The Forgotten City

The Forgotten City is a mystery-laced adventure from Modern Storyteller that grew out of a concept originally created as a mod for Skyrim and later evolved into a standalone game. The player is drawn into an ancient Roman city trapped in a loop, governed by a cruel golden rule — if a single inhabitant commits a sin, the whole city is cursed and everyone perishes. Through time travel, the player must untangle a complicated web of motives, alliances, and lies among the city's earlier inhabitants in order to break the curse, all without getting stuck in the loop forever, with each new pass through the loop bringing new information that can be used in earlier stages of the story.

On Xbox Series X and S, where the standalone version of the game launched in 2021, it runs smoothly and clearly, which is essential for a genre built on dialogue and logically connecting clues. The system of repeatedly living through the same stretch of time with gradually growing knowledge recalls detective games like Outer Wilds, but with a markedly more grounded, historical framework and an emphasis on moral dilemmas without a clearly correct answer. The characters also only remember what happened during the current run of the loop, so the player must apply their findings repeatedly and with a sense of timing, while a peaceful resolution to conflicts is almost always possible if the player finds the right words.

The game was praised on release for its inventive use of the time loop and writing unafraid of philosophical questions about guilt, justice, and free will, despite having been made on a relatively modest budget. Its success proved that even a smaller studio can build an entire title around a single ingenious mechanism and still offer a depth comparable to much more expensive productions. On Xbox Series it is a great choice for players who love puzzles built on logic and story rather than reflexes.

Why play it: Fans of logic-based puzzles built on story and philosophical questions will appreciate how The Forgotten City wrings from a single ingenious idea a depth comparable to far more expensive games.