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The Forgotten City comes from a world of firsts. What once was an excellent Skyrim murder mystery mod (and the first mod ever to receive a Writer's Guild Award, per Nexus Mods) is now a fully realized product. Here, you are tasked with solving a great mystery. Who broke the golden rule? Everyone in the city's life is at stake because if even one person sins, everyone meets their end.
In The Forgotten City, engaging in combat is strictly optional. That doesn't disregard the difficulty or skill needed to successfully investigate and deduce just who doomed this city, though. You will grapple genuine moral dilemmas while conferring with intriguing interactive characters. A clear level of challenge could pose a threat for first time players in need of assistance. Beware: minor spoiler (the way to acquire perhaps the game's best weapon) ahead!
You Can Easily Reset The Loop
Your goal in The Forgotten City requires you to converse with many different people. Taking that into account, you can assume mistakes will happen. Choosing the wrong dialogue option, whether it be by accident or through experimentation, can easily sway you from your desired path. These mistakes could be as simple as upsetting a character or not using the exact words they wanted.
Luckily, you still have old faithful: the golden rule. All you would have to do is simply commit a crime. Break that shiny rule. Maybe shoot an arrow at someone, or take something that clearly doesn't belong to you. Whatever chaos you choose, cause it, then make your way back to the time portal and reset the time loop (such loops being rather popular mechanics in several games).
Talk To Every Character
The Forgotten City is a game about deduction and charm. As such, if you're a player who can't resist always talking to every NPC in sight, you'll be in your element. Even if a character seems insignificant, give it a go. You never know if they could have helpful information. After all, it's very possible that attempting to speed run or rush through the game would damage the overall experience, especially for a game of this style.
With its focus on talking away to tease out the details of a mystery, the game's appeal is reliant upon its characters. How they choose to live their lives, the details they divulge or don't divulge, their faults; every aspect of them is at the heart of game and the value you'll get out it. Furthermore, your progress remains relatively intact after resetting a loop, so reset away.
Save, Save, And Save Again
While consequences may be minimal, making mistakes that lock you out of a loop, like choosing the wrong dialogue option (the options don't tend to be as hilarious as those of Fallout: New Vegas, sadly), can be aggravating. However, they can be avoided. If you save before attempting anything dire, such as entering a conversation that seems risky, you can bypass being locked out of loops by reloading said save.
You could simply reset the loop, but you can also just enter the menu, select a save state, and continue on. With the information gathered, the right decision can be found in no time. The real currency saved here, then, is time.
Choose The Best Class For Your Playstyle
After awakening from a deep sleep, your player character is approached by a mysterious stranger. This stranger doubles as a way to choose your profession or class. You are given four options to choose from: Fugitive, Amnesiac, Soldier, or Archeologist.
- Choosing Fugitive favors those who want to get around quickly. You will find yourself moving twenty-five percent faster. Combat sections become a bit easier and trekking the city moves at a much faster clip.
- Choosing Amnesiac benefits those who aren't confident with the game's combat. Thanks to a knock on the head, you'll receive fifty percent less damage in combat and find it much easier to stay alive.
- Choosing Soldier fits fans of FPS titles (a genre packed with fantastic games) to a limited extent. With this class, you get a gun. However, only ten bullets are provided, so target wisely because they're all you get. This class can also benefit those who struggle in combat.
- Last is the Archeologist, which is a great choice for those who love fully investing themselves in a game's lore. This class gives you more information on the city as you explore and adds more detail when conversing with characters.
Don't Worry About Achieving Everything In One Playthrough
You shouldn't feel intimidated by The Forgotten City, as it isn't absolutely layered beyond belief in terms of content. Even so, there are four different endings. This eases some of the pressure of making potential missteps in early runs, because there's no way to see everything on offer the first time around.
There is potential for beginners to experience the deep narrative featured in The Forgotten City and find it all a bit daunting. Knowing that the content doesn't branch in unfathomable directions could be a comfort, alongside the fact that experimentation is key. At first, at least, just enjoy the ride. Four different main endings seems just right, keeping the experience varied yet not too convoluted: ripe for replaying.
If In Doubt, Seek The Golden Bow
Arguably the most important or overpowered item to be had in The Forgotten City is the Golden Bow. This bow is quite something. As the name suggests, it can transform foes you shoot into solid gold. Further, many other items, objects and aspects of the environment, including water, can also be turned to gold. For those who like to collect everything or who struggle in combat, this bow is a must. Read on to learn how to get your hands on it.
While the bow can be difficult to get, it is more than worth the effort to acquire. To do so, you should start by lying to the Assassin residing in or around the Roman Baths. Leaving him to the fate the Cowering Woman would otherwise suffer grants you the standard Bow, which Desius at the Market will exchange for the Fake Golden Bow. At the Shrine of Diana, it can be exchanged for the genuine article.