Deal | Under $5: Time-loop adventure (95% positive) hits its lowest price ever on Steam

In The Forgotten City, players enter a mysterious portal that takes them around 2,000 years into the past. There, they find themselves in an underground Roman city governed by a rule that is as simple as it is unsettling: If even one person commits a sin, the entire population will be turned into gold by an unknown force. Players have to find out who or what is behind it, what actually counts as a sin and how the city's destruction can be prevented.

The gameplay primarily revolves around detective work: Players get to know the residents, uncover their secrets and gradually piece together the story. The key twist, however, is the time loop: If the Golden Rule is broken, the day can be reset – but the knowledge gained and certain items are carried over. On the next attempt, players can approach conversations differently, deliberately influence events and explore previously inaccessible paths. Problems can be solved through reason, charm, bribery or intimidation. And when words are no longer enough, there's always the bow. Depending on the choices made, the story leads to one of four different endings.

German gaming magazine PC Games particularly praised the gripping story, interesting characters and well-crafted dialogue in its review. The clever use of the time loop, meaningful decisions and atmospheric Roman setting were also well received. Criticism, on the other hand, was directed at the weak animations and expressionless faces as well as the somewhat clunky combat controls. In the end, the publication awarded the game a strong 9 out of 10.

The Steam community rates it even more highly: 95% of more than 13,500 reviews are positive. Metacritic lists a Metascore of 85 and a User Score of 8.1. On the Steam Deck, the mystery adventure from Australian studio Modern Storyteller is rated as Verified.

The Forgotten City normally costs $24.99 on Steam. Until September 10, however, an 80% discount brings the price down to $4.99 – for the first time ever. According to SteamDB, previous discounts topped out at 75%, meaning the current deal marks a new all-time low.

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.