It feels like cities are a staple of the fantasy genre. When you're exploring a fantasy world, you're probably visiting a variety of biomes. There's usually a forest, a desert, a mountain, and either a snowy or fiery region. Then there are swamps, coastal cliffs, a poison biome, grasslands, and a cave or canyon, but these are interchangeable and don't always make an appearance. Something that almost always makes an appearance, though, is a city.
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Fantasy cities are consistently interesting. They provide something familiar to latch onto while showcasing the unique culture, architecture, art, economy, and people of the world. They're usually a hub for merchants and a great place to pick up side quests. However, these next fantasy games don't play by those rules. While you'll still be casting spells, swinging swords, and taking down magical creatures, you'll never explore a city at any point while playing them. They'll be ranked based on the quality and pedigree of the games themselves.
7 The Pathless
Nothing But Wilderness And Ruins
By virtue of its narrative, The Pathless is set in an isolated environment. Sure, there's plenty of gorgeous nature and imposing ruins dotting the scenery, but in terms of civilization or people, there's nothing to be found. Thankfully, that's a feature, not a bug. The Hunter travels to a distant island from which a dangerous curse is emanating. She meets the Eagle Mother, who joins The Hunter on her quest, and then she sets off to rid the island of the Godslayer.
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That curse is the kind of thing that chokes out any life it encounters; well, sort of. The curse corrupts gods, and the gods preserve life, so the curse inherently threatens that preservation. While The Hunter spends most of her time removing the corruption from the gods found throughout the island, we never actually see the effects of her actions on the wider world. Meanwhile, the island itself has been so thoroughly corrupted that, while it still serves as the gods' home, any kind of city that once existed has been reclaimed by the wilderness.
6 Gothic
Life In A Prison Colony
There's an inherent hopelessness to Gothic's setting. This is a dark fantasy RPG from back in the genre's heyday, released in 2001. While its visuals and mechanics may be dated, we can hope that the upcoming remake touches things up in those departments. What we hope the remake doesn't mess with is anything to do with the story and the world.
Gothic is set in a mining colony operated entirely by prisoners. They are digging for magical ore to be used for making weapons for a far-off war against an Orc army. To keep the prisoners, well, imprisoned, the king commissions a dozen magicians to erect a magical dome around the mine. However, the magi lose control of their magic, the dome expands, trapping them inside, and the prisoners take over. Gothic takes place inside this dome, and you play one of the many prisoners. Maybe unsurprisingly, there aren't any major population centers in this makeshift prison colony. You'll see some decrepit castles and lots of ramshackle camps, but nothing that would constitute an actual established city.
5 Valheim
No Locals To Aid Fallen Vikings
Unlike many of the other games on this list, Valheim isn't so much a pure fantasy game as it is a Viking-themed survival game with figures from Norse mythology populating the world. Players create a fallen Viking and explore the world of Valheim, battling foes to prove themselves worthy of entering Valhalla.
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While there are a variety of biomes to explore, from swamps to forests to the molten Ashlands, there isn't much in the way of civilization in the world. That suits both the setting and the genre. It's not unheard of, but establishing a major city in what is essentially purgatory seems like the kind of endeavor that no one would take on, especially if the place is full of Vikings trying to fight their way into paradise. Who is contenting themselves with being a glorified mayor in that context? At the end of the day, Valheim is a survival game, and having a major city you can visit to stock up on resources kind of defeats the purpose.
4 Hades
Society Isn't Welcome In The Underworld
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Supergiant Games
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Roguelite
Moving from Norse mythology to Greek mythology, Hades is also set in the afterlife; in this case, the Underworld, managed by the God of the Dead himself. You play Zagreus, the son of Hades, who is desperate to escape the Underworld so that he can meet his mother, Persephone, in the surface world. While his father disapproves, Zagreus is unrelenting, venturing up through the lands of the dead over and over, no matter how many times they strike him down.
Much like in Valheim, it's not all that surprising that there aren't any cities in Hades. For one, the dead aren't meant to establish strongholds in their afterlife, and second, Zagreus isn't exactly sticking around anywhere he goes. He's constantly moving forward from one region to the next. A city would slow that momentum right down, break the believability of Zagreus' journey, and shatter the roguelike pacing that is so integral to the game's flow.
3 Shadow Of The Colossus
No Cities, No Citizens, Just Sixteen Giants, A Man, And A Horse
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bluepoint Games, JapanStudio, Team Ico
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
An argument could be made about including a city in the other games on this list (assuming it was done without upending the narrative or world-building), but Shadow of the Colossus has absolutely no place for one. This is a game that's built upon solitude. The world is vacant save for the sixteen titular colossi and a giant temple at its center. Even the protagonist's name, Wander, suggests loneliness and isolation.
There are indications that cities once stood in this land, but they're long gone, with nothing but ruins to suggest anyone lived there. This is the land of the colossi now, and Wander's goal is to defeat each one. By the time he's done, not only are there no cities or people here, but there is quite literally nothing. Just an empty expanse of land that once held majesty and wonder.
2 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
By The Time You Arrive The Cities Are Long Gone
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Released
- March 3, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
Hyrule has never been a place with a ton of bustling cities or crowds of NPCs. Link's adventures usually take place in vast, wild lands, with plenty of puzzles to solve and enemies to fight, but not much in the way of heavily populated areas. Even with that in mind, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is probably the most vacant land in any Zelda game.
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There are plenty of kingdoms, but they aren't housed in cities. Some are surrounded by small towns like those found scattered across the map, others are built into the side of a volcano, but it would be a stretch to call any of them cities. Even Hyrule Castle, the massive structure at the center of the map, doesn't have a city surrounding it. Link will visit all of them, collect some quests, and can even build up a town of his own, but at no point is there a bona fide city to wander through.
1 God Of War (2018)
The Gods Have No Need For Cities
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Santa Monica Studio
Presumably, there are cities somewhere in the Nordic realm where Kratos settled down to start a family, but we never see them. Kratos built his shack in the middle of a snowy forest, and when he and his son, Atreus, leave, they head for a solitary mountain. The pair has to visit other realms, like Niflheim and Alfheim, but even there, you're looking at more expanses of wilderness and/or desolation than a city.
An argument could be made that Alfheim is a city, or it was once. It's certainly full of structures and pathways that suggest civilization once thrived here, but centuries of war have destroyed any recognizable city elements beyond some spaces that might be buildings. The sequel, God of War Ragnarok, features several cities, including the shining city of Asgard. However, God of War 2018 is a more personal journey between Kratos and Atreus, one that doesn't get distracted by a ton of NPCs or side quests.
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