Your favorite (most atmospheric) locations in RPGs (and other games)

[Daemongar]

Along the lines of trees, in Icewind Dale there is a city you stumble across. In Kuldahar you find a great oak that keeps the location warm or whatever - but its a staggeringly great location map and kind of takes you out of a hack n slash game to a much more defined world. It's amazingly atmospheric as most of the game is frozen wastes - makes you sort of want to protect that place.

Makes you wish the game had been a full fledged RPG instead of an action one.

It was unapologetically a hack n slash when it was released. As it stands, its theoretically the greatest hack n slash ever released. Unless another game can lay claim to that title, well, I cut this game a staggering amount of slack.

 

[NecroLord]

I also liked Castle Gaustadt in Bloodrayne.
Pretty cool, especially the second mission there and its soundtrack.

 

[Brancaleone]

I'd like to add: Titan Quest, the first time you get a view of Megara's coastline from the cliffs above (or just after Polyphemus).

 

[Kabas]

I'd like to add: Titan Quest, the first time you get a view of Megara's coastline from the cliffs above (or just after Polyphemus).

Titan Quest has a lot of pretty places.

 

[Brancaleone]

I'd like to add: Titan Quest, the first time you get a view of Megara's coastline from the cliffs above (or just after Polyphemus).

Titan Quest has a lot of pretty places.

Definitely, I think its atmosphere is quite underrated (and how much it carries the game).

 

[NecroLord]

Unreal: Chizra Temple


FUCK, that theme song is just pure soul magic...
Unreal really is an atmospheric FPS.


Alexander Brandon was killing it back then, I don't know what he has been working on (if at all) lately.

 

[Nutmeg]

I'd like to add: Titan Quest, the first time you get a view of Megara's coastline from the cliffs above (or just after Polyphemus).

Titan Quest has a lot of pretty places.

Egypt and China were the weakest (missed opportunity!)

 

[Elttharion]

Majula (Dark Souls 2)



Firelink Shrine



Howling Fjord (Wow)



This part of Death Stranding



The Outer Wilds

 

[harhar!]

Outward swamp:

 

[Gregz]

East Commonlands Tunnel - EverQuest
The Salty Sailor Tavern in Booty Bay - WoW
The Barrens - WoW
Various towns and cities - Daggerfall
Tristram - Diablo

 

[Pikoman]

Not ranked in a particular order, tried to pick my brain for some lesser known ones alongside more standard choices:

RPGs/MMORPGs:
PS:T - The Mortuary, The Fortress of Regrets, Undead City
Quest for Glory IV - Mordavia
BGII - Underdark, Irenicus' Lab
BGI - Baldur's Gate, Durlag's Tower
NwN(Excrucio Eternum) - The Asylum
NwN(The Prophet) - The Urlord's Keep, Dreamscapes
NwN(Swordflight: Chapter IV) - Underdark
NwN2: MotB - Mulsantir
NwN(Prisoners of the Mist) - Castle Ravenloft
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands - Gladiator Pits
Deus Ex - UNATCO HQ
Gothic - Old Camp
Gothic II - Valley of Mines
Fallout - The Cathedral
Diablo II - Tristram
Disco Elysium - Revachol
VtMB - Santa Monica
Ultima VII - Skara Brae
Everquest - Estate of Unrest, Dagnor's Cauldron, Neriak
WoW - Tirisfal Glades
Dark Souls - Firelink Shrine, Anor Londo

Non-RPGs:
Thief - Haunted Cathedral, Down in the Bonehoard
Resident Evil 4 - Village

 

[Pikoman]

Quest for Glory IV... all of it, really, but especially the town, castle, and temple.

Patrician choice, just noticed QfGIV had already been mentioned after posting in this thread. It's funny how one of the most immersive portrayals of a gothic horror setting in an RPG comes from a series which is usually known for its light hearted tone.

 

[deuxhero]

Jagged Alliance 3 - Lots of places. Whole game does a nice job of capturing slums, Savannah, jungle, swamp, quarry, canyons, etc.
Outlaws Level 2 - An interesting bit of early FPS level design that shows less is more: By making the whole level a single, fairly normal, western town with a bunch of typical buildings (there's a bank, a jail, a hotel, a few stores, stables), it strongly elevates the limited tileset and straightforward mission (kill almost everything to trigger boss spawn, then kill him) and relatively open design. Blocking areas with Outlaw's pseudo keys (crowbar, shovel: Items that exist purely to remove obstacles to progression) helps make progression a bit more natural too (there's commentary in the strategy guide mentioning that the finite number of keys the engine supported was actually a major limit in how complex some maps could be, so they were probably used because the designer had to). The game' proto-tactical shooter nature (you need to use cover and minimize exposure to enemies as both you and them die quite quickly to gunfire) really shines here because of the design.
Onirism - This game deliberately eschews realism for a fantastical, dreamworld setting and it works. The setting means it doesn't need a lot of locations that have to exist (bathrooms, bedrooms, etc.) or really think about how everything works and can focus on being a setpiece of shooting frog orcs.
System Shock 2 - That's the Trioptimum way!

 

[NecroLord]

Not ranked in a particular order, tried to pick my brain for some lesser known ones alongside more standard choices:

RPGs/MMORPGs:
PS:T - The Mortuary, The Fortress of Regrets, Undead City
Quest for Glory IV - Mordavia
BGII - Underdark, Irenicus' Lab
BGI - Baldur's Gate, Durlag's Tower
NwN(Excrucio Eternum) - The Asylum
NwN(The Prophet) - The Urlord's Keep, Dreamscapes
NwN(Swordflight: Chapter IV) - Underdark
NwN2: MotB - Mulsantir
NwN(Prisoners of the Mist) - Castle Ravenloft
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands - Gladiator Pits
Deus Ex - UNATCO HQ
Gothic - Old Camp
Gothic II - Valley of Mines
Fallout - The Cathedral
Diablo II - Tristram
Disco Elysium - Revachol
VtMB - Santa Monica
Ultima VII - Skara Brae
Everquest - Estate of Unrest, Dagnor's Cauldron, Neriak
WoW - Tirisfal Glades
Dark Souls - Firelink Shrine, Anor Londo

Non-RPGs:
Thief - Haunted Cathedral, Down in the Bonehoard
Resident Evil 4 - Village

Durlag's Tower is great, but I also liked the Nashkel mines and the Cloakwood/outdoor areas with lots of trees and forests.

 

[anvi]