The Old City is an exploration game that’s currently in-development for the PC. And pardon me for making such a crude comparison, but my brain looks at the architecture and processes this as being “Dishonored without all the bad guys”. And that’s pushing my buttons.
Set inside “a decaying city from a civilisation long past”, the initial stages of the game will play out like Gone Home, or Dear Esther, with the player simply walking around and exploring their surroundings. Later, though, The Old City will branch off, sending you down a particular pathway based on the choices you make (and meaning you’ll get to replay the game to see how different choices affect the path you’re sent down).
I’m loving the setting; as mentioned repeatedly, it’s similar to Arkane’s bleak metropolis of Dunwall, complete with giant whales, yet with a rustic charm of its own.
You can read more about the game – and its developers lofty goals – at The Old City’s site.
The Old City [Site, via Indie Statik]
Comments
6 responses to “What If Dishonored Had No Bad Guys In It…”
If you look at it from a different perspective, Dishonoured didn’t have any bad guys. Not counting the people from the story, the majority of people you come across are just city guards doing their job. They believe you murdered the Empress and have no reason to think otherwise. Depending on how you play they probably have less reason to trust you if you’re murdering them all. Other then that they’re simply covering areas where they’re ordered to chase out trespassers.
Even if you did count the characters from the story, most are doing it because they believe the only way for the city to prosper is under their rule.
Very good point. Just, uh… don’t pay too much attention to the heart’s revelations about them. 🙂
(THERE ARE NO INNOCENTS.)
The heart is a lie.
I feel kinda bad for assassinating them all now. Thanks.
I dunno.. from the trailer, I got transient vibes of a bunch of games… Metro: Last Light, FEAR 2, Portal 2…
Yay! My type of game – an immersive environment with a mystery to solve.
Sign me up. Where can I get this game plz.
Sounds kinda like Myst. Personally, I don’t much like great-looking games that have no conflict, so if The Old City is to be good, it had better have some really entrancing puzzles.
Oh come on, it’s not like Dishonored was the first property to use this aesthetic. Dunwall has its roots in many things, not least of them Lovecraft (Innsmouth or Dunwich, anyone?). A ladder is taller than the last rung you happened to stand on…