The Forgotten City by developer Modern Storyteller and publisher Dear Villagers—PC preview written by Susan N with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Gameplay
The Forgotten City is a murder mystery game set during Roman times. Players are investigators from the future to stop the whole city from turning to gold because someone will sin. It is quietly terrifying in ways that players don't originally assume. And what is most interesting about The Forgotten City is that it began as a mod for Skyrim. Due to the success of the mod and the awards won, the creators formed their own studio. After seeing the premise of the game, became invested in it. I love a good murder mystery, after all.
We begin the game washed up on a shore, not remembering much of how we arrived there nor what happened. Our saviour is a woman who is casually waiting by a boat. She is awaiting her missing friend that you now get to track down. While this woman is helpful in that she kicks off our journey, I disliked something specific about her. There is a good reason for my issue with her and I feel like it took away from my experience. Anyways, after walking forwards in search of this missing friend, there is a note and a backpack. Behind the door are ruins that we have interest in. There is a small room with a circular mosaic floor piece and before we can examine it, the floor turns into a trap door that we fall through.
It doesn't take long before looking around at the beautiful architecture in search of a way out. There is a fairly linear path to follow before we end up in front of a man that tells us to speak to the Magistrate. It's odd that the man knows we've arrived and I'm already on high alert. Once we speak to him, he asks us to find and stop the person intending to break the Golden Rule. We learn that the Golden Rule is technically all-encompassing of crime and sin and that people are living in fear.
Our journey of exploration, puzzle-solving, and investigation begins here. The Golden Rule is repeatedly stated. 'The many shall suffer for the sins of one.' What sins qualify isn't readily apparent. We have to determine what sins will cause everyone to die. If that happens, we have to run back to the portal we came through to go back in time. Depending on how players learn who will doom society, they will end up with one of several possible endings.
Graphics
If there is one thing I could say about The Forgotten City as a standalone game is that it is beautiful. The detail that each golden statue displays are nothing short of breathtaking. The architecture is fantastic, capturing the city's beauty, but is realistic to the time period. Even the bathhouse has a level of detail that is reminiscent of Roman times, complete with the unhygienic communal bath sponges. It might be surprising to know that the developers chose the time period due to the wealth of information on it.
After playing The Forgotten City on two different computers, I can say that the golden statues are both really neat and quite creepy. If I played on the computer that could barely run the game, upon looking at the statues they were looking back at me. At first, I assumed I was going mad, but no. When I had the opportunity to play on my PC which is much more capable of running the game, I saw that the statues slowly turn their heads towards me. I'm not even sure which instance is creepier, seeing the head move in your direction, or thinking you're crazy after noticing that they've moved. Try not to be creeped out with the knowledge that the statues are watching your every move.
With any game release, there are glitches and bugs. I encountered torchlight located on the exterior of a building when there was no torch nearby. In the screenshot below, there is a small lit square that has no logical source. That said, none of the graphic issues are game-breaking.
Pros and Cons
Pros
● Amazing graphical detail
● Spectacular voice acting and music
● Intriguing murder mystery
● Lowkey creepy atmosphere that gives an authentic experience
● Diverse characters
● Some of the dialogue responses left me chuckling
Cons
● Some of the jokes felt shoehorned into the game. For most players these comedic moments are wonderful, but one of them felt forced and out of place.
● Minor graphics glitches that were out of place enough to be noticeable
● No map or directional indicator. This seriously would have been nice to have.
Forgotten Final Impressions
The Forgotten City is not a game that players will forget easily. This society has forgotten about the people in this magical place, but I will not forget the moral questions and themes in the game. It asks many questions of the player even if those seem trivial in today's society. Are you willing to steal items to save a life or to lie to get ahead? Are you willing to live in a society where you are constantly watched? You make those choices knowing that any of them can break the Golden Rule, dooming the citizens.
The Forgotten City is a humble murder mystery that is terrifying to consider the consequences of people's actions. One wrong decision will doom all of the citizens which is a chilling thought. As such, the game puts the onus on all citizens to do right and to watch for any wrongdoing. Not only does the player have to find the sinner, but they have to figure it out knowing that the statues are always watching. That is a terrifying concept. However, despite the heavy concepts, I love a great mystery game that allows players to get different endings. I can't wait for others to get their hands on this title when it launches in late July!
Score: N/A
