How many types of RPGs are there like this? I know you want to mention Witcher 3 but IMO that is not on par with Gothic in terms of static world design. No other RPG as far I'm aware is like PB in that regard. That's why PB games are so unique and cult favorites to this day.
They could likely be improved with a higher budget, more employees, etc.. But for the type of experience they deliver they are pretty much their own entity.
joxer here said it much better than I
:
Like I said, Open world, has become a broader term than rpg, of what it envelops( considering gameplay).
In terms of authenticity, PB worlds do not have a
fraction of detail as worlds in Assassin's Creed( Yep, that is true...Ubisoft has phenomenal world designers and artists, their problems come from other sources), L.A Noire/all Rockstar games, Witcher I/III, Mafia series, etc.
In terms of richness of lore( tied to exploration) and variety of locales, even less compared to something like TES series.
In terms of world activities, same is compared to Rockstar ( or Saints Row) games( which are almost unknown entity here).
The same is true with world interaction/physics next to Zelda, emergent gameplay next to Far Cry's, traversal next to Just Cause/Mad Max...and there are more and more and more examples.
This is steering away from Elex, but my point is Rpgwatch is a fairly "insular" community ( not meant in offensive term), that has far more "niche taste" covering only a small portion of games on the market...and "rpg" term is far less dogmatic than it was ten-twenty years ago.