The Forgotten City

 PC
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. New Game Network
    Aug 3, 2021
    73
    The Forgotten City succeeds at drawing you into a mystery and using time travel mechanics very effectively. As a narrative adventure, its strong cast and engaging setting help bring the city to life. The game may not always look great and some of the endings are rather abrupt, but it's a trip back in time worth taking.
  2. GameCritics
    Aug 18, 2021
    70
    The Forgotten City is quite interesting as a new release that’s actually an enhanced and expanded mod that retains all of its key elements while being offered to players who might not be familiar with Skyrim. Despite the performance issues, it’s an adventure that will fascinate until the end, and the riddle surrounding The Golden Rule is one worth solving.
  3. Slant Magazine
    Jul 27, 2021
    70
    The game handily transcends its mod origins and tells an ambitious and thought-provoking story, but it eventually reaches a point where it doesn’t seem sure how to end.
  5. Hardcore Gamer
    Jul 27, 2021
    70
    For all its occasional grievances — that don’t add up to too much — it’s the intriguing mystery as much the appeal of its investigative leads across many a conversation where the strengths of The Forgotten City end up standing out most of all.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. 3DJuegos
    Aug 5, 2021
    If you love a great story with touches of mystery and conversational deduction, The Forgotten City is a very serious option to consider. Its clever storyline and gameplay will catch your attention until the end. [Recommended]
  2. Kotaku
    Sep 9, 2021
    The destination is...interesting, which is why I consider The Forgotten City in the category of odd B games I’ll think about for several years.
  3. Polygon
    Aug 31, 2021
    Unlike other recent time-loop games, The Forgotten City rarely plays coy with its plot progression. Menus will often directly tell you how to accomplish your goals. Quests are clearly marked and point you toward the relevant characters. Even the city itself will “whisper” solutions to puzzles (although these hints can be turned off if you want). Truthfully, I appreciated the help; the joy I found in the game was piecing together all the disparate elements of the city, not solving any individual puzzle.
  5. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jul 27, 2021
    But at the end of your six to eight hours, you'll have had a fun, satisfying and historically informative time. You'll also start to mutter, "The many shall suffer for the sins of the one!" to yourself every time you drop a slice of buttery toast on the floor in real-life. While The Forgotten City is a bit rough around the edges, it's a fantastic proof of concept, and its small team. Watch this space for whatever Modern Storyteller do next.

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best PC Game of 2021
47
#47 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 155 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 155
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 155
  3. Negative: 7 out of 155
  1. 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,    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.    … Full Review »
  2. 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 obviouslyI 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.    … Full Review »
  3. 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    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.    … Full Review »
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