to kill fish and better oxygen tanks to last longer, players can start to explore the ocean depths more thoroughly. This can lead to treasure, story moments, or rare fish that net bet players a tiny fortune.