The mod community is a funny thing. For example it has a particular penchant, one could almost say a fetish, for inserting Thomas the Tank Engine into various games. Maybe this has to do with actual train fetishists, maybe not. That’s up to them. Regardless, mods are made for just about anything you can imagine. It’s honestly surprising that every game doesn’t have Doom piggybacked onto it to show that “it can run Doom”. Heck, if an Ikea lamp can…
The point of all this is that The Forgotten City from developer Modern Storyteller and publisher Dear Villagers was inspired by an award-winning Skyrim mod of the same name. Drawing inspiration from this mod, the devs at Modern Storyteller have re-imagined the story to create a game that stands on its own and pulls the player deep into a realm of Roman intrigue and mysticism.
The Forgotten City is played in first person, but this isn’t a game focused on fighting. Instead, it’s a complex array of conflicting viewpoints that you as the player have to weave together to figure out who’s telling the truth, who’s not, and what exactly is going on in this ancient Roman city come to life. On top of that, you’re not exactly from Rome either. In fact, you’ve travelled in time to get here and perhaps solve the mystery of this city lost to time and filled with statues! The dialogue, narrative, and choices are the key here, and much like Skyrim, you’re left entirely to your own devices to decide how to proceed. Just don’t break the Golden Rule.
The city is massive and populated by almost thirty people, all working together, backstabbing each other, and generally being astonishingly human. The Forgotten City is at its best when dealing with the back and forth dialogue options that leave you pushed into a corner by your choices. The writing is simply superb and the characters all seem to have depth and personality. Notable historical research has gone into the design work and cultural responses from various characters and people like Septimus, Garius, and the Priestess Equitia all seem to suit their time periods and response patterns admirably. Granted, if you’ve got a doctorate in history, there might be some argument there, but aside from that, this is a superb fictional recreation of the stratification of Roman society.
There are a few weapons hiding about, but they definitely won’t be the focus of gameplay. There are also hovels, stables, cisterns, stables, gigantic temples and a lot more. Much of it is eye candy, but The Forgotten City manages to make you forget that there are only a few characters quite easily. Each conversation yields more clues, information, and options, and you’re quickly faced with making a variety of rather permanent decisions regarding the future of the city’s denizens. Do you break the rules to help someone in need and risk potentially breaking the Golden Rule? What happens if you do? What are your real options? The Forgotten City does a magnificent job of forcing you to make a tough decision to proceed and then deal with the consequences, some minor, some devastating. Morality makes the tension created by the plot so much sweeter and it’s easy to find yourself swayed by the plight of various city citizens. Nothing is quite as it appears within the city and taking the time to investigate makes your decisions all the more meaningful.
In addition to the simply delicious narrative, challenges to morality and decency, and the exploration available, the visuals in The Forgotten City are quite good. The facial movements of the characters are no Hellblade, but at the same time, the game still looks noticeably better than, say, Mass Effect: Andromeda in terms of character expressiveness. Between the beta release and this final version there have been some improvements to the facial movement and characters look noticeably better on the Xbox Series X. The grounds around the city and the various effects are fantastic and it’s easy to get lost just staring around the city here and there. Slight frame hitches in the PC version are gone now and the entire game runs smooth as silk, loads quickly, and plays like a dream. For a smaller indie studio, that’s pretty impressive for a game this complex, and the dedication and skill that it took to make The Forgotten City is absolutely apparent.
The sound and music are subtle and the focus is noticeably on sound over soundtrack, with soft subtle music playing in the background most of the time. The sound effects are excellent and the voice work is quite well-done, so across the board, this is a great sounding-game. Character reactions and responses are outstanding and the casting was well-chosen. The quite, relaxing music has an almost hypnotic effect though, so if you’re tired, trying to play The Forgotten City recommended. However, it’s a great soundtrack, probably worthy of a download if it ends up available online!
Control-wise, The Forgotten City is well designed and incredibly responsive on the Series X. Button mapping is intuitive and the UI design is sleek and easy to navigate. This isn’t the latest Doom game so you’re not exactly kiting across The Forgotten City, but it’s still nice to have a game that feels natural to play and what combat there is feels decent as well. Don’t worry, you’ll likely get to fight something! Much like Skyrim, you can absolutely get stuck in the scenery while jumping around trying to get to areas where something might be hidden, and usually you can manage to work your way out of them. Just keep in mind that it’s entirely possible to get stuck and don’t forget to save!
Ultimately, you’re going to get out of The Forgotten City what you put into it. This isn’t a game that simply guides you by the hand like Tomb Raider or Uncharted. Instead, your options and enjoyment depend on both exploration and paying close attention to what various city dwellers have to say. Fail to listen to their words, heed their warnings, or make poor choices, and you might be trapped in the Forgotten City forever! Overall, this is a very polished narrative gaming experience and the script feels like it could have come out of a AAA studio. The writing is the shining beacon of The Forgotten City and combined with the gorgeous visuals and user-friendly interface regardless of how you’re playing, this is a game that should be on everyone’s wishlist. If you’re looking for a game that challenges your brain and harnesses your creative problem-solving skills, The Forgotten City definitely will not disappoint!
This review was based on a digital copy of The Forgotten City provided by the publisher. It was played on an Xbox Series X using a Sony 1080p TV. The Forgotten City is also available for PS4 / PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, & PC on Steam. All screenshots are of actual gameplay.