Dwarf Fortress vs The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Dwarf Fortress
Dwarf Fortress is one of the most unique and massive fantasy game ever made using only ASCII characters and colors. The game is completely open world in the sense that you are given the freedom to play as an adventurer and set off alone or with other adventurers on an exciting journey above or below ground (or both) to seek glory, fame and riches, or to settle down and help develop your very own dwarven outpost where you can then build a fortress, establish a barony, and in general, order your dwarven subjects around. Aside from the obviously different "art style" used, the freedom of choice, and the amazing amount of details in its gameplay, the game is also unique in its world building. The virtual world created is not only randomly generated with distinct civilizations with detailed histories, hundred of points of interests like towns and caves, as well as a flourishing nature, which includes both flora and fauna.With so many amazing features packaged into a simple-looking game, it is no wonder why Dwarf Fortress is a game that has inspired a wide variety of other modern games, both indie and big triple-A ones, until today. Due to its size, you might feel daunted to dive into a game like this, but once you've learned the basics, you will find yourself fully immersed in this completely open world of symbols and colors.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most highly acclaimed games of the decade, putting it on par with the success that more current games have managed to enjoy - The Witcher 3, for example. The game puts you into the role of the dragonborn, a hero who is able to defeat dragons on an equal footing due to the powers he/she is able to tap into. The game has plenty of depth when it comes to its lore, factions, and of course, the game map where you basically can explore anywhere you like as long as you can find a way to reach it. Of course, all of that brilliant gameplay and environment is well-packaged with breathtaking graphics and iconic musical scores that many still praise to this day.Granted that the game has plenty of annoying bugs that persist until today, it is not surprising for Skyrim to have over 200 Game of the Year Awards mainly because the game just blows everyone's minds when it first came out. After all, it literally redefined the open world genre. Not to mention, even with the hundreds of hours of original content to enjoy, the game has a thriving modding community that lets you eke out hundreds more hours from Skyrim.