Open world
There is no consensus on what the earliest open world game is, due to differing definitions of how large or open a world needs to be. Ars Technica traces the concept back to the free-roaming exploration of 1976 text adventure game "Colossal Cave Adventure", which inspired the free-roaming exploration of "Adventure" (1980), but notes that it wasn't until 1984 that what "we now know as open-world gaming" took on a "definite shape" with 1984 space simulator "Elite", considered a pioneer of the open world; Gamasutra argues that its open-ended sandbox style is rooted in flight simulators, such as SubLOGIC's "Flight Simulator" (1979/1980), noting most flight sims "offer a 'free flight' mode that allows players to simply pilot the aircraft and explore the virtual world". Others trace the concept back to 1981 CRPG "", which had a free-roaming overworld map inspired by tabletop RPG "Dungeons & Dragons". The overworld maps of the first five "Ultima" games, released up to 1988, lacked a single, unified scale, with towns and other places represented as icons; this style was adopted by the first three "Dragon Quest" games, released from 1986 to 1988 in Japan.
Dragon Quest
The original "Dragon Quest" game is often cited as the first console RPG. GameSpot called the original "Dragon Quest" one of the fifteen most influential games of all time and the "most influential role-playing games of all time", stating that nearly all Japanese RPGs since then have drawn from its gameplay "in some shape or form." "Next Generation" said it was "probably the first ever 'Japanese style' RPG", and listed the series collectively as number 56 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time". They commented, "While never as ambitious as Square's "Final Fantasy" series, later installments of "Dragon Warrior" can't be beaten for sheer size (if you only had enough cash to buy you one game that had to last you a month, you bought a "Dragon Warrior" title)." In response to a survey, Gamasutra cites Quinton Klabon of Dartmouth College as stating "Dragon Warrior" translated the "D&D" experience to video games and set the genre standards. Games such as "Mother", "Breath of Fire" and "Lufia & the Fortress of Doom" were inspired by various "Dragon Quest" titles. "Dragon Quest III"s class-changing system would shape other RPGs, especially the "Final Fantasy" series. "Dragon Quest IV"s "Tactics" system, where the player can set the AI routines for NPCs, is seen as a precursor to "Final Fantasy XII"'s "Gambits" system. "Dragon Quest V" is cited as having monster recruiting and training mechanics that inspired monster-collecting RPGs such as "Pokémon", "Digimon", and "Dokapon". "Dragon Quest V" also introduced the concept of a playable pregnancy. The real world and dream world setting of "Dragon Quest VI" is considered an influence on the later Square RPGs "Chrono Cross" and "Final Fantasy X". The "Dragon Quest" series was recognized by Guinness World Records, with six world records in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. These records include "Best Selling Role Playing Game on the Super Famicom", "Fastest Selling Game in Japan", and "First Video Game Series to Inspire a Ballet".