Allow Choice in Exploration[]
When exploration is a main mechanic of a game, see "Walking Simulators" for examples, choice is the driving force for the player to sculpt their experience. For example, they can choose to see certain things, go down a different path, or look in another direction. If you want to craft a game that utilizes how a player interacts with your system to build a narrative, you must allow them to set the pace, choice, and overall shape of their story.
Examples[]
Gone Home[]
In Gone Home, the player is essentially given free roam of the play space. With a minor amount of gated areas in their path. They uncover the narrative through exploration and examination of the space in order to piece together their purpose. The lack of linear guiding in Gone Home, that is the design of opening a majority of the house's areas at the beginning of the game, gave the player choice when it came to sculpting the experience. Some players go directly for the bedrooms, arguably the rooms in a home with the most purpose and information about its inhabitants. Others went for the more utility aspects of the home, like the kitchen or basement to uncover more about the workings of the family.
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Witcher Series.[]
The best pat about playing Witcher is the ability to roam freely. All the games in the Witcher series have this amazing world and lore to explore even if you are not following the stories. You can go anywhere and explore anything in the game.
Dark Souls[]
In the first Dark Souls game, players were introduced to a hub world after completing the tutorial. This area was called Firelink Shrine. There were many paths leading away from Firelink Shrine, all of which were accessible from the start. Some of these routes lead to more difficult areas than others, a few of these being far beyond a starting player's level. While this endangered beginning players, it made the world feel very expansive and created a unique experience for everyone playing.
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The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim[]
Skyrim is an open-world action role-playing game. Players can freely explore the entire map without any restrictions. The game heavy encourages players to explore the world. In return of this, players can find hidden treasures, loots, quests, to progress their character and also help them progress the story of the game.
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