Just Cause

Just Cause (2006) from Swedish studio Avalanche Studios built its open-world action around two tools that became synonymous with the series – the parachute and the grappling hook, which let agent Rico Rodriguez close the gap between a moving car and a plane in mid-flight. Players gradually seized control of the fictional island of San Esperito by backing rebel factions against the ruling regime, though toppling the dictator was really just an excuse for a chain of stunts; the game leaned on freedom of movement and over-the-top, movie-style chaos rather than a carefully told story.

Just Cause 2 (2010) refined the formula – a much larger island in Panau, an improved grappling hook that could tether any two objects together (enemies to exploding barrels included), and near-limitless freedom to chain destruction. It built a devoted fanbase, many of whom kept playing largely for its popular unofficial multiplayer mod rather than for serious storytelling.

Just Cause 3 (2015) added a wingsuit for gliding between the mountains of the fictional Mediterranean island of Medici, opening up even more ways to combine hook, parachute and wingsuit without ever touching the ground. Wrecking infrastructure – bridges, towers, fuel depots – became a goal in itself alongside the main plot of overthrowing dictator Sebastiano Di Ravello and liberating the hero's home island. Throughout, the series positioned itself as a lighthearted, action-movie counterpoint to more serious open-world games, an identity built entirely on its carefree approach to physics and destruction.