Summary
The passage ofday and nightis an effective way to enhance immersion in a game, particularly in an open-world setting. This feature not only makes the game world feel more alive but also provides a visually dynamic experience through the various stages of sunlight and moonlight.
In other cases, the day and night cycles do more than just change the lighting; they breathe life into virtual environments and influence gameplay mechanics. In open-world games, the day and night cycle can play an integral part in how a player operates, whether it’s avoiding certain hazards or utilizing different forms of lighting to accomplish their goals.
Every 3D game in The Legend Of Zelda franchise features a day and night cycle in which enemies spawn at night. However,The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Masktakes full advantage of the cycle thanks to the time loop gimmick that has the player attempt to complete as much as possible in the realm of Termina within three days before resetting time.
Particular events and quests are exclusive to certain hours of the three days, whether they are small character-driven quests or major story quests.This gimmick was a divisive one, but it is what has helped turnThe Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Maskinto a memorable entry in the beloved franchise.
Dying Lightalready stands out for allowing players to freely roam a zombie-infested city using parkour and wielding makeshift equipment. It’s intense withthe zombies being a genuine horrorfrom beginning to end, but things get worse when the player first experiences nighttime. Zombies are not only more aggressive, but there are special variants known as Volatiles that come out at night.
Volatiles are faster and deadlier than the regular infected with the added ability to leap and scale any surface, so even parkour doesn’t help. They are far from the only special zombies seen inDying Light, but they are enough to make a player want to stick to traversing the city during the daytime.
Heavily inspired by the survival gameplay elements of the third game,Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Paingoes even farther by not only including weather effects but also day and night cycles that can heavily affect Snake’s missions in the open world map of Afghanistan. It is the first gamein theMetal Gear Solidfranchiseto embrace an open-world style.
On top of the realistic lighting allowing for better stealth abilities, enemies can behave differently at night, and specific resources can only be found at night. It allows the infiltration of enemy bases to be easier, especially if weather such as rain or other storms are in play, hiding Snake even more.
The game that helped redefine the survival game genre,Minecraft, is all about exploring the overworld and building anything the player desires. However, that can come with many challenges, from having to delve into ancient dungeons for materials to having to survive the perils that came out at night.
During the day,Minecraftcan beone of the most relaxing experiencesthanks to its charming blocky visuals and lullaby-esque music. That all changes when the moon rises and monsters are almost constantly spawning: zombies, skeletons, giant spiders, and more. First-time players might be overwhelmed if they don’t have a shelter to rest in for the night.
Nintendo went above and beyond to give longtime fans and newcomers the most expansive version of Hyrule yet inThe Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. The sequel,The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdomwent even further with a larger map and the addition of sky islands.
Carrying over fromBreath Of The Wild, the various environmental conditions can assist or hinder Link on his journey inTears Of The Kingdom. During the day, a mountain may simply present a traversal challenge. However, when night falls, temperatures can drop to sub-zero levels, putting Link’s life at risk. Additionally, the emergence of more challenging enemies at night adds an exciting layer to the gameplay.
Unlike most games where the daylight is the more tranquil time to play,V Risingis about controlling a vampirewho stalks its prey at night. As the player explores, fights, and upgrades their undead prowess, they can expand their castle, which becomes their home base and protection from the perils of daytime.
As a result, daytime is far more deadly, with more enemies out and the sun’s rays creating extra damage against the player. WhileV Risingis an enjoyable survival hack and slash game in solo, even more challenges can arise playing PVP, in which players can raid other player castles for loot.
Living the life of a Na’vi inAvatar: Frontiers Of Pandorais equally thrilling as it is captivating.The titular alien planet of Pandorais brimming with details straight out of the blockbuster movies, from the alien creatures to the flora, resulting in an experience where exploring is not only fun but incentivized.
When roaming the extraterrestrial jungles and plains of Pandora, the visuals change drastically between night and day, with the night being filled with bioluminescent flora and fauna. Additionally, every resource that the player collects has environmental recommendations for harvesting; some require heavy rain for a perfect harvest, while others can only be harvested at night.
Geralt Of Rivia is, at the end of the day, a monster hunter and the player will be spending most of their time completing contracts and other side quests featuring deadly monsters plaguing the land. It’s part of what has turnedThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntinto an iconic RPG, even a decade since its initial release.
Slaying monsters inThe Witcher 3: The Wild Huntrequires more thanrunning in with a swordand slashing them. The player has to learn the target’s preferred surroundings, weaknesses, and active hours. Some monsters only come out at night, or even at a specific time at night.
