Overworld

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In fantasy type computer and video games, the Overworld generally refers to an "outdoor" or "world map" section of the game, as opposed to an Underworld where dungeons or levels reside. The Overworld often denotes the "traveling" aspect of an adventure game, whereas the "levels" focus on actual gameplay.

One of the earliest console games with an Overworld was the now famous NES game The Legend of Zelda. Gameplay in Zelda's Overworld, was virtually identical to that of its nine underground dungeon levels, and included caves, bridges, mazes, shops, waterfalls and tumbling rocks. Much of the immediate gameplay took place in the Overworld, and the diversity of terrain (as well as the sheer size of the Overworld itself) ensured that the player would spend as much time exploring and searching above ground as they would below.

Zelda's commercial success spawned numerous action and fantasy based RPGs with Overworlds. Some of these, like Metal Gear, would attempt to emulate Zelda, having the main character interact with the Overworld environment as they did the specific levels. Others, such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior, kept the Overworld as a 'travel map', and changed to a closer perspective for direct gameplay or confrontation. Random battles became a traditional feature of Overworld maps, though some games later did away with this, using the overworld map purely as a travel feature or narrative device.

Capitalizing on Zelda's success, game designers also began including an 'Overworld Theme' in their fantasy games, and this soon became an almost unbreakable requirement for any console role-playing game. Some Overworld themes, such as Zelda's, went on to become the main Overworld theme throughout their entire game series.

In terms of game music, Overworld themes are often orchestral in nature, and of greater length and complexity than other pieces in the same game, due to the amount of time spent traveling the Overworld map. Since players will usually visit a single level or area a few times in a given play session, the music for any such section of the game will typically be shorter and/or less complex, and thus less time-consuming for the designers to produce. The Overworld theme will often function as a main theme of a given game, being arranged for specific scenes or situations (e.g, a 'romantic' setting will often see the overworld theme 'remixed' to suit that setting).

In some cases, the Overworld refers to a specific area of a game. This area is often central, but not necessarily where most of the time is spent; however, it plays an important role in the story. Such an example is the Tallon Overworld from Metroid Prime, in which the player's ship lands, and also is the place where the game eventually ends; it does not connect all areas of the game however, and relatively little time is spent there.

Alongside RPGs, 3-D platform games tend to feature Overworlds, with Super Mario 64 possibly being the first to do. It is likely that they evolved from the world maps featured in prior 2-D platform games, such as those seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Donkey Kong Country. This was in contrast to the previous system of gameplay, like Super Mario Bros. and Castlevania which involved the player simply going through levels in a linear order, with no ability to return to completed levels.