How can you tell which games are immersive simulators and which aren’t? RPGs like The Elder Scrolls or The Legend of Zelda give players plenty of freedom, but no one usually calls them “immersive sims.”

I understand that immersive sim isn’t so much a genre as a genre characteristic, but where exactly is the line drawn? As a fan of Arkane games, I’ve always wondered about this.

  • jtrek@startrek.website
    5·
    2 days ago

    Usually they have

    • multiple approaches
    • reactive world and NPCs
    • the world is more interactive than decorative

    So the game might say “get the laptop from the 2nd floor office”. An immersive sim will try to allow as many things as you could imagine doing in real life to achieve this

    • talk your way in. Convince them you work there or something
      • maybe forge or steal some ID
      • or hack their network to give yourself creds!
    • find a back entrance
    • find a back entrance directly to the 2nd story
    • just shoot everyone
    • sneak in and take people out like a ghost
    • sneak in and don’t get seen
    • set off a fire alarm and go in when people are outside
    • do any of the above after hours

    Contrast this with a more traditional game like Mass Effect. There’s typically going to be like one path, with maybe like one choice. You go in where they want, shoot the baddies, and get the thing.