Small Video Game Worlds Are Underrated

Game settings don’t need to be huge to be impactful

Neon lights sparkle into my face as I make my way over to Club Sunshine from the Grand. Though Sunshine is on the other side of Sotenbori, it’s not a long walk. I know these streets by heart. I’d need neither map nor compass to find my favorite sushi restaurant or a discount store. The only thing I don’t know is what odd fellow, local thug, or person in distress I will encounter on the streets this time.

I am playing Yakuza 0, my first entry into this series, and I am reminded of a world design that I haven’t experienced in a long time. I find that most games tend to be rather extreme with their level design. Either they opt for strict linearity, usually in favor of high-speed story-driven gameplay, or they brag about their vast and massive open worlds, customarily sprawling with activities.

Yakuza 0’s Sotenbori is heavily based on Osaka’s famous district Dotonbori. Photo by Gilly.

The game’s developer, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, chose a different route, reminding me of what one can achieve with more miniature worlds. Yakuza 0 features two separate open worlds. I struggle to choose between describing their size as small or medium, but I suppose by today’s standard, the…