Popular modification for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim thanks to the efforts of three enthusiasts, after many years of painstaking development, it has turned into a full-fledged game on the engine Unreal Engine… An immersive adventure in a Roman city offers an unexpected take on a detective investigation, which in this case is more reminiscent of a popular anime Re: Zerothan a historical novel.
According to the plot idea, you find yourself on the banks of the river, not far from the archaeological site. At the request of the girl who saved you, you go in search of one of the scientists and fall 2000 years ago in the past. In an amazing city of gold that combines Roman, Greek and Egyptian architecture, you have to find a way out of an endless cycle of time and find out who threatens the local order.
In the vastness of this strange place, there is a “golden rule” that prohibits any violation of the law. And as soon as one of the residents of the city breaks it, everyone around begins to die and turn into golden statues. I mentioned Re: Zero above for a reason, because in the world of The Forgotten City you can endlessly experience the same day.
If the “golden rule” is violated, a portal to the past opens immediately, where you can dive in and try to achieve your goals with new knowledge. This cyclical nature reveals unexpected options for exploring the world around you, because any mistake can be corrected with the next call. Moreover, the extracted keys, money and items are saved within the framework of temporary jumps. Naturally, the memory of the characters about meeting you will be completely reset.
Unfortunately, in addition to detective work, research and the need to make decisions in dialogues, the authors of The Forgotten City decided to diversify the world of the game with action, and it turned out to be very crooked. So, at the disposal of the protagonist, a special bow of Artemis appeared, shooting magic arrows that turn everything into gold. Thus, whole sections with climbing golden ivy and tedious mazes with feral zombies that must be shot from a bow were added to the game.
Such stages are not only very poorly performed and seem technically backward, but also completely destroy the detective and research spirit of the project. Additional problems are created by mazes with important items for assignments – when you are nudged to solve a problem in one way, frustration arises. I would like more variability, especially in the points that are important for the development of a positive story. There are four endings in the game, the best of which involves saving the maximum number of city residents.
