Hmm, good point. It kinda stretches the definition of “city,” but if I were looking to settle down somewhere in a game, it would definitely be in Tarrey Town from Breath of the Wild. Nice, calm place on the lake, chill people, beautiful sunrises, and also easy to defend since there’s only one way in.
(Sadly though my name doesn’t end in “-son” so they wouldn’t let me stay.)
The City in Mirror’s Edge is really striking to me. Full of gleaming white skyscrapers contrasted with brightly colored interiors. It gives off a squeaky clean, minimalist vibe that helps you buy into the totalitarian dystopia they’re creating even when the story does an awful job of world-building.
I’m surprised there’s been no mention of Novigrad yet. A medieval city so dense, yet so expansive that it makes the adventures Geralt undertakes there feel like small footnotes on that city’s day-to-day. The incorporation of a drydock, seeing the ships in port, the walls hanging overhead, and the people going about their routines is really stunning. The R* attention to detail in an rpg.
My favoruite city in games? I mean…
I spent so many countless times playing Jet Grind Radio on Dreamcast, even well after I beat the game and unlocked everything because the world and the music were just so damn amazing. The sense of speed and scale and style just made it feel so alive and vibrant. I’m really sad that city hasn’t been given any other time to shine aside from the psuedo sequel/remake that came out on Xbox. But… I guess staying in it for too long might rob it of that feeling.
Le sigh.
Ald’Ruhn in Morrowind. Despite being the province of the cowardly Redoran scum, the idea of killing and hollowing out a giant enemy crab to live inside it is just too metal to be overlooked.
Typical Telvanni shitposting.
I doubt it’s my favorite, but while I ponder that long enough for this thread to die off, I’ll say that I’ve always had an extremely fond place in my heart for Balmora.
There wasn’t much about the city itself. Probably the reason I’d never call it my favorite. It was however, something new. An open, sandbox, 3D city environment.
I spent days in-game messing with sneak, breaking AI guards, breaking into buildings, hoarding torches from all over the world to light up the city to be day-bright through the night.
It was a pretty basic starting town in an MMO. (But not in an MMO, obviously. (Until now? I guess? ESO added Morrowind, huh?)) You had your starter points for the guilds, the early main quest hub, mid-range guards in the earliest most impressive looking armor that I knew I had to have. Seyda Neen may have been the literal starting town. Left stick moves you around. Right stick looks around. Click the left thumbstick to sneak. A is your interact button. It was the tutorial, and it sent you on your way.
But Balmora?
Balmora was the first town for me. One I didn’t leave for entirely too long. It became my introduction to 3D RPG spaces in video games, instead of just The Elder Scrolls 3.
I love really Kamurocho in the Yakuza games. It’s small, but dense. Most game cities have you driving around so fast that you miss all the little details, and even if you stop to look at those details, there’s usually not much to see. But because it’s such a small slice of Tokyo, there’s so much more detail than most games give you. And, because it’s so small, so much time is spent there that by the end of the game you know the place like the back of your hand.
I have a couple.
Alexandria from FFIX. Besides the amazing living castle with a giant sword tower coming out of its back, it’s just a really nice city. I love the bits where you get to explore the castle, especially the little dock that connects to the river. It’s just such a homey place. My second FFIX location is Lindblum, which is one of those locations that could probably host an entire game if it was totally fleshed out.
The aforementioned Novigrad. It’s crazy big and is the first medieval-style city I’ve found in a game that really feels like a city. There’s a ton of people going about their lives, doing their things, and lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. It just feels lived in like very few locations do in video games.
The Floating Island of Zeal in Chrono Trigger I will count as one city. It’s such a weird, inscrutable place. It feels ancient, but modern, sinister but welcoming. It’s the answer to all the questions but also the source of even more questions. Also the music in the loudspeakers is dope as hell.
lindblum was great, especially getting to explore it through the hunt festival, kinda like turning that safe city location into a dungeon?
Yeah! And there’s a lot of neat little places in each of the districts. The artists house, the Tantalus hideout, all the shopkeepers with their unique stores. Man, it’s such a beautifully detailed game.
My issue with Novigrad is it’s such a frustrating experience trying to navigate it. It is so good at capturing the weird off-the-beaten-path roads and cramped alleys present in middle-age cities but doesn’t seem to recognize that cities in the middle ages weren’t only made up of those. That being said, you’re 100% on the mark about the attention to detail, and as @Gary_of_Nivea said, it feels very lived in and alive despite all my navigation issues.
I really want to visit Yharnam during the day time, when it’s not being stalked by giant combat priests, werewolves, and worse.
Seems like it’d be a great town for sight seeing.
“Come for the sight seeing, stay to gaze eternally at the mysteries of the unknown!”
Sigil: The City of Doors in Planescape: Torment is probably my favorite city. Conceptually, it’s already cool to have a city that serves as a gateway to the rest of the multiverse, but Black Isle Studio’s rendering of the pen and paper RPG world was amazing despite being composed of only several dozen screens and repeating stock citizens. The city feels both massive but dense at the same time, and the wonderfully crafted encounters really makes you feel like you can turn a corner or walk down an alleyway, and, with the right key, find yourself suddenly in another reality.
Definitely Bowerstone from Fable 1, 2, 3. Closest thing we got to watching a tree grow through the numbered franchise. The way it changed and engulfed the previous iteration’s version. The way the music morphed one level up in clockwork rhythm and sophistication. The theme sold that city so well, and went so far to making that place breath and live. The meandering chatty NPCs, the shady corners and the ever growing buildings and passageways.
A lot of people didn’t like Fable, but its world and atmosphere was really amazing.
Similar feels here, but for Stormwind/Ironforge (with the subway, they were basically one very large city). This big busy hub where something you needed to do would loop back around. Very well built for a sense of place in a very large world.
I always loved the music in the series, there’s a track for the snowy forest area in 3 (that is unfortunately not in the soundtrack) that every once in a while springs to mind and remains one of my favorite melodies in games. I had forgotten Bowerstone, but your right, seeing that city grow is a cool series of milestones to reflect on as those games progressed the timeline.
how dare you, that was lovingly crafted Hlaalu shitposting
Inkopolis!
Brimming with character, bursting to the seams with color and flavor and heart. Sometimes I’ll just walk around and enjoy the scenery.
Hekesville and Jirga Para Lhao I also feel are underappreciated.
I’ve spent hours just flying through all of its areas and exploring the nooks and crannies. Jirga Para Lhao especially has so much color to it, it very much feels lived in.
