BEWARE OF POTENTIAL SPOILERS IN COMMENTS!
I played The Forgotten City for free via PS+ Extra and it’s one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences! I urge anybody who hasn’t played it yet but is remotely interested to not look up a goddamn thing about this game beyond this blurb of mine (because spoilers are easy to stumble upon) and play it ASAP!
What is it? It started as a Skyrim mod developed by a lawyer who wanted to make something that’s less of a game per se and more of an interactive story that delves into philosophical quandaries like the nature of morality. It’s a first person game where you go to an island and wind up in an ancient city of sorts. There’s a kind of groundhog day element to it and you have to figure out how to stop that from happening. It’s a bit of a mystery, but nearly all of the gameplay is running around and talking to various characters, all of whom have unique personalities. It’s like a really robust Fallout New Vegas mission, but without all the combat. You’ll probably get through it in 20-40 hours.
Okay, now that that’s outta the way, who wants to rant or gush about this little game?
I had high expectation going in but I quickly found it flawed.
It’s enjoyable but the settings feels like a gimmick more than something brought to the very end. The people talk and feel like modern people in costume and there’s plenty of dialogues that betray a lack of attention toward credibility.
Spoiler
I respected the immersion in a world that for once was actively engaging with magic / religion and I was so so disappointed where once again I found they went for a rather bland and slightly offensive alien solution.
At least I had a great laugh at the museum where the most impossible of character path were laid bare in front of me.
Also you can’t save the assassin wtf?
7/10, wouldn’t drop my job for it again.
Yeah, it’s definitely lacking polish compared to AAA releases, but it blows my mind that one guy who knew nothing about making a game did nearly everything, but ultimately brought in two other dudes to help get it all together. I actually really loved the alien idea, though. It’s interesting to think that the gods we have been worshipping for millennia not only truly exist, but are not of this world. And it’s awesome that that explains consistent religious teachings across cultures and times! I also really enjoyed the early question of whether the golden rule is real or just a fabricated threat to keep the people under control and Sentius in power, which is a legitimate question for religion and politics in our own world.