The Forgotten City

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 170 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 130 out of 170
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 170
  3. Negative: 10 out of 170

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  1. SuperkenGaming
    Aug 19, 2021
    9
    The Forgotten City
    An experience you wont forget
    The forgotten city is a 6 hour long action adventure mystery game where you playas a character that wakes up in what seems like the distant past, in this land of people afraid of this golden rule, if just one person sins theyre all doomed, these golden statues will cometo live and turn everyone into gold.. but hers the conundrum, to get    The Forgotten City
    An experience you wont forget
    The forgotten city is a 6 hour long action adventure mystery game where you playas a character that wakes up in what seems like the distant past, in this land of people afraid of this golden rule, if just one person sins theyre all doomed, these golden statues will cometo live and turn everyone into gold.. but hers the conundrum, to get some info and escape, you gotta do a little sinning.. luckily for you.. youre a time traveler.. you steal the item or kill the person you need to, run to this portal, go back intime, thankfully theres a messanger standing right at the portal for you to tell all the info to, so they can run and take care of things you already took care of, not only that, youre back with the item you stole, sin free, rinse repeat, talk to the charcters in this small yet lived in feeling city,solve their problems, get what you need.. youll even get your own golden bow,which leads to some amazing dungon crawling sequences that I would’ve lovedseeing more of, youre dealing with thesegolden monsers, shooting vines leavesandalgie, to turn them into gold to traverse.. I loved it.. but again sadly this makes up maybe only 2 hours total of this 6 hour game.. the rest is just talking and listening, being persuasive, solving problems, figuring out the big giant people puzzle, how can I get what I need, gi back in time and use it against this person, or help this person.. I loved trying to solve the problem of getting info and also dealing with burdansall at the same time, and I loved that I got to keep everything I collected in between it all..
    The forgetten city is one of the coolest story games ive ever played… it is definitey boring at times.. a lot of times.. I skipped more dialog than I would in a game really pulling me in with its story.. but I was still glad I pushed through to the end, to reveal the big twist..
    If youre a fan of solving mysteries or just love a really good story, snatch this one up..
    I give The Forgotten City
    an 8.5/10    … Expand
  2. Monge
    Sep 1, 2021
    10
    The game looked like it would disappoint, mainly because of the terrible endings that games of this style have been releasing.

    However, I was surprised, with well-written dialogues and a sense of importance in the story.

    I could see the effort in delivering a good ending, and I hope the developers continue with new projects.
  3. philzlz
    Aug 12, 2021
    9
    I went in completely blind (never even heard of the mod) and loved this game. The story kept me interested, voice acting was stellar for such a small production and graphics nice to look at. Soundtrack was epic and you really felt transported to an ancient time with a lot of small details in world building.

    Only downside was the bow combat which is understandable since its not the main    I went in completely blind (never even heard of the mod) and loved this game. The story kept me interested, voice acting was stellar for such a small production and graphics nice to look at. Soundtrack was epic and you really felt transported to an ancient time with a lot of small details in world building.

    Only downside was the bow combat which is understandable since its not the main focus of the game and the tiny map, I would have liked to explore a bit more.    … Expand
  4. dick7181
    Oct 29, 2021
    10
    Simply amazing. I hear the complaints about "stiff graphics" but understanding where this game comes from as well as the idea of 'art style' will get you past this barrier. This game is an experience that no gamer should go without experiencing. It will influence other games for years to come. Play a pioneer while it's still easily digestible. Also, avoid spoilers at all costs!
  5. Archound
    Oct 1, 2021
    9
    Outer Wilds, but in ancient Rome and with a detective vibe. Must play for narrative games lovers.
  6. Aashtarsrain
    Aug 2, 2021
    10
    To those who never played the original Skyrim mod : this game is the most exciting, fresh, immersive, beautiful and cleverly fascinating mystery action game I've played in years. From a magnificent soundtrack to awesome story revelations, it's jaw-dropping in every way.

    To those who played the Skyrim mod : it's all we loved and hoped for, but different, fresh and ten times better in every way.
  7. hello_world
    Nov 23, 2021
    8
    The forgotten city is a game the lives or dies by its writing. Thankfully the game is quite well written (mostly). The game is less concerned with epic battles or even dialogue options with branching paths and is more interested with politics and philosophy. At its core, the game is about ethics, about what is right and wrong and how do we know what is right or wrong. An ambitious way toThe forgotten city is a game the lives or dies by its writing. Thankfully the game is quite well written (mostly). The game is less concerned with epic battles or even dialogue options with branching paths and is more interested with politics and philosophy. At its core, the game is about ethics, about what is right and wrong and how do we know what is right or wrong. An ambitious way to write a game, and it mostly works.

    This is not like Nier: Automata who talks about philosophers but doesn't go to far into the actual philosophy of the big thinkers they invoke. The Forgotten city wants you to engage with the ideas of ethics and morality and in the end, it does pick a side on what they think is the most correct answer to these ideas they put forth. I respect that they did this and would love it for other devs do the same instead of doing the whole "it's up to the player" mentality which has its place in gaming, but it can come off as a cop out for a mot of games and feel like the publisher was too afraid that picking a side would hurt their profits. That being said, I find that the level of depth they went into was quite shallow and isn't anything you would find in a first year philosophy class. After hiring historians to help make sure their world had historical authenticity, I felt like they could have also benefited from hiring a philosophy professor to help with the writing.

    I am three paragraphs in and I have yet to talk about the gameplay or the graphics. That's because both are serviceable and there isn't much to talk about. The game does have light puzzle mechanics, which are fine if a little one-note. The combat is pretty out of place and the game could probably be better without it. As I said in the review, the game lives or dies by its writing, because gameplay wise, it is unremarkable. The game is totally worth the experience if you're looking for something new, don't get it if you're looking for an action packed adventure.    … Expand
  8. Booth211
    Nov 21, 2021
    9
    This game was surprisingly fun. Of course it's not on the same narrative and development level as a AAA game because it was made by a team of 3 people. Granted, my bar was set pretty low, but I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely worth checking out.
  9. GibbyTheThird
    Jul 30, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm typically not the type for a mystery game; while detective work was high on my list of priorities in my youth, I've deviated from that. Now though, I thought I'd give it a try with this game. While real life doesn't have time travel (I've tried the "Time Travel to Now" trick; we never find it), I've found myself invested in this game far more than most others I've played.
    The story does follow similar story beats to the mod it's based on, but it builds upon it with new twists and turns, characters, and actual climbing mechanics. The changes made were impactful to my overall experience, and I found myself genuinely surprised and gasping - actually gasping - at most of the twists, and laughing at a few points as well, such as Descius's dialogue options in Ending #4. The writing made each character feel unique, with appropriate voice acting from each VA. While I didn't find myself going back and talking to each character, I still appreciated talking to them and learning about them.
    Despite this, there were a few drawbacks; not enough for me to not give it a lower score, but enough I was convinced to not give it higher. There were technical limitations for my laptop; while it is a higher grade gaming laptop, and I thought my computer could withstand the full quality, it was slow to spawn parts of the environment. Or clutter. Or people, which are very important to a murder mystery. Though, this may be a me-problem, so I'll let it slide. Beyond that, there was the Palace. Not the Palace itself, but I couldn't get back in. Maybe I'm incompetent with platforming, but I could not climb back up to the balcony, and I can't re-activate the quest that gets me inside. Maybe it's a balancing thing, but I would've liked to spend more time in there after further loops. Additionally, there were the facial animations. While they were on point sometimes, I still found myself puzzling while trying to read their mouths and think of them saying what I'm hearing coming from their mouths. I can't sometimes, and it spoils parts of the immersion. Finally, there were two dialogue trees that broke the impact of some quests: Horatius when "Malleolus" drops out, and Sentius when you find Sentilla. Horatius, even after the announcement about the election, will still say that M. is running and Sentius doesn't stand a chance, even when farmer boy Galerius is the opponent. Sentius, meanwhile, completely forgets that the illusion of him forgetting the loop was broken, and continues to give the typical Loop #2 dialogue unless given the Sentilla dialogue. But, these were the only two instances dialogue gave me the most trouble. The rest was on point, precise, and immersive enough to keep me invested for a long time.
    While there were problems with The Forgotten City, they were outweighed by well executed twists, deviations from the original source material, along with great writing and execution by the voice actors. With that said, I highly recommend The Forgotten City.    … Expand
  10. Traxillion
    Dec 11, 2021
    7
    Unique, well-written, surprising, and interesting throughout it all, The Forgotten City is a great game that deserves your time.
  11. Jurdman
    Aug 1, 2021
    10
    Thoroughly recommend this game. It looks beautiful, and the story is engaging. The game mechanics are unique and fun. I have spent a lot of time trying to piece everything together. Think of yourself as a Mythological Phil Connors from Groundhog Day.
    It's extremely satisfying when you figure stuff out and it all clicks together. I can't say anymore, as I don't want to spoil. Can't wait to    Thoroughly recommend this game. It looks beautiful, and the story is engaging. The game mechanics are unique and fun. I have spent a lot of time trying to piece everything together. Think of yourself as a Mythological Phil Connors from Groundhog Day.
    It's extremely satisfying when you figure stuff out and it all clicks together. I can't say anymore, as I don't want to spoil. Can't wait to see what is next for this dev team.    … Expand
  12. AleM123
    Aug 25, 2021
    10
    Amazing game! Hard to find these days games like that. Impressive! Started to play and couldn't stop for hours and hours
  13. besiegedparent
    Oct 16, 2021
    9
    This is the first time-loop game I've played, and I loved it. I found it very immersive, despite its relative simplicity. It got me thinking and problem-solving in a way unlike the adventure games I usually play.
  14. webhivbbr4vio3b
    Aug 1, 2021
    10
    I am genuinely so impressed. With a team of only 3 developers, they have managed to accomplish so much:

    Fantastic story- time concepts, history, philosophy, and an open-worldish type adventure ticked all my boxes. The content of the quests was also very unique; no fetch x quests, each was memorable Acting- both the animations and voice overs were very well done; it was super    I am genuinely so impressed. With a team of only 3 developers, they have managed to accomplish so much:

    Fantastic story- time concepts, history, philosophy, and an open-worldish type adventure ticked all my boxes. The content of the quests was also very unique; no fetch x quests, each was memorable

    Acting- both the animations and voice overs were very well done; it was super engaging. Each character felt real

    Stability- with time loops involved and the quests that are included, theres a lot of potential for bugs. Surprisingly, I did not run into any (except a money exploit that I used to my benefit)

    The only downside is that I felt it was fairly short, but that might be because I loved it I wanted to explore as much as I could ASAP.    … Expand
  15. Dhshsusu
    Aug 30, 2021
    10
    The greatest story telling game I’ve ever played and the fact that it’s in time means you actually learn real story’s. It’s very intelligent dialogue and pulls you in with a very human quality, the conversions feel real and are very powerful. If they could make the Scale even bigger I’d say this game would be better then elder scrolls. But the depth of story is far better then anythingThe greatest story telling game I’ve ever played and the fact that it’s in time means you actually learn real story’s. It’s very intelligent dialogue and pulls you in with a very human quality, the conversions feel real and are very powerful. If they could make the Scale even bigger I’d say this game would be better then elder scrolls. But the depth of story is far better then anything elder scrolls had made.… Expand
  16. AllNewSuperfake
    Jul 30, 2021
    5
    I love the idea of this game, and the score is my way of saying: I don't want to rate this. I want more games like this, and this is obviously the work of people who had a great idea, and talented writers and programmers worked hard to make it, and given the size of the team the result is impressive.

    But under the thin veil of a decent presentation and some nice writing even the short    I love the idea of this game, and the score is my way of saying: I don't want to rate this. I want more games like this, and this is obviously the work of people who had a great idea, and talented writers and programmers worked hard to make it, and given the size of the team the result is impressive.

    But under the thin veil of a decent presentation and some nice writing even the short time span that you spend in the "forgotten city" - again and again - is enough to break any immersion with technical issues and shortcuts in it's mechanics.

    While the story and underlying mystery are certainly interesting and the characters well fleshed out, the developers cut too many corners when it comes to the consequences of your actions. The lack of interactivity and interaction in the city makes it feel small, dead and less and less believable. Every time you enter the market place that has no customers filled with nothing but silence, where nobody reacts to you or whatever happens - even when it's a shrine coming down on a lunatic with a weapon - it becomes harder and harder to feel engaged or take it serious.

    You can't screw around because the developers didn't seem to see any potential in that, and every interaction and every object is directly tied to your quests. You can't really experiment because everything is quiet straightforward, which also takes out planning or getting creative and the satisfaction that comes with that.

    When you change history you never get something like a butterfly effect; you are lucky if you get additional dialogue. Everyone seems oblivious to what's happening right in front of them, and with very few exceptions most people just stand patiently in place until something sets of the repeating Armageddon that you are trying to stop.

    On top of that the game has small technical issues like long loading times that make you think the game crashed whenever you move around and hit one of it's invisible inner borders that put another dent into the illusion that you are in a living, breathing place that is alive even when you don't do anything. There are only very few things to explore or observe or watch, and everyone sounds like they are reading to you.

    So yes, I don't want to rate this, but I also can't recommend it only because I want it to be good.    … Expand
  17. RetroTitan
    Aug 1, 2021
    10
    I've never posted anything on Metacritic before, but I made an account SPECIFICALLY to do so for this game.

    It all started with a Mod... and this game is an ode to that mode, while also being something fresh and original. It is one of the best mystery games I've ever played, with twists that kept me guessing, even after playing the Skyrim mod! The love they poured into this game is    I've never posted anything on Metacritic before, but I made an account SPECIFICALLY to do so for this game.

    It all started with a Mod... and this game is an ode to that mode, while also being something fresh and original. It is one of the best mystery games I've ever played, with twists that kept me guessing, even after playing the Skyrim mod!

    The love they poured into this game is evident from the get go, with so much research and care having gone into it. The entire experience is like greeting a familiar friend, only to find out they're even more awesome.

    Modern Storyteller is a developer that I believe will go on to do great things... because they already have and frankly, they can only go up from here. Buy this game, LOVE this game, share this game to your friends.    … Expand
  18. Young_Nacho
    Aug 27, 2021
    4
    If your bar for quality has dropped so low to the point where this is some of the best writing in gaming, please seek help or play more narrative video games.

    For a game made for "Adults who like figuring things out for themselves" the mission path is extremely straight forward, and there isn't much thought required to get through the game. Just go with the blatantly obvious solutions    If your bar for quality has dropped so low to the point where this is some of the best writing in gaming, please seek help or play more narrative video games.

    For a game made for "Adults who like figuring things out for themselves" the mission path is extremely straight forward, and there isn't much thought required to get through the game. Just go with the blatantly obvious solutions or just cheese your way through it because the game breaks at the slightest hiccup. And aside from a single moment, nothing really feels clever. For a game with a timeloop mechanic, they do **** all to give you interesting puzzles or narrative beats to get around by using the timeloop. Most solutions basically play out with you choosing dialogue until you say the wrong thing. Then on the next loop you go back and say something different. And it's not like you really have much input either as the options are pretty rigid and several times the game would not let me say the one thing I very easily could have said to sway the conversation in my favor. It's so surface level and rigid that I can't fathom why anyone would think the dialogue or choices are interesting. I mean I literally got the "True" ending on my first run through and I didn't even feel like I did anything special to deserve it.

    Speaking of the ending, the big reveals in the last act are unbearably corny and play out like something you'd probably see in a random Gmod level. And despite coming out, what, almost a decade after the mod? It still looks a plays like a skyrim mod, though I'd argue the original mod's visuals almost fit better and Skyrim's facial animations are about on par with this 2021 release. I seriously can't believe this game was made in Unreal 4. It looks like it was made Unity, by people who don't understand lighting and post processing.

    I just don't understand what anyone sees in this game. The illusion of choice is paper thin, the ending is eye-roll worthy, and it's just kinda corny as a whole. The 4th wall breaking jokes are facebook level humor and having a "Karen" joke literally 2 minutes into the game does not set a great tone.    … Expand
  19. Underpants158
    Aug 21, 2021
    7
    This is a story focused game. Literally the only combat is an occasional area that you fire your bow in where the enemies take two hits and all they do is rush you if they see you. I never came close to dying by an enemy so you shouldn't either. If that sounds fine with you then keep reading.

    The premise is you have been transported to a lost ancient Roman city that is cut off from the    This is a story focused game. Literally the only combat is an occasional area that you fire your bow in where the enemies take two hits and all they do is rush you if they see you. I never came close to dying by an enemy so you shouldn't either. If that sounds fine with you then keep reading.

    The premise is you have been transported to a lost ancient Roman city that is cut off from the outside world. AND you are stuck in a timeloop. It is your duty to explore and chat with everybody, discover leads, follow leads, and break the timeloop. The city area is not so big but I think it is the perfect size for this game. I'm going to spitball and say there are about 12 people in the city. The characters and the mystery are enjoyable. The characters will probably not be so memorable in the long run but I imagine the mystery will be.

    In a game such as this there is a lot of possibility for the little annoyance of needing to repeat your actions everyday if you want to build off of something you previously did. There is no such annoyance here I am glad to tell you. For one, there is a very nice, overly trusting man that will run and do your important errands at the beginning of the loop. Also, all the characters you interact with are totally cool with being blunt and cutting to the chase.

    There are 4 endings and one of them is THE ending. The others are options but they don't leave you satisfied. So why do I think this game is only a 7 out 10? It is not that the game does anything wrong I just, for whatever reason, don't have any strong feelings toward it. It is good. It is solid. If you like this kind of thing you will enjoy yourself. I enjoyed myself.    … Expand
  20. sekiro-hate
    Jan 24, 2022
    5
    The game is decent, but I don't understand the hype, though I must say I played around 1h and I have gave up. For me it is so boring because dialogs are flat, life of the city is not better than Skyrim NPCs and we have 2022 not 2011. There is too overwhelming pathos: music, dialogs. Maybe it was fine back in the day but today I feel it makes narrative flat. Interactions with the world areThe game is decent, but I don't understand the hype, though I must say I played around 1h and I have gave up. For me it is so boring because dialogs are flat, life of the city is not better than Skyrim NPCs and we have 2022 not 2011. There is too overwhelming pathos: music, dialogs. Maybe it was fine back in the day but today I feel it makes narrative flat. Interactions with the world are boring and even though I tried 3 times I can't force myself to play more in this game.… Expand
  21. bancandrei
    Feb 19, 2022
    5
    Came for the story, stayed for the graphics. That is of course not ideal. I expected to be more impressed by both the story and the interactions. I was thinking 2 things while playing it: boy, this writing sure pales in comparison to Disco Elysium and this kinda feels like a Fallout New Vegas Vault. It probably worked much better in its original incarnation as a mod
  22. sex69
    Oct 8, 2021
    0
    There are too few supported languages. So it's not fun. It's annoying. Please support a lot of languages.
  23. felipemandarino
    Nov 14, 2021
    3
    NPCs are creepy and battle encounters feels like some unity rip-off game.
    Graphics are on the high side but I was expecting some kind of better GI or RT effects.
  24. MetoTheBabo
    Jul 6, 2022
    9
    This game is pretty good if you like history or fantasy. A pretty good adventure , graphics are decent , story is really great. But just one thing I don't like about this game is that the face expressions of the chacaracters . But its not a really big problem.
  25. Mandulum
    Feb 7, 2022
    8
    An enjoyable time loop romp through a little Roman village.

    Date Completed: 2022-02-06
    Playtime: 7h
    Enjoyment: 8/10
    Recommendation: Yes!
  26. TwoEars
    Jul 2, 2023
    1
    Jesus Christ what a buggy mess. Just play the Skyrim mod instead, it's free.
  27. Kubasa_Undead
    Nov 23, 2021
    10
    Absolutely phenomenal game, fantastic story told in a way that just grabs you by the balls and holds onto them until the end. Bravo! Haven't play something that good for a while.
  28. MaxByMeta
    Dec 26, 2021
    8
    What a great story rich game! I enjoyed every moment of it!
    Although I learned something new about history by playing this game, so it was definitely worth it
  29. auditbadger
    Jan 22, 2023
    9
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.
  30. sersimovi
    Oct 27, 2022
    8
    Really loved the world and the whole loop concept. It must be played with patience just so you're able to connect everything all the different characters tell you.
  31. Agathra
    Nov 18, 2022
    9
    Excellent game! I can say very little without spoiling it, but think Groundhog Day meets ancient days. Well written and voiced, beautiful graphics, and a great story concept! And multiple endings mean your choices actually do matter! I understand the playtime is around 6 hours but I spent 15 hours just playing around with decisions, dialogue choices, character alliances, etc.
  32. Sepherim
    May 31, 2022
    9
    The Forgotten City es sin duda un juego muy recomendable. La historia está muy bien construida, con un buen desarrollo de los eventos, los giros de guión y los personajes. No tiene muchas decisiones que tomar ni una variedad grande de finales, pero es un puzzle muy bien montado sobre como romper el bucle temporal (me recuerda a Deathloop en esto, aunque casi sin combate ni sigilo). ElThe Forgotten City es sin duda un juego muy recomendable. La historia está muy bien construida, con un buen desarrollo de los eventos, los giros de guión y los personajes. No tiene muchas decisiones que tomar ni una variedad grande de finales, pero es un puzzle muy bien montado sobre como romper el bucle temporal (me recuerda a Deathloop en esto, aunque casi sin combate ni sigilo). El bucle se rompe de ciertas formas para lo cual hay quests con marcadores si los quieres usar para ir resolviendo cada cosa, pero que puedes tener desactivados si prefieres (como yo) hacerlo por ti mismo sin guias. La jugabilidad principalmente es cosa de explorar, hablar con gente, encontrar y usar objetos como una aventura gráfica clásica, con una pequeña zona (relativamente opcional) que incluye una parte de combate. El juego es un poco corto (9 horas para mi y eso que me dediqué bastante a hacer cosas por completismo) pero en este caso funciona bien porque no tienes la sensación de que haya nada de relleno, y haberlo alargado probablemente lo hubiera acabado haciendo repetitivo.

    Gráficamente el juego no es lo más puntero que vas a encontrar, pero cumple bien; y la recreación del entorno de la antigua roma es simplemente brillante en su detalle, rigor y cuidado. El sonido tiene un nivel bastante bueno, con una música adecuada que acompaña muy bien, buenos actores de voces (al menos en inglés), etc. Y, cosa rara en estos tiempos, yo no me he encontrado ningún bug.

    Por todo ello, sin duda Forgotten City es un juego muy recomendable. No perfecto pero si excelente. Un 8,5.    … Expand
  33. Kelen
    Jan 9, 2022
    8
    [PL]
    7,5/10 ❤️ - Bardzo dobra
    (po ukończeniu gry i zobaczeniu wszystkich zakończeń)

    Rozgrywka bardzo uboga, polega głównie na chodzeniu i rozmawianiu.
    Niewiele walki i fatalnie rozłożona w czasie gry.

    Fabuła fajna, momentami bardzo wciągająca.
    Ukończenie bardzo satysfakcjonujące.

    Niesamowicie inspirująca gra.
  34. AzorAhay
    Jan 23, 2022
    9
    Good story, I'm not regret at all playing this game. Did all endings and enjoy them all, if you like a story based game you need to play this. Plus I learn some new thinks about Ancient time.
  35. hoanns
    Nov 17, 2022
    9
    Creative time loop mechanic with intriguing plot and charatcters. Great mystery game.
  36. gmontillot13
    Jun 10, 2022
    10
    Just a masterpiece. Clever, beautiful, touching… a must play. Can’t recommend it enough.
  37. Moazelbahy
    Jul 9, 2022
    10
    The most beautiful and magnificent work of art and dedication i ever seen in my 12 years of gaming truly a once in a life time masterpiece of writing and design
  38. BoeliB
    Jul 6, 2022
    10
    good game. good game. good game. good game. good game. good game. good game. good game.
  39. Ratingss
    Apr 24, 2023
    6
    A woke groundhog day in ancient rome, the timed quest and npcs chimping out and locking you out are annoying, you dont have multiple ways to progress, you will follow the same path up to a point, and then choose which of the obvious 4 endings to follow through with. But as far as story centered walking simulators go, this is decent.
  40. phuchaitt3
    Oct 22, 2022
    6
    Not a game for people who dislike a lot of reading and running around aimlessly. I like the mysteriousness but I dislikee the lack of direction. The city isn't interesting enough to keep you running around looking for clues.
    There are quests that I have no idea how to complete. There will be a lot of time spent testing out a clue, or an idea and then be disappointed that it doesn't work    Not a game for people who dislike a lot of reading and running around aimlessly. I like the mysteriousness but I dislikee the lack of direction. The city isn't interesting enough to keep you running around looking for clues.
    There are quests that I have no idea how to complete. There will be a lot of time spent testing out a clue, or an idea and then be disappointed that it doesn't work out, and then stuck without knowing how to make the story progress.    … Expand
  41. Mene0
    May 23, 2022
    8
    A great game, with an exciting story told in a way that could only be told in a video game. The characters and situations are well written and the juxtaposition of ancient rome and modern times is entertaining. The amount of historical research that went into the making of this game is staggering, considering the short dev team.
  42. buficek
    Nov 27, 2021
    9
    This game has an amazing story full of twists and turns, original puzzles and beautiful graphics. I would give it 10/10 because it's an experience you won't forget. But you also won't forget the problems that the game has and they annoyed me all the time. Lags and objects appearing in front of you or the fact that the game sometimes just stops and starts loading wouldn't bother me thatThis game has an amazing story full of twists and turns, original puzzles and beautiful graphics. I would give it 10/10 because it's an experience you won't forget. But you also won't forget the problems that the game has and they annoyed me all the time. Lags and objects appearing in front of you or the fact that the game sometimes just stops and starts loading wouldn't bother me that much. What bothered me though was the over the top political correctness. It was very annoying especially because story is everything in this game. Some of the characters were in the game to impose the author's political views to the player. I want to enjoy an otherwise interesting story, not be lectured on political issues.

    The Forgotten City is an amazing game that is only stopped from perfection by its not-so-good technical state and completely inappropriate political propaganda. I look forward to more games from these developers and hope they avoid the mentioned problems in their next projects.    … Expand
  43. L337KREW
    Feb 13, 2022
    9
    Beautiful detective game. The city is visually nice, the various endings are good!
  44. Charbles18
    Jun 5, 2022
    8
    A game with great time loop and puzzle mechanics, sadly bogged down by clunky combat. The time loop puzzle is satisfying, but the game loses its momentum towards the end when it devolves into scouring the map in fetch quests.
  45. customer005
    Mar 23, 2022
    9
    Wonderful game. The story is a masterpiece.
    But the only problem is that I can finish one of the endings too quickly. I wish I had been ignorant of the truth for longer.
  46. Samvell
    Aug 21, 2023
    4
    Massively overrated. For a game that relies so heavily on dialogue, the dialogues themselves aren't all that good. Voice actors do their best to elevate this material, but there's only so much they can do. This game wasn't written by a professional script writer, and it clearly shows.
    This whole timeloop mechanic is very tedious. I have no idea how both this game and Outer Wilds are some    Massively overrated. For a game that relies so heavily on dialogue, the dialogues themselves aren't all that good. Voice actors do their best to elevate this material, but there's only so much they can do. This game wasn't written by a professional script writer, and it clearly shows.
    This whole timeloop mechanic is very tedious. I have no idea how both this game and Outer Wilds are some of the most well-received adventure games of the last five years, despite the timeloop implementation being equally as awful in both of them.
    The journal is a joke. It lets you put a tracker on a quest you wanna follow, except half the time this tracker doesn't work and you have to navigate on your own. I hate this kind of approach. You either let a player track every quest or none of them. The way it's done here, it just creates confusion.
    The graphics are nothing to write home about. A tad more fidelity than you'd expect from your typical indie game, but still nowhere near enough to compete with big budget contemporaries. I couldn't help but think that instead of these "pretty" graphics and fancy voice acting they could've invested more funds and effort into the actual gameplay, quests, etc. Take, for example, Age Of Decadence, which, yes, looked way behind times, but it had a much better writing, actually interesting characters, more and better quests, even more locations variety. Better score too. The soundtrack in The Forgotten City is basically just stock "ancient music" and lacks severely in originality and memorability. Once again, if we're talking smaller budget, indie titles, take something like Enderal, which had a massive 5-hour long OST with tons of memorable tunes.
    Overall, this game is an admirable attempt, but still a letdown in so many ways. The developers clearly bit off more than they could chew. Perhaps they should've started with something more lowkey, prove themselves and gain more experience, before undertaking something so ambitious.    … Expand
  47. denizsavran
    Sep 12, 2022
    8
    I will never forget this game.
    An incredible story, betrayal, intrigue, plot twist... This game has it all for the sake of story. It's a great job, according to a 3-person developer team. I must say it has better story and optimization than most AAA games. (Of course, there is a slight optimization problem.)
    But it bothered me that we asked the same questions to the people we talked to    I will never forget this game.
    An incredible story, betrayal, intrigue, plot twist... This game has it all for the sake of story. It's a great job, according to a 3-person developer team. I must say it has better story and optimization than most AAA games. (Of course, there is a slight optimization problem.)
    But it bothered me that we asked the same questions to the people we talked to in the game, and this reduced the diversity. On the other hand, after spending some time in the game, you see that we do nothing but talk. The game has a crouch key to go stealth, but it doesn't do much. Finally, as the story progresses, the names of some characters are forgotten, although the game tries to remind us of these characters, it is not very successful.    … Expand
  48. Karamis
    Oct 22, 2022
    10
    Criminally underrated Witcher 3 story telling meets inception in Greece.
    I am not the greatest fan of ancient Greek/Rome story setting, but this game made it so interesting I stayed till 5 AM till I finished the game in at least different 3 ways.
    The game is no doubt masterpiece. Clearly product of love for the few developers that worked on it. The story, characters and dialog are    Criminally underrated Witcher 3 story telling meets inception in Greece.
    I am not the greatest fan of ancient Greek/Rome story setting, but this game made it so interesting I stayed till 5 AM till I finished the game in at least different 3 ways.

    The game is no doubt masterpiece. Clearly product of love for the few developers that worked on it.

    The story, characters and dialog are well ground, fantastically delivered, and respect your critical thinking. Ending is elegant and although the plot is intricate all the loose ends are tied flawlessly.    … Expand
  49. TypInSomething
    Jul 11, 2023
    6
    Greek, Roman or Egyptian. Whatever it is, I always think of mythology as a superhero comic. And this game is built upon it. I don't know who fked whom. I don't know who is what? So it was hard following their stories.

    But the game did a fantastic job of telling everything about them or stories I need to know to follow through. So if you even don't know wtf their mythology comic is    Greek, Roman or Egyptian. Whatever it is, I always think of mythology as a superhero comic. And this game is built upon it. I don't know who fked whom. I don't know who is what? So it was hard following their stories.

    But the game did a fantastic job of telling everything about them or stories I need to know to follow through. So if you even don't know wtf their mythology comic is about. Don't worry the game got your back.

    The story, 65% of the story was phenomenal. It was fantastic. It got stale at the end but did not drop the ball. There are 4 endings. Each one of them is very clever. Except for the canon one.

    The character models were ok. Except for the ladies. Every fking lady in the game looks the same. The lack of facial expression was very noticeable. These things can be excused as this is an indie game.

    And as always, they must include Western woke culture for the sick fks out there.    … Expand
  50. OMGitsTHEMEMI
    May 18, 2023
    9
    An amazing game with and incredible gameplay mechanic, the history could be better but it is still a pretty good gone nonetheless, the game also have enough paths that you wont be bored at all.
  51. NouredinFrahat
    Jul 5, 2023
    9
    FABULOUS GAME!!
    I was intrigued throughout the game, the story, the OST, everything was top notch.
    It's hard to believe this game was made by only 3 people.
    REALLY LOVE IT
  52. Mathluzz
    Aug 22, 2023
    9
    One of the best games i ever played, deserves recognition, i Wish there were more games like this

Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Best PC Game of 2021
45
#45 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 30, 2024
    100
    The creators from Modern Storyteller, have done what others can't - they have managed to turn a successful modification into a standalone game that is receiving acclaim on all sides. Excellent production values (especially for an indie game) meet with well-crafted and original game design to create a truly unique experience. [Issue#317]
  2. Games.cz
    Nov 30, 2021
    80
    A brilliant game that’s all about conversations. You get stuck in a time loop which sounds potentially frustrating but actually isn’t because you don’t have to repeat yourself in any way. It’s just a shame that the game’s a bit ugly and the puzzles a bit trivial.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    Oct 17, 2021
    78
    Modern Storyteller did right by rewriting its popular mod for a new world. Aside from some rookie mistakes and an apparent lack of budget, the story is exciting and memorable, and I really did not want to leave this cursed city. I definitely wouldn’t mind a few additional quests.
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