When it comes to sheer creativity, whether it is narrative design, level design, or combat, Indie games often surpass big-budget AAA titles. The Forgotten City is a perfect example of this, where a small team of three people made a game with a beautiful setting and amazing narrative design.
The Forgotten City is set in an ancient Roman underground city where people have to live their lives while minding the Golden Rule: “The many shall suffer for the sins of the one”. If one person commits a sin like stealing or killing, the entire city pays the price, as the residents are turned into gold statues. It is this mystery that you have to solve.
Based on the stellar writing, fleshed-out NPCs, and the historically accurate Roman setting, IGN gave The Forgotten City a rating of 9 out of 10 in their review. The publication termed the game as “an incredibly unique and self-aware adventure game that does a fabulous job of exploring complex ideas”.
In other words, if you enjoy games with a mysterious story, an intense focus on narrative, and clever writing, The Forgotten City is the game for you. The title is now retailing for just $6.24 on Steam, a record-low price for the game.
The Forgotten City is a mystery that demands exploration
While there is some optional combat, extensive exploration and interaction with different characters is The Forgotten City’s main gameplay loop. You will be moving around the beautifully presented city, chat it up with NPCs, solve puzzles, and encounter some traversing challenges, all the while trying to piece together how to save the city from certain destruction.
This is where the time loop mechanic comes in. During your playthrough, it is inevitable that the Golden Rule will be triggered. Once it is, you can rewind time back to undo the city’s destruction and resume your hunt for answers by completing different quests.
Sadly, while the writing is nearly flawless and the city is beautifully rendered in Unreal Engine 4, the character models and animations aren’t anything to write home about. However, this makes sense since the game is an indie project made by only a handful of people.
If you can overlook this obvious flaw, The Forgotten City is an adventure worth embarking on, especially now that it costs less than $7.
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
Source(s)
Steam (linked above), IGN