Open world games can be amazing. With vast regions to explore and dynamic systems that create entirely different experiences for different players, they can be unmatched in their sheer scope and ambition.

But sometimes, that same ambition can cripple a game's creative output. Whether because the game studio wanted to stuff as much content in as possible, or shoehorn microtransactions in even a single player open world game, the result is often the same: dull, boring gameplay, or a story that doesn't make sense in the context of the game world and mechanics.

In this episode, I look at some of the biggest open world games in recent history and see what went wrong and how they could perhaps fix some of their most glaring flaws.

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Celeste, an indie platformer game released in 2018, has one of the most accurate portrayals of anxiety and panic attacks. Over the course of the 10-hour campaign, we see the protagonist Madeline face the toughest challenge of her life: climbing the Celeste Mountain. But what tricks do the game's creators Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry use to develop one of 2018's best games? How does Celeste create deep, emotional connections with the player despite being a simple 2D platformer?

In this episode of Next Level Narrative, Aneesh Bhargav explores the human side of Celeste's game design, and why it's one of his favourite indie games of all time.

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The element of choice is what separates video games from every other storytelling medium. In this episode, I talk about how video games do good (and bad) choices, how developers make choices feel meaningful while still telling a captivating story, and how the Witcher 3 changed my life forever.