I’ll never forget the first time I watched a sunset in Skyrim. Even on PlayStation 3, I was overjoyed. When Skyrim: Special Edition rolled around, that joy became total awe. From that moment forward, I vowed never to use fast travel again. I would make every journey across the realm either on foot, or horseback, or via horse-drawn carriage. I even installed a mod that raised carriage service prices by a considerable margin in order to prevent myself from relying upon them too often.
Whether it’s Skyrim or something else, many gaming fans have shared similar sentiments through the years, especially in open-world settings. I’ve always been fascinated to read which worlds have resonated so completely with other players, and an ongoing Reddit thread has really drawn me in.
Why Warp When You Can Walk? (Or Sail?)
The Reddit thread in question is presently popping off with spiffy answers. One of the top comments, from FG237, mentions Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. In that game, you take the role of Edward Kenway, a prominent pirate in the 18th-century Caribbean. As such, skipping fast travel is mostly more of a choice to sail from island to island rather than to walk everywhere – though, there’s still plenty of walking once you’re on the islands themselves.
For lengthier on-foot excursions, Sucker Punch’s 2020 samurai epic Ghost of Tsushima is a popular pick, which I’m fully in agreement with. (It also makes me all the more excited for Ghost of Yotei.) “Beautiful game, very cinematic,” Maw-91 says. “You can literally stop anywhere, and it’s a damn painting,” adds DaShAgNL. Yep, amen.
For Cyberpunk 2077, lost_scotsman has a poignant exception to the no-fast-travel rule. “Only fast travel I use is the monorail transport, and if you haven’t used it yet you are missing out, it’s incredibly scenic and quite tranquil just looking out the window.” (Though, I did notice a handful of replies from folks who weren’t aware that it’s in the game. I’ve not played Cyberpunk 2077 much myself, so I guess it’s fairly rare?)
Of course, Geralt’s multi-regional journey in The Witcher 3 gets its due shouts. “In Toussaint I would even take detours on purpose because it was so beautiful,” KoolFunk reminisces. That’s honestly me in so many games, from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to Dragon Age: Inquisition. And my favourite game of all time – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – is cited on more than one occasion. I’m having fun never using Sheikah Towers all over again, thanks to the Switch 2 version’s Zelda Notes voice memories!
On the other hand, some will never commit to this sort of thing. “None for me,” urgasmic states to the contrary, “but yes there’s definitely some great games with beautiful worlds to walk through, sometimes.” Honestly, urgasmic is probably speaking for the vast majority of the gaming world. Never using teleportation options really, really, adds to one’s total playtime.
Skyrim – and the recent Oblivion remaster, and Fallout 4, and all the rest of them – have their own share of the Reddit chatter spotlight. “Bethesda games in general,” Strange_Compote_4592 declares. For a self-admittedly more oddball pick, PMar797 has Pokemon Emerald for theirs. And, come to think of it, I’m even in agreement here, as well!
“The GBA spritework and colors are truly timeless, and they’ve allowed gen 3 to age extremely well visually. Certainly helps that Hoenn is a vibrant region with so many different biomes and unique towns, and getting around on foot is quick and easy with a Mach bike, surf and repels.” -PMar797
Man, I’ve gotta tell y’all. Reading all these comments, I want nothing more than to spend the remainder of my quiet and relaxing Sunday vibing with video game worlds. Imposed travel restrictions certainly aren’t for everybody, but some of us can’t imagine certain games without them.
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