The Forgotten City

This game, my gosh THIS GAME has got to be in my top 10 favorite games ever. I was very unsure of it at the start, then I was hooked. Truly, the immersion this story takes you, the voice acting, the LORE made me come back wishing for more each time. Few games stick with me as much as this one did. I highly recommend for those who love detailed world exploration, deep lore, and a game where your choices truly matter. If you're not one for dialogue or deep exploration, I would not recommend this game as it depends on those factors. However, it must not be understated how wonderful this game is - kudos to the creators! Thank you for making one of my new favorite games <3

[H1]The golden rule is simple. Figuring out how to break it (or not) is a tad bit more complicated...[/H1] For those that read my reviews religiously, you know two things by now: 1) it's been a while since I appeared on your feed (sorry about that), and 2) I usually review games immediately upon completion. Well, for this one, I couldn't. This game is, in my opinion, a masterpiece, and no words of mine will do it justice enough, but I'll try. And if even one of you guys gives it a go, then my role here is fulfilled. But enough yapping (let's keep that for stream lol). You wake up confused by a river, where a nice lady asks you to check for her friend in some ruins before she brings both of you back to civilization in her boat. Once inside, you find (intro spoiler) [spoiler]dozens of golden statues, an abandoned settlement, and eventually the man you're looking for, also transformed into a gold statue and hanging from a rope with a message carved into the stone beneath him.[/spoiler] From there, you get sucked into an adventure that sends you very, very far from home, and you'll need to crack down on a ridiculous number of mysteries to find your way back (preferably alive and moving 😉). I can't really say much more without giving away too many clues, but trust me when I say that the less you know going in, the better. The storytelling here is absolutely genius. It's intricate, deep and profound, with a ridiculous number of side-quests and characters who all have distinct personalities and are worth talking to. There are 4 different endings depending on your actions, and the game constantly forces you to think outside the box to reach them. I LOVE a game that makes you work for its answers. The historical and mythological elements are also surprisingly accurate, with only a few rough or out-of-place bits. Exploration is a huge part of the experience too: the game doesn't hold your hand, yet it gives you enough information to know when certain questions can be asked to NPCs later, which is a godsend for overthinkers and completionists. There are also so many thoughtful touches here. You can play as a man or woman (with specific interactions for each), there are tons of achievements (20/40 after 2 endings, and I'll absolutely go back for more), and there's even (big spoiler) [SPOILER]an epilogue where you can see everyone you saved in the final ending and get proper closure[/spoiler]. The visuals and overall atmosphere are magnificent, the music is nice, and, most importantly, the game gives you the OPTION to play or skip the action segment before a scarier sequence. That's the first time I've ever seen a game do this, and it's fantastic for couch gamers or anyone who simply doesn't want that kind of gameplay. I chose the action route and, honestly, it wasn't even that bad, but the possibility in and of itself is awesome. On the downsides, I encountered two bugs, both of which required a restart, but neither cost me much progress or affected my enjoyment. There are also a few other things: historical accuracy means misogyny and homophobia are brushed against here and there, although those elements can be avoided and aren't particularly intense (I mention it more as a warning for those sensitive to these topics than an issue, since history accuracy is a big plus for me). Replayability is naturally limited once you know the truth, the big reveal at the end may disappoint some players, and there is one technical detail that makes absolutely no sense to me: (big technical spoiler) [spoiler]stolen money disappears between loops, but money obtained fairly doesn't, even if you spend it[/spoiler]. Make it make sense. Still, this is an incredible narrative adventure at a VERY affordable price, especially when it regularly hits 75% off. At that price, it's honestly ridiculous how much game you're getting. From the couch potato to the casual puzzle enjoyer, there's something here for everyone. If I could make everyone play one game out of everything I've completed so far, I think it'd be this one. Give it a go. What are you waiting for? [quote]For more reviews like this one, please check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45639970-Ele%2527s-Little-Recommendation-Corner/][b]Ele's Little Recommendation Corner[/b][/url]! For a smol bat streamer with a side of ADHD yapping, look up [url=https://www.twitch.tv/eleanoramanticore/about][b]here[/b][/url]![/quote]

Seeing the Skyrim mod become a standalone game is neat. It's a decent story and a pretty cool piece of gaming history due to it coming from a mod. This is a fun one day game. I do admit, the golden bow mechanic in a full game built around it would be awesome. I was happy that there was some stuff to explore in the small but interesting worldspace. I wish there was more to do with said loot, but at the end of the day it's a narrative based game and not a fully fleshed out RPG. I got all the achievements + all 4 endings in 7.5 hours, though I did need to do a 2nd playthrough for the minimal loops. That only took me like 30 minutes.