Noclip lets you (re)open the maps of your favorite video games. The opportunity to make real discoveries. A real treasure for the fans.
One of the interesting things about video games is pure exploration. Those who played in the 1990s will surely remember the vastness of the Zelda Ocarina of Time map or the realism of Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto III. While these games are still very fun to explore, modern technology is helping to take this exploration component to the next level by allowing you to fly all over the map at any time.
noclip lets you (re)open the maps of your favorite video games
The site noclip, created by Jasper St. Pierre, does just that. After loading, you will see a blank page with a list of several dozen games in the upper left corner, sorted by system. Nintendo takes pride of place on the list with games like Mario Kart Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Super Mario Galaxy, but there are also plenty of iconic references like Half-Life, Portal and Dark Souls.
When you click on play, you will see all available levels and areas. Some games have a lot of options, others have almost none. The main difference, ultimately, is whether the game is an open world or not: some games have a huge region to explore, others have several smaller regions tied together.
Opportunity to make real discoveries
If you pick up a game like Skyward Sword, there are many areas for you to explore. When you select one, like Skyloft, the site loads it. Depending on the game and the size of the area, this takes more or less time. After downloading, you see the entire level in great detail.
There are no NPCs, enemies, items or anything else. The areas are empty, as if you just finished designing the map. But you are here to explore, to (re)discover these areas, which you could not do on the N64, Wii, PS2 or other devices. Using the ZQSD keys on your keyboard and mouse, you can hover over an area and inspect its various parts.
A real treasure for the fans
It is below and outside the main area boundaries that you will get the most interesting views in your game. It is fascinating to see how these maps were built, what the developers hid under the surface or behind the walls, especially if these barriers lead to other areas that you can explore. Later. It’s also interesting to see how they managed to achieve certain effects with certain textures that you don’t usually notice.
Skyloft is especially interesting because the main landscape is not very big, but the sky is big. You can slowly fly over the area in search of different islands, as well as three portals to the basement. Head under the clouds and you can see how far these portals go and how far apart they are.
The number of games available as well as the endless exploration make this site really interesting. A site where you can easily get lost, literally. Feel free to browse Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver cards at the same time, or compare the differences between the N64 and 3DS versions of Ocarina of Time. Impressive.