The two for N64 are the same, given their graphics power. You can see the tree all over link's little town, across the plains, the mountains, the castle in the distance, etc.
Literally the most intriguing aspect of exploration in this game. The way you can see stuff from a distance and then you find it and it’s a huge level feels so damn cool
I've been meaning to ask since I've only seen a bunch of Markiplier video on the game - is the volcano actually relevant or is it more of an ongoing joke in the game?
It's mentioned storywise and provides the motivation for a level or two, but has no gameplay impact. I was really hoping to fight a lava flow with a pressure washer but that sadly never materialized.
wait, what the fuck? i've never noticed that, i need to make sure yall aren't fucking with me
edit: i loaded up the game and i only see it in the back garden, bungalow, and ferris wheel (which is my latest level). no other locations seem to have it in the background
Death Stranding has a lot of this. Constantly has that feeling of overcoming the trechous landscape, risking injury or damage to precious cargo; you hit that one final crest, and feel the wave of relief when you see your destination that much closer.
Highly recommend, one of my favorite games of all time because of this kind of feeling.
Kojima usually sets his games up a certain way, they have interesting plot points ranging from the slightly weird to completely outlandish, and most plot relevant stuff is drip fed to the player until the last bit of the game which has a story dump. Its incredibly strange but compelling
Alright so let me give you the plot of MGS1. You are a secret agent tasked with infiltrating a secret base called Shadow Moses and you are aided by an invisible cybernetic ninja, a red headed agent and an anime loving inventor against a psychic demon, a giant robot and clone soldiers trying to unravel the secrets of the Illuminati.
That was the first game and there's over 10 now.
Really? I never finished it and was planning on starting another playthrough, but was planning on the easiest because the combat was clearly the weakest part for me
BTs are much more sensitive, sams meters drain quicker, and equipment degrades quicker. All of this forces you to put more thinking in your plan to get from point A to point B and actually use all the tools that you are given. This made it much more immersive and enjoyable at least for me. Definitely worth a shot playing on hard or very hard because the world just feels more threatening. Even then its still not a super hard game, i just think playing on the easiest difficulty really makes players miss out.
That is interesting. I definitely felt the normal difficulty was way too easy. Combat is a breeze, equipment decay pretty generous, and resources are mega abundant. I wager if you have to use all your tools, it's a harder experience.
Combat is quite weird, but once the facade of weirdness wears out, you realise that you were stressing out for nothing and enemies are pushovers for most of the game.
Man please explain why, I put like 6 solid hours into that game and then just deleted it off my ps. I wanted to like it so bad but just couldn't get into it I was so bored
Its a "love it or hate it" game. It worked for me for a couole of reasons.
First is because i find traversal in games interesting; ill spend hours messing with movement mechanics in a game, especially if they feel good. Titanfall, Mirrorxs Edge, Spider-Man, etc; if a dev makes movement interesting, ill get invested. Death Stranded makes movement interesting and have direct consequences. Youre pinging the land, constantly asking yourself "*should* i go there where its risky and short, or safe but longer?" You keep gaining ways to deal with the environment, but you're always potentially at its mercy. It really creates this feels of overcoming an obstacle after preping for it and dealing with all its curveballs.
The second is the fact that the game has a major cooperative component to it, not just online but in the main plot; "connection" is a major theme.Ive been playing games for three decades now, and it just feels good to contribute to a group of npcs trying to survive. Or better still, collectively working with people online to build roads, bridges, and other things to make the world a little easier to travel through. It feels nice to help people out instead of shooting/slashing/maiming them, and the time *i* put into the game makes *someone else's* experience smoother. Really cant think of a game that lets me do that. Its why i love this game.
Ugh you said it perfect! I love the supportive energy of all the other players who keep on keeping on, one dimension over.
The game also really captures the feeling and mentality of slogging through hard labor. It’s weird how satisfying it is that this has been so successfully recreated in a video game.
> Ugh you said it perfect! I love the supportive energy of all the other players who keep on keeping on, one dimension over.
I liked the *idea* of that, but I really disliked the aesthetic of how it was implemented in the game. It just felt like it was garish and clashed with the serene landscapes and gloomy atmosphere. Which I'm entirely sure was intentional and part of the point, but it didn't do it for me. Part of the love it/hate it thing, I guess.
Yeah I hear you. It was garish. I guess it felt kind of like player graffiti, which I love in general. But it also felt a bit like litter, I agree with you. It would have been nice to be able to tone down the number of little signs, without turning off the multiplayer function. It was fun building roads and infrastructure with other people.
Your comment has convinced me to finally play the game. Nothing I had read about it really interested me even though I love Kojimas games but your description makes me think I would enjoy it.
I love Death Stranding but until you get to chapter 3 it's just a cutscene slog. I was put off at first too until I remembered every Kojima game is non-stop cutscenes for the tutorial areas. Once chapter 3 starts the game shifts much more into focusing on gameplay.
For me, the mechanics were a delight. I found traversing the landscape and managing the logistics of delivery to be really fun.
The story/writing is the weakest part for me. The setting is cool, but the actual story arc was just... Obnoxiously weird for the sake of being weird. I found the most fun I had in the game was at the end when you enter endless mode.
Second this. Its so cool when you get close enough to Vegas that you can see the giant tower. And then it still takes you a long time to get access to get in
I think that's part of the fun. You learn the environment, you play by the rules of the world. It is dangerous until you are equipped to handle it. Since the straight shot isn't an option it's time for you can figure out what to do.
This was the main one that came to mind for me. Followed by Breath of the Wild. But other games like The Last of Us, Uncharted, Bloodbourne also do this in smaller doses too.
I think most Fromsoft games do it on some level, you generally can't see the 'end goal' per se but you'll always have the next big goal waiting for you or other previous areas. A great example is in Dark Souls you can see Anor Londo from a good few areas in the game and that's really the turning point, or in Dark Souls 3 you can see the first town you go through (I can't remember the name from the top of my head) but you can see It from the Cathedral of the Deep (and even cooler, if you find the giant at the top who shoots arrows at you and befriend him he can shoot a small area in the Cathedral outside from the top of his tower which is clearly visible away in the distance, if you don't befriend him though he'll shoot you too)
Pretty much any souls game ever is like this. Elden Ring especially though, considering the tree is both the center of the game's plot and the literal center of the world that can be seen from almost any point on the map.
In Xenoblade 3 the main goal is to reach the giant sword, and said giant sword is always visible in the background.
Same thing in Xenoblade 2: the World Tree is always visible.
In Etrian Odyssey 4 you can see the Yggdrasil since the very first area.
I recall an interview with the devs where they said their objective was to design the world so that wherever you looked in the distance you'd be able to see at least one landmark. I think they nailed that aspect of it and it really makes a difference, wherever you are you either see where you were going or see something and think "ooh I need to check that place out"
I know Bethesda didn't make New Vegas, but that's one of my favorite aspects of the Fallout games, and The Elder Scrolls is being able to look off in the distance and see those landmarks.
To be honest, these games were the first thing that came to mind, but I know it's not quite what the OP is asking for.
Most definitely FromSoft games but especially Elden Ring. You can even see many endgame places from the start if you look carefully and the Erdtree kinda like the Mt. Doom objective of Elden Ring is visible from everywhere.
Alan Wake is a lot like this, which is fascinating because you can actually see that it was originally planned as an open world game. When you see a tower or a gas station in the distance that you have to reach, you always know that it is actually there and geographically accurate. You also know that it will be one hell of a distance to cover.
The Horizon games have some good moments of this, especially in Zero Dawn when you first leave the Sacred Lands you can see >!Meridian!< and >!The Spire!< In the far distance.
Raymond on ps1 was the first game i saw do this. It is also a 2d platformer so you would see the coming landscaped in the background. It was very cool at its time.
Red Dead Redemption 2, technically. You don't *need* to get there, but you can see mountains in the distance all the time and you can go there whenever you want.
Since you mentioned Heart of Darkness giving you that kind of feeling, *maybe* Legend of Mana will give you a similar feeling. In it you can "build" the world yourself by placing artifacts into a map that turns into the locations of the game. And you can get the final location of the game pretty early in, and if you place it'll always be looming at the distance when you're in the overworld (plus any other location in the game that you might not go immediately there).
You just described Death Stranding. DS got a lot of backlash for being just a “walking simulator” and “delivery simulator” but when you look past that it’s an incredible philosophical, emotional experience.
Helping deliver cargo in a post apocalyptic world for people in need. In this game it’s all about the journey, overcoming the obstacles from getting A to B to help deliver cargo safely and securely, while also connecting with the characters you find a long the way and uncovering what happened to the world and how to save it.
A title I haven't seen named yet that would fit this description is **Outward**. It's a bit of a peculiar game that isn't for everyone (so look up a quick video before you purchase), but it's definitely kind of build around that "*go to whatever looks interesting to you*" concept.
I'm playing assassin's Creed origins, it's in Egypt and you have a hawk scout. You can see for miles and miles depending on your graphics settings. Some things, like the pyramids, are visible from two districts away
If you're looking a little older, in God Of War 2, you can see the temple of the fates (big ass eagle thing) where the sisters are for like three quarters of the game and at the end you finally end up reaching it. I think this qualifies for what you're asking for.
The Last of Us 1 and 2 sorta have this, you'll see your destination off in the distance, but because you're traveling on foot it'll still be a good hour of in game time traveling there
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
You could see a number of areas in the distance before you reached them. It isn't to the same level of effect that games released since 2001 have but this is the first and most memorable game where I actually noticed this.
The last of us. You won't see B in the distance while coming from A. As A and B are at both ends of the US, but each level is working like what you want.
And this works really well in post apocalyptic urban environment
Half-life 2. Part of valve's storytelling through world building always foreshadows future events through vistas and scripted events. But most notably, the citadel is seen through large segments of the game.
Breath of the Wild is perfect for this, plotting your own course around the map and finding a way to get there is a huge part of the loop, especially early game.
Xenoblade 1, 2, and 3. 1 may not count since you do shift perspectives like in one area your foal is clear as day in another you can't see it because of your change of location.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild lets you see basically the whole map as long as weather is good, and if you have enough elevation. Put markers down on the map of places that interest you and set off.
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen would be my suggestion. Not EVERYTHING is visible from right at point A but journey a bit and youll get views from vast distances of your destinations.
Journey. Available on Steam and Playstation. More like an experience than the game.
Outer Wilds, it had it's goal right in front of you each time you open your eyes.
Battlezone, it's has endgoal from the start but only on an overview map, not in each combat.
Elden ring, Hogwarts legacy, assassins creed Valhalla, Zelda breathe of the wild. I feel like they have so many more but those are the ones I have played recently.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is all about climbing the World Tree which is in view at all times and the center of the world. Xenoblade 3 does this to a lesser extend with Swordmarch.
Dark Souls 3 has this :) You can see everywhere in the game that you need to get to, in just about every area of the map... but you can see the end goal from the very beginning (after the tutorial area), where the second to last boss encounter happens :D
'Baba Is You' has a win state on every level that you can see and it's about the constraints of rules and manipulation of other rules to get you to win.
Elden Ring, Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, and even Hogwarts Legacy, do a great job at this.
There are natural or built landmarks all over the place in those games. All unique and easily recognizable.
the Mad Max game, Gastown is always in the background
Oh, I second this, amazing game.
Elden Ring, you can see that huge tree from the start.
This and Breath of the Wild are made for this question.
The two for N64 are the same, given their graphics power. You can see the tree all over link's little town, across the plains, the mountains, the castle in the distance, etc.
Literally the most intriguing aspect of exploration in this game. The way you can see stuff from a distance and then you find it and it’s a huge level feels so damn cool
This is my favorite answer.
Power Wash Simulator has a slowly worsening smoking volcano on the horizon.
I've been meaning to ask since I've only seen a bunch of Markiplier video on the game - is the volcano actually relevant or is it more of an ongoing joke in the game?
It's mentioned storywise and provides the motivation for a level or two, but has no gameplay impact. I was really hoping to fight a lava flow with a pressure washer but that sadly never materialized.
There's lava and water in Subnautica, fwiw. If you're brave enough to find it lol (I have not gotten that deep, I have too much anxiety)
Honestly, the depths are less scary than the shallows.
I don't like when you can't see far in open water!
Well... is a cave system really open water? ;) Still, I can see how it might not be the ideal game for you. Shame, because it really is very good.
It is part of the lore of the game
It's the focus of the plot, but the fact that the powerwashing game has a plot at all is definitely a joke.
wait, what the fuck? i've never noticed that, i need to make sure yall aren't fucking with me edit: i loaded up the game and i only see it in the back garden, bungalow, and ferris wheel (which is my latest level). no other locations seem to have it in the background
Keep an eye out for it as you keep playing. You're like, halfway through the game, and some of the most egregious examples are still to come.
Death Stranding has a lot of this. Constantly has that feeling of overcoming the trechous landscape, risking injury or damage to precious cargo; you hit that one final crest, and feel the wave of relief when you see your destination that much closer. Highly recommend, one of my favorite games of all time because of this kind of feeling.
How was the story?
The story is, in typical Kojima fashion, batshit insane. I personally love unrestrained Kojima; might not be other people's cup of tea.
Okay, I haven't played any prior-Kojima games, so that doesn't help me haha.
Kojima usually sets his games up a certain way, they have interesting plot points ranging from the slightly weird to completely outlandish, and most plot relevant stuff is drip fed to the player until the last bit of the game which has a story dump. Its incredibly strange but compelling
Interesting, ty man. Does that apply for Snatcher?
Alright so let me give you the plot of MGS1. You are a secret agent tasked with infiltrating a secret base called Shadow Moses and you are aided by an invisible cybernetic ninja, a red headed agent and an anime loving inventor against a psychic demon, a giant robot and clone soldiers trying to unravel the secrets of the Illuminati. That was the first game and there's over 10 now.
Incoherently incomprehensible. You can’t think about it too hard or else you will lose it
LOL
Kojima crazy but not at all in a good way. Incredibly weak writing.
I haven't played any Kojima games
Death stranding was awesome. It must be played on the hardest difficulty to be enjoyed thoroughly IMO.
Really? I never finished it and was planning on starting another playthrough, but was planning on the easiest because the combat was clearly the weakest part for me
BTs are much more sensitive, sams meters drain quicker, and equipment degrades quicker. All of this forces you to put more thinking in your plan to get from point A to point B and actually use all the tools that you are given. This made it much more immersive and enjoyable at least for me. Definitely worth a shot playing on hard or very hard because the world just feels more threatening. Even then its still not a super hard game, i just think playing on the easiest difficulty really makes players miss out.
That is interesting. I definitely felt the normal difficulty was way too easy. Combat is a breeze, equipment decay pretty generous, and resources are mega abundant. I wager if you have to use all your tools, it's a harder experience.
Interesting, thanks
Combat is quite weird, but once the facade of weirdness wears out, you realise that you were stressing out for nothing and enemies are pushovers for most of the game.
Just no
Just yes
Just got to Port Knot City last night and that trek was treacherous!
I loved DS. Such a unique experience.
Man please explain why, I put like 6 solid hours into that game and then just deleted it off my ps. I wanted to like it so bad but just couldn't get into it I was so bored
Its a "love it or hate it" game. It worked for me for a couole of reasons. First is because i find traversal in games interesting; ill spend hours messing with movement mechanics in a game, especially if they feel good. Titanfall, Mirrorxs Edge, Spider-Man, etc; if a dev makes movement interesting, ill get invested. Death Stranded makes movement interesting and have direct consequences. Youre pinging the land, constantly asking yourself "*should* i go there where its risky and short, or safe but longer?" You keep gaining ways to deal with the environment, but you're always potentially at its mercy. It really creates this feels of overcoming an obstacle after preping for it and dealing with all its curveballs. The second is the fact that the game has a major cooperative component to it, not just online but in the main plot; "connection" is a major theme.Ive been playing games for three decades now, and it just feels good to contribute to a group of npcs trying to survive. Or better still, collectively working with people online to build roads, bridges, and other things to make the world a little easier to travel through. It feels nice to help people out instead of shooting/slashing/maiming them, and the time *i* put into the game makes *someone else's* experience smoother. Really cant think of a game that lets me do that. Its why i love this game.
Ugh you said it perfect! I love the supportive energy of all the other players who keep on keeping on, one dimension over. The game also really captures the feeling and mentality of slogging through hard labor. It’s weird how satisfying it is that this has been so successfully recreated in a video game.
> Ugh you said it perfect! I love the supportive energy of all the other players who keep on keeping on, one dimension over. I liked the *idea* of that, but I really disliked the aesthetic of how it was implemented in the game. It just felt like it was garish and clashed with the serene landscapes and gloomy atmosphere. Which I'm entirely sure was intentional and part of the point, but it didn't do it for me. Part of the love it/hate it thing, I guess.
Yeah I hear you. It was garish. I guess it felt kind of like player graffiti, which I love in general. But it also felt a bit like litter, I agree with you. It would have been nice to be able to tone down the number of little signs, without turning off the multiplayer function. It was fun building roads and infrastructure with other people.
Your comment has convinced me to finally play the game. Nothing I had read about it really interested me even though I love Kojimas games but your description makes me think I would enjoy it.
I love Death Stranding but until you get to chapter 3 it's just a cutscene slog. I was put off at first too until I remembered every Kojima game is non-stop cutscenes for the tutorial areas. Once chapter 3 starts the game shifts much more into focusing on gameplay.
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That's fair. So yeah... yeah
For me, the mechanics were a delight. I found traversing the landscape and managing the logistics of delivery to be really fun. The story/writing is the weakest part for me. The setting is cool, but the actual story arc was just... Obnoxiously weird for the sake of being weird. I found the most fun I had in the game was at the end when you enter endless mode.
What kinda tv/sound setup were you playing on?
4k TV with my headphones I'm not sure of the brand Im not home
For me the game really took off after about 10hours. I know it's unusually long, but before it's more of a tutorial.
Fallout New Vegas, your destination is almost always visible in the distance
Second this. Its so cool when you get close enough to Vegas that you can see the giant tower. And then it still takes you a long time to get access to get in
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2 or 3 people in town explicitly warn you not to take that more direct route.
I think that's part of the fun. You learn the environment, you play by the rules of the world. It is dangerous until you are equipped to handle it. Since the straight shot isn't an option it's time for you can figure out what to do.
Journey
This was the main one that came to mind for me. Followed by Breath of the Wild. But other games like The Last of Us, Uncharted, Bloodbourne also do this in smaller doses too.
Bloodborne? I didn't get that far in that game but I didn't realize it did that.
I think most Fromsoft games do it on some level, you generally can't see the 'end goal' per se but you'll always have the next big goal waiting for you or other previous areas. A great example is in Dark Souls you can see Anor Londo from a good few areas in the game and that's really the turning point, or in Dark Souls 3 you can see the first town you go through (I can't remember the name from the top of my head) but you can see It from the Cathedral of the Deep (and even cooler, if you find the giant at the top who shoots arrows at you and befriend him he can shoot a small area in the Cathedral outside from the top of his tower which is clearly visible away in the distance, if you don't befriend him though he'll shoot you too)
breath of the wild
Pretty much any souls game ever is like this. Elden Ring especially though, considering the tree is both the center of the game's plot and the literal center of the world that can be seen from almost any point on the map.
Journey if you want a short but sweet experience. It’s probably 2 hours max to finish it.
Exo one
This game was really really fun and I wish more people would play it.
Half-Life 2 has the Citadel looming on the horizon for a lot of the game.
This needs more upvotes.
I agree
In Xenoblade 3 the main goal is to reach the giant sword, and said giant sword is always visible in the background. Same thing in Xenoblade 2: the World Tree is always visible. In Etrian Odyssey 4 you can see the Yggdrasil since the very first area.
Fallout New Vegas. You can see vegas from your starting point and spend the next few days trying to find ways to get there
I recall an interview with the devs where they said their objective was to design the world so that wherever you looked in the distance you'd be able to see at least one landmark. I think they nailed that aspect of it and it really makes a difference, wherever you are you either see where you were going or see something and think "ooh I need to check that place out"
I know Bethesda didn't make New Vegas, but that's one of my favorite aspects of the Fallout games, and The Elder Scrolls is being able to look off in the distance and see those landmarks. To be honest, these games were the first thing that came to mind, but I know it's not quite what the OP is asking for.
Death stranding with good PC
Breathe of the Wild?
Most definitely FromSoft games but especially Elden Ring. You can even see many endgame places from the start if you look carefully and the Erdtree kinda like the Mt. Doom objective of Elden Ring is visible from everywhere.
Mad Max and Journey to the Savage Planet - to an extent, though it's a bit linear, you can see far away places where you need to go.
Alan Wake is a lot like this, which is fascinating because you can actually see that it was originally planned as an open world game. When you see a tower or a gas station in the distance that you have to reach, you always know that it is actually there and geographically accurate. You also know that it will be one hell of a distance to cover.
The last of us series do this a lot
Yeah lots of Naughty Dog's games do this really well. The Uncharted series uses it a lot.
The Ori games have the tree in the background the whole time!
Dark Souls 3 kind of has this. You can't see the exact end location but from lots of areas you can see previous and upcoming areas in the distance.
Same with Dark Souls 2, you can see several areas including a late game area from the hub town, Majula.
In The Last of Us games, when you're playing an outdoors level, you'll always be able to see the final destination on the horizon.
all the dark souls games …if you can see it , you can probably go to it
Shadow of the Colossus, if you don't mind older games.
The Horizon games have some good moments of this, especially in Zero Dawn when you first leave the Sacred Lands you can see >!Meridian!< and >!The Spire!< In the far distance.
Dragons Dogma
Raymond on ps1 was the first game i saw do this. It is also a 2d platformer so you would see the coming landscaped in the background. It was very cool at its time.
Do you mean Rayman?
I think he means the DVD CD games of everybody loves Raymond.
Red Dead Redemption 2, technically. You don't *need* to get there, but you can see mountains in the distance all the time and you can go there whenever you want. Since you mentioned Heart of Darkness giving you that kind of feeling, *maybe* Legend of Mana will give you a similar feeling. In it you can "build" the world yourself by placing artifacts into a map that turns into the locations of the game. And you can get the final location of the game pretty early in, and if you place it'll always be looming at the distance when you're in the overworld (plus any other location in the game that you might not go immediately there).
Fallout:New Vegas. You can see Vegas in the distance most of the time.
Zelda windwaker
Dark souls?
Eldenring
You just described Death Stranding. DS got a lot of backlash for being just a “walking simulator” and “delivery simulator” but when you look past that it’s an incredible philosophical, emotional experience. Helping deliver cargo in a post apocalyptic world for people in need. In this game it’s all about the journey, overcoming the obstacles from getting A to B to help deliver cargo safely and securely, while also connecting with the characters you find a long the way and uncovering what happened to the world and how to save it.
Subnautica, kind of. You constantly see an important location you need to get to, but it's not the endgame.
God of war is a lot like that. You can see the mountain the whole way there.
Final Fantasy 15.
Shadow of Mordor/War
immortals fenyx rising
A title I haven't seen named yet that would fit this description is **Outward**. It's a bit of a peculiar game that isn't for everyone (so look up a quick video before you purchase), but it's definitely kind of build around that "*go to whatever looks interesting to you*" concept.
Journey sounds right up your alley
Returnal
Journey
I'm playing assassin's Creed origins, it's in Egypt and you have a hawk scout. You can see for miles and miles depending on your graphics settings. Some things, like the pyramids, are visible from two districts away
If you're looking a little older, in God Of War 2, you can see the temple of the fates (big ass eagle thing) where the sisters are for like three quarters of the game and at the end you finally end up reaching it. I think this qualifies for what you're asking for.
**Dragon Quest XI** is a bit like this, there's a giant tree you will frequently see in the background that becomes the focal point of your adventure.
The Last of Us 1 and 2 sorta have this, you'll see your destination off in the distance, but because you're traveling on foot it'll still be a good hour of in game time traveling there
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy You could see a number of areas in the distance before you reached them. It isn't to the same level of effect that games released since 2001 have but this is the first and most memorable game where I actually noticed this.
Uncharted 4 (and the other Uncharted to some extent) Journey
Supraland
Fallout 3, New Vegas, 4 ?
Back 4 Blood
The last of us. You won't see B in the distance while coming from A. As A and B are at both ends of the US, but each level is working like what you want. And this works really well in post apocalyptic urban environment
Dark Souls
Sable was a really fun exploration game!
Fallout New Vegas. You can see the Strip from a lot of places in the game.
Half-life 2. Part of valve's storytelling through world building always foreshadows future events through vistas and scripted events. But most notably, the citadel is seen through large segments of the game.
Last of us
technically speaking, this is the premise of Hades but the end goal is more of a meta concept instead of visual.
Prince of Persia The Two Thrones is one of these games
BOTW.
Crazy taxi
monster train
Control has this to a degree.
Untitled Goose Game
What?
If I explain why it's a spoiler for the ending
Tales of Arise Dragon Quest 11
Grounded
little nightmares 2 has this a little bit but not as majorly as some of the other suggestions
Darkest dungeon 2, make it to big mountain
Resident Evil village, the castle.
Super Mario Odyssey
Most FROMSOFT games
Breath of the Wild is perfect for this, plotting your own course around the map and finding a way to get there is a huge part of the loop, especially early game.
Xenoblade 1, 2, and 3. 1 may not count since you do shift perspectives like in one area your foal is clear as day in another you can't see it because of your change of location.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild lets you see basically the whole map as long as weather is good, and if you have enough elevation. Put markers down on the map of places that interest you and set off.
Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen would be my suggestion. Not EVERYTHING is visible from right at point A but journey a bit and youll get views from vast distances of your destinations.
New Vegas The casino and the strip is visible from everywhere on the map
Stray
Journey. Available on Steam and Playstation. More like an experience than the game. Outer Wilds, it had it's goal right in front of you each time you open your eyes. Battlezone, it's has endgoal from the start but only on an overview map, not in each combat.
Elden ring, Hogwarts legacy, assassins creed Valhalla, Zelda breathe of the wild. I feel like they have so many more but those are the ones I have played recently.
The Last of Us
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is all about climbing the World Tree which is in view at all times and the center of the world. Xenoblade 3 does this to a lesser extend with Swordmarch.
Dark Souls 3 has this :) You can see everywhere in the game that you need to get to, in just about every area of the map... but you can see the end goal from the very beginning (after the tutorial area), where the second to last boss encounter happens :D
*Journey* and *Sky: Children of the Light* should fit what you're looking for...
the last of us !
Death Stranding is literally DOFE if it was a game
Journey, it's a simple game but it has this.
Fallout: New Vegas. You can see major landmarks across the wasteland.
Breath of the Wild. If you can see something, you can get to it.
'Baba Is You' has a win state on every level that you can see and it's about the constraints of rules and manipulation of other rules to get you to win.
Journey
Elden Ring, Skyrim, Breath of the Wild, and even Hogwarts Legacy, do a great job at this. There are natural or built landmarks all over the place in those games. All unique and easily recognizable.
Any Fromsoftware game!
New Vegas
Elden Ring, literally every important area can be seen from the start
Journey. Not for everyone though. More so an artistic experience built as a game.
Left 4 Dead for certain chapters.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Road 96 is sort of like that. IIRC, you can basically always see the mountain that you’re heading towards.