Incredible Aussie Mystery The Forgotten City Is Leaving Game Pass So Play It Now If You Haven’t Already

The Game of the Year winning, Aussie-made historical mystery The Forgotten City is leaving Xbox Game Pass on October 30 so consider this your sign to play it now if you haven’t already.

If you’ve somehow not come across this brilliant game before, let me quickly fill you in. Created by Australian studio Modern Storyteller, The Forgotten City originally began life as a mod for Skyrim, where it was critically lauded and beloved by an army of fans. Modern Storyteller spun the mod into a full game with funding by Film Victoria, where it immediately turned heads on its launch in 2021.

The game’s story begins when your character is washed down the Tiber River in Italy. Approached by a mysterious stranger who has lost their friend in some nearby ruins, you begin to explore and enter a bizarre timeloop. Thrust back in time to the era of the Roman Empire and trapped within the city as it existed at the time, your character discovers that its denizens believe it exists as an oasis under the extremely conditional protection of the Roman pantheon. Should any one citizen commit a sin, everyone in the city will be punished equally and turned to solid gold. This is referred to as The Golden Rule.

The trouble, of course, is that no-one is really sure what constitutes a sin, and there are numerous records of acts that could be considered sinful that went unpunished. Should you ever goof up so badly that the Golden Rule comes into play, you can restart the loop by returning to the portal you originally entered. As with many games that deploy a timeloop mechanic, in The Forgotten City, information is power. Solving the mystery of the city and dodging the particulars of the Golden Rule form the core of the experience, as you slowly but surely interact with ever citizen to create a picture of how this whole bizarre situation came to be.

It’s bloody great and you should play it. Here’s Alice’s review if you need more convincing.

You have until October 30, when the game departs Game Pass across console, cloud and PC. Play it now before it leaves (or pick it up on Steam for 40% off!)