Open-world games are one of the best possible bets for players looking to enjoy some great views. There’s one potential problem, however: while open-world doesn’t necessarily mean “too large to visit it all“, it often does.
A bigger problem still is how some of the most beautiful locations aren’t easy to access, or aren’t accessible to those who don’t pay the utmost attention. So, it’s time to lend a helping hand to players who might have one or a few beautiful locations still to visit in games they already own.
The original Elden Ring already features the Siofra River, one of the most alien and gorgeous secret locations ever seen in a game. Still, that has since become too well-known a secret area, so it’s a good thing that the DLC came up with Scaduview, another equally beautiful area that’s much harder to get to.
Scaduview is an amazing field of flowers that exists in stark contrast to the rest of the Lands Between — and it’s especially different from the rest of the Lands of Shadow. And saying this is a secret location is selling it short, as getting there will most likely require players to acquire knowledge from the depths of the Internet beforehand.
October 18, 2005
T For Teen // Blood, Fantasy Violence
Sony Computer Entertainment
Shadow Of The Colossus is already one of the most beautiful games of all time. It has so much beauty in it that it has no problem hiding its most beautiful spot from most players — and it’s closer than most would think.
There’s a secret garden right above the main hub, which players can get to by climbing around the outer part of the structure. Getting there is difficult and will require players to have reached the maximum stamina or to glitch their way there. Either way, players will be treated to a stunning location that they can enjoy for as long as they want. But be warned, really shouldn’t eat the fruit there, as it will cause the player’s stats to permanently go down.
Despite being over 20 years old now, Morrowind is still home to some of the best-looking areas ever seen in The Elder Scrolls series. And, even when players thought they’d already seen all the beauty it had to show, there’s the Cavern Of The Incarnate.
This place serves as, among other things, a shrine to the goddess Azura, whom players can see represented by a beautiful statue surrounded by lush vegetation. The original version of this Shrine remains beautiful even nowadays, but newer players can find an even better-looking (and easier to find) version in Elder Scrolls Online.
The world of Cyberpunk 2077 is no stranger to big secrets, like ones that give players access to whole secret gameplay modes. But there’s also space for some nice, cozy stuff. Though it looks like a mostly inhospitable place, Night City isn’t all that bad indoors, for people who know the right secrets.
Players who head into Dogtown at a specific time of night might come across a mysterious locked door. Once they find a way to get in, they’ll find a nice little room where a nice little arcade party is taking place. This might not be as visually stunning as a stroll in The Wicher 3’s Toussaint, but anyone who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s LAN culture will understand how special and heartwarming this will feel.
The original Soul Reaver takes place in Nosgoth, a place of rare beauty — meaning that it’s a place where finding beauty is rare. When exploring the vastly desolate Nosgoth, players can, however, stumble upon the human citadel, a place where the world hasn’t crumbled completely, yet.
Instead of everything being gray due to decay, players will come across a functioning steampunk-looking place filled with living beings. On top of being a surprisingly beautiful place to find, it’s also in a fantastic location, one that requires players to get dangerously close to the place where the main character was killed in a brutal way.
The Pitioss Ruins from Final Fantasy 15 are as different from the rest of the game as they are remote and beautiful. It’s a place where players will find no combat, and where all challenges will stem from puzzles and platform action.
It’s also a place that greatly contrasts with the type of beauty seen in the already beautiful Final Fantasy 15. Instead of lush greens and clear skies, it looks more like a rave in medieval times, filled with strong orange neon lights that contrast with this place’s spooky architecture and dark walls. Though players won’t be finding an Omega-weapon type fight here, the Pitioss Ruins are a unique location to check out in this already unique title.
Players spend most of a regular playthrough of The Forgotten City in the titular city, which looks a lot like ancient Rome in its best days. That’s already a beautiful sight, and that’s all players need to see to complete the game with a relatively satisfying ending, but there’s way more to discover — and it’s worth it.
Players who perform their detective duties to perfection will not only learn the whole truth behind the place, but will also be treated to the kind of vista they likely weren’t expecting from this game. Anyone who hasn’t played The Forgotten City should get to it, and leave only once every mystery has been solved.
