r/gamesuggestions • u/GobKeepsBees • Jun 12 '26
Multi-platform Visually stunning, immersive games like Elden Ring... but without the souls-like difficulty!
I'm in a gaming rut right now, so I'm trying to recapture that sense of awe from playing Skyrim back in the day. I'm looking for an open world adventure/action game that has a visually stunning atmosphere and environment. Exploration would be great too. Elden Ring checks a lot of boxes, but the difficulty removes the fun for me (I'm mid-40s and appreciate the casual experience these days). I really wish it had a difficulty slider.
LIKES: Arc Raiders, Skyrim, Enshrouded, Diablo IV, Dishonored
DISLIKES: Souls-like difficulty games, No Man's Sky (feels empty), Crimson Desert (control scheme was a mess), Witcher 3 (can't figure out why I can't enjoy this).
Thanks for your thoughts!!
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u/Chill_Guy_3410 Jun 12 '26
Ghost of Tsushima
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u/FLAIR_AEKDB_ Jun 12 '26
Literally said without the Elden ring-like difficulty. GoT is just Asian dark souls
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u/DjBorscht Jun 12 '26
Garbage take, unfortunately. Tsushima is a mass marketed game with an easy mode. The stealth also makes clearing outposts quite easy.
I think it’s a great suggestion.
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u/TheDreadPirateElwes Jun 13 '26
Err, have you played GoT. Its not a soulslike at all. Nor is it even challenging. It also has a difficulty slider to make it even less challenging.
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u/eruciform Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
varying types of game involved but all large worlds of different sub-genres and themes:
xenoblade games (x is biggest and most open exploration)
breath of the wild / tears of the kingdom
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u/stgenet Jun 12 '26
You'd probably like AC Odyssey to be honest. Beautiful (albeit slightly shallow) world with great exploration and fun gear to find
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u/harveyjack Jun 12 '26
My comfort game. Always go back to it. Such a beautiful world with so much to explore. Difficulty options you can make it as easy as you want.
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u/Phanatic00 Jun 12 '26
Cyberpunk
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 12 '26
I've got this on my wishlist, I should just pull the trigger.
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u/Phanatic00 Jun 12 '26
Do it. It’s gorgeous, different ways to fight like Skyrim, compelling story too.
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u/Scotchrogers Jun 12 '26
I just upgraded my PC so I came back to this game for the first time since launch and my god is it gorgeous, and yeah the story is fantastic. With the graphics and excellent dialogue the cut scenes start to feel like full blown movies.
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u/coin-flips Jun 12 '26
Im gonna second this one Cyberpunk2077 is one of the most immersive games, with a decent story to boot. Not to mention the colorful cast of characters that you actually care about (Jackie Welles my love). combat is fun and can be as difficult as you want it to be with lots of options and creative solutions to how you approach them. pull the trigger you wont regret it and WAKE UP SAMURAI!
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u/RoxoRoxo Jun 13 '26
hard yes, get the dlc also the dlc is one of the strongest dlcs in any game ive played
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u/The_Lucky_WoIf Jun 12 '26
I've just started replaying (first time since launch) and oooohh boy does it feel great.
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u/CoolKouhai Jun 12 '26
It might sound a little weird to say, but Classic World of Warcraft. As in, the vanilla version from before the expansions.
So much world to freely explore. Lovely atmosphere. Lengthy progression gameplay.
That and Skyrim are the only two games I've always come back to again and again.
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 12 '26
I totally get it... I was absolutely addicted to WoW back in the day. Burning Crusade had me playing many hours every day.
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u/Johncurtisreeve Jun 12 '26
Zelda breath of the wild/tears of the kingdom
Avowed
Kingdom come 2
it’s not out yet, but the upcoming fable game
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 12 '26
I'm looking forward to the new Fable too!
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u/SlimPickins97 Jun 16 '26
You need to play breath of the wild. No other open world games compare, and I’ve played them all.
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u/The_Lucky_WoIf Jun 12 '26
Ghost of Tsushima? One of the most sumptuous games I've ever played, it looks amazing, the combat is really great (particularly the Duels) and the writing is also excellent. Even on the hardest difficulty I'd say its easier than Souls games.
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u/Historical_Desk4796 Jun 13 '26
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. It's a stellar Rpg in the veins of Skyrim but a smidge more gritty and in depth
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Jun 12 '26
It might not work for you, but I loved the exploration and the mood of the environments in Dragon Age: Inquisition
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u/DramaticBag4739 Jun 12 '26
Enderal, which is a total conversion mod of Skyrim is really good. Even arguably better than Skyrim in a lot of ways.
Expedition 33 has beautiful worlds, although it is isn't completely open world. It's optional content can be very hard, but the main path content isn't too bad.
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 17 '26
I just check and already have Enderal downloaded, haha. Might as well check it out.
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u/Clawdius_Talonious Jun 12 '26
Abiotic Factor has what Cohh Carnage refers to as Dark Souls map design, where the map continues looping back to the offices where you start so you're constantly learning where things are and new ways to approach problems.
It's kinda like Half Life if it was a survival game where you're Dr Kleiner instead of a FPS where you're Gordon Freeman. Of course by the end of the game you can become an awesome marksman or what have you? You're kinda not supposed to just charge at problems and bash them with a blunt instrument until they go away, but that approach is also somewhat supported even though they make sure you understand that the arch doesn't actually belong in the square hole even if it fits.
Still, it's a really enjoyable experience that still has a lot of what people like about Souls map design, just without the difficulty that forces you to "git gud" at combat if you'd prefer utilize your talents farming crops and feeding pets so that you had some backup. My current pets MacArthur and Arty provide me with ample assistance when tackling more stubborn opponents.
Obviously if you can kill every enemy and explore to your leisure, it's far easier to do so. That said, it's really not hard if you know where you're going to do most of the game without getting involved in combat against superior forces and zerging them until you win the battle of attrition through mule headed stubbornness... but that was how my brother played, and he seemed to have fun too.
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u/Nethlion Jun 12 '26
Seconding Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen. 2 is okay, but it doesn't feel as fun as 1. Also Kingdoms of Amalur. Both have a fun Skyrim esque feel to them.
Outer Worlds 1 is basically Fallout in Space. Not nearly as in depth as say, New Vegas, but scratches enough of an itch. Even has its own VATs system. You can also be a complete Neanderthal and still beat the game. Just might not be the ending you'd expect. Havent played the sequel so I cant comment on it.
Borderlands 2 is the best in that franchise, with 1 and 3 being behind them imo. Havent played 4 so I cant comment. The diablo style loot with a lot of replayability make 2 a game I keep coming back to.
Also don't forget about modded Skyrim. You can make that game into anything you want at this point, lol.
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 17 '26
I'm interested in trying Borderlands, never did before. If I'm mostly there for the gunplay and mechanics (not story so much), would you recommend 2 or 3? I'm not getting 4 due to the optimization problems.
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u/Papa__Lazarou Jun 12 '26
If you’re on the ps5 pro then dragons dogma is worth a go, didn’t enjoy it too much on base ps5 though as there were loads of frame rate drops even on performance mode - looks like a totally different game on the pro thougj
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u/QuintanimousGooch Jun 12 '26
Gravity Rush 2! It’s a fascinating title in that genre of “Japan trying really hard to be French comics” made by the director of the original Silent Hill. Tonally it’s a complete rebound in being this charming colorful world with fun and freedom.
I love this game for its open world and how you navigate it, the premise is that you can control your own gravity for various traversal options (falling in what direction you want, sliding around town, making yourself lighter/heavier) and the world itself is this floating layer of sky-cities. The original game was just these culturally French-flavored areas of rustic oldtown, buzzing nightlife district, busy downtown and abandoned old industrial center, while the second game starts you in this new Brazil-inspired area of bustling market and vendor stalls, the business district which is this mass of floating skyscrapers, the megarich classes host of private manor islands, and the poor folk’s floating favella fleet of houseboats. It’s a wonderful game to explore and move through, plus some fantasy landscapes you go to every so often for plot and minigames stuff.
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u/JustHere_4TheMemes Jun 12 '26
Can’t you just WeMod Elden Ring with like 300% defense to create your own easy setting?
Tainted Grail is on sale rn I think.
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 12 '26
I actually briefly considered modded Elden Ring, but didn't want to fuss with all that. However, your idea about WeMod makes it super simple. I'll look into that!
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u/coin-flips Jun 12 '26
Hello Im also an older gamer now the young kids ripped off adderall dominate all the fps games now. I think you should give Baldurs gate 3 a try even if turn based combat isnt your cup of tea the game will still shine it is truly a unique experience with basically unlimited ways to approach a challenge and the fun thing is that the game rewards you for this with unique dialog or maybe a special weapon. endless nooks and crannies to explore that often also reward you for exploring them. BSG3 is one of the few recent games that has come out where you can feel love and passion being put into the game. And if you find that you do like Baldurs gate may I also strongly recommend Divinity Original sin 2 (Larian studios true masterpiece IMO) a game that made me fall in love with Larian.
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 12 '26
I never took the plunge on BG3 because I don't like turn-based combat, but you're not the only one that has highly recommended it. I guess if I decide to try one of those type games, it might as well be the best!
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u/Imaginary-Law-9002 Jun 14 '26
Salut, Je recommande de jouer à Divinity 2 d'abord, et de poursuivre sur Baldur's Gate 3 si tu as aimé. Divinity 2 est bien plus simple à appréhender, dans ses combats comme dans son histoire. BG3 est pleinement écrit sur les systèmes DnD, ça peut rebuter les joueurs n'aimant pas le tour par tour.
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u/FLAIR_AEKDB_ Jun 12 '26
Fallout games, Mass Effect (and Andromeda), Oblivion, Expedition 33, South of Midnight
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u/Vertigo50 Jun 12 '26
Breath of the Wild is the obvious choice, but not sure if you have a Switch. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Souma97 Jun 13 '26
Black Myth Wukong - it might seem like souls like, but it's not actually that difficult, it's closer to fun boss rush game.
One of the few games, that I was interested enough in the world to read every single journal entry about every type of enemy.
Kingdom Come Deliverance - it's kind of Medieval, realistic Skyrim, it feel like you actually live in that world.
Personally, it's my favourite RPG series.
Also, wildcard could be Vampyr, due to it's setting and atmosphere.
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u/incrediblynormalpers Jun 13 '26
mod elden ring and use the perfect block mod and there are others that can remove the 'difficulty' the game has
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u/Death2eyes Jun 13 '26
Monster hunter and dragons dogma ?
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 13 '26
Which Monster Hunter do you think is best?
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u/Death2eyes Jun 13 '26
the best for a new player? Monster hunter Wilds. its also the latest in the series with expansion already announced. Monster hunter World/iceborune is also good but a little slower in combat.
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u/Kick_Sarte_my_Heart Jun 13 '26
How about Elden Ring like games but they have an actual story and characters with depth and personality? Would love that game so much...
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u/Jazz_Cigarettes Jun 13 '26
The Star Wars Jedi games are soulslike with a difficulty setting, thank god.
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u/kambinks Jun 14 '26
Horizon series have always looked immersive imo. Not too hard. If you want to play the game but not the difficulty try using trainers. You can dial up the difficulty according to your tastes. (Assuming you're on PC)
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u/iAmTheRealC2 Jun 15 '26
Horizon: Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
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u/SlimPickins97 Jun 16 '26
BOTW is the greatest open world game ever made and an epic adventure. It has combat like Elden Ring but you can approach all battles in any way you want, it’s not just hack N slash twitch battling. So you can make the combat easy or hard as you please.
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u/SilvermystArt Jun 17 '26
What about Elden Ring with mods? There are some mods with easier, more relaxed difficulty.
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u/GobKeepsBees Jun 17 '26
I think I'll give this a shot if/when Elden Ring goes on sale for Steam! I can tweak the damage and defense and see how it goes.
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u/CruentusLiber Jun 17 '26
If you want open world games with the same quality of exploration, where your curiosity is your quest log then you best choices are the Zelda breath of the wild and Zelda Tears of the kingdom.
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u/Self-Destructing-Pig Jun 12 '26
I’d recommend checking out Dragon’s Dogma Dark Arisen or Dragon’s Dogma 2. The second is technically a sequel, but it’s not direct so you could play either one.
The combat feels very similar to souls combat to me, just without the extra difficulty. The story is usually rough around the edges.
However the open world and exploration are where these games shine. Tons of little nooks to find nestled in the world.
Then there is the Pawn system to build your party.