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10 Unforgettable Locations That Defined Your Favorite Video Games


Some locations are more memorable than others. The Spencer Mansion for instance, from Resident Evil – a winding labyrinth comprised of countless indeterminate doors, each concealing a smaller piece of a larger puzzle, everything interwoven, gradually uncovered as the player progresses through the game. It’s designed to be appreciated – as well as slowly understood – each successive playthrough creating a sense of familiarity as the once mysterious mansion is exposed, piece by piece.

In some cases, the environments go completely unnoticed the settings themselves utterly immaculate in their seamless construction, so much so that you might forget you’re actually playing through someone’s creation, and not a naturally occurring environment. That said, some of the greatest games owe their tremendous success to the articulacy of virtual backdrops, especially considering the extent to which it supports secondary elements – such as the story and gameplay, both of which are reliant entirely on cohesive, comprehensive locations.

Sometimes, the setting of a video game is the deciding factor between an incoherent mess with zero comprehensibility, and a measured, worthwhile experience designed to maintain player investment over a significant period of time. So, with that being said, here are 10 expertly designed, unforgettable locations that defined some of your favourite games:

  1. The Spencer Mansion (Resident Evil)

    It’s become a cliché to suggest that a setting could also function as character within the story, but sometimes, to suggest anything less would be an injustice. The Spencer Mansion for instance, from Resident Evil – a maze comprised of countless locked doors and indeterminate corridors, each concealing one of numerous horrors – is designed to maintain a sense of pacing, the player unable to progress without engaging in a thorough exploration of the mansion, beginning in the foyer, eventually encompassing underground laboratories, catacombs, basements and research facilities.

    The design necessitates a certain degree of backtracking – each successive playthrough creating a sense of familiarity – the once mysterious mansion gradually uncovered, its various secrets revealed. Somehow, the design accommodates newcomers and seasoned veterans, initially overwhelming, but intrinsically rational, gradually making sense as the player moves back and forth between various safe-rooms and objectives. In this respect, the sprawling corridors become distinguishable as you grow to appreciate the geography of the place, memorising shortcuts, avoiding dangers and traps.

  2. Airship Fortress (Super Mario Bros. 3)

    One of the most complex stages from the game, Airship Fortress introduces multiple elements, balancing them perfectly as the player moves through the stage with relative speed. There’s a nice sense of flow, the various hazards placed in perfect succession, providing ample challenge without hindering the flow of the stage, eventually culminating in a perfectly timed conclusion. It’s progressive, gradually building in intensity until the moment of conclusion.

    In this respect, Airship Fortress is a standout stage, ranking among the best in the entire series. Visually, it’s the most interesting – and the music is phenomenal. It’s designed with a specific pace in mind, pushing the player onward, challenging them without resorting to underhanded enemy placement and irregular platform placement. The missiles – though frequent – are easily avoided, designed to keep the player focused as they speed through the section, rather than interrupting the pacing.

    Airship Fortress is one of the more memorable stages from the game – as well as many players’ favourite – for reasons beyond the catchy music and interesting visuals.

  3. Rubucava (Grim Fandango)

    There’s a reason this particular location is one of the most fondly remembered: it’s expansive, but intelligible, somehow avoiding the trap of seeming overly cluttered or incoherent, despite its relative scope. Visually, it’s one of the more interesting environments in the game, but it’s also one of the most heterogeneous. It’s comprised of several unique landmarks and settings – including the lighthouse, morgue and docks – as well as a casino, a beatnik jazz club, a cat race-track (or, cat-track), and a high rollers lounge, making it one of the more varied environments in the game.

    Regardless, the layout is completely coherent, the various characters distributed logically, the objectives carrying the player across the entire expanse of the town, from one side to the other. It’s also one of the more comprehensible sections of the game, every item located in a reasonable place, every puzzle logically solved, providing adequate challenge without irritating the player with countless nonsensical, bizarre puzzles with ludicrous solutions (like filling a deflated balloon with cement to block the postal service). 

  4. The Undead Burg (Dark Souls)

    Dark Souls is positively packed with memorable locations – from Blight Town to Sen’s Fortress – but, only a handful could be considered genuinely well designed, despite their inherent visual appeal. Anor Londo for instance is an outstanding environment, visually – complete with stunning architecture, and a perpetual sunset – however, design wise, it’s a little messy. Despites its scope, the city is unnecessarily restrictive, the player forced to alternate between indistinguishable rooms and corridors, and numerous narrow corridors, banisters and confining walkways.

    By comparison, The Undead Burg – one of the earliest locations in the game – is varied without seeming overcomplicated, connecting several separate locations into a unified whole, gradually unfolding as the player circles backwards numerous times, lowering ladders and opening passageways to create further cohesion. Moreover, there are secrets to discover and multiple levels to explore, each of which circles back to the central hub, creating a nice sense of structure. Visually, it isn’t as unique, but it’s designed with far greater variation and spatial arrangement.

  5. The Village (Resident Evil 4)

    Resident Evil 4 – the fourth instalment in the popular franchise, and a huge departure for the series – featured a huge change in scenery, relocating the game from North America to Western Europe. In the game, players assume the role of Leon S. Kennedy – a special operative tasked with rescuing the president’s daughter from a sinister Spanish cult. Alone, vastly outnumbered and completely oblivious to the situation, Leon is left him with precious time to make his escape.

    The latter stages of the game are divided between a gothic castle and a nightmarish prison – which are each perfectly adequate, maybe even warranting honorary mentions – but the village is the real standout. Visually, it’s nothing special – maybe even a little uninteresting – but, the layout is downright claustrophobic, structured around winding roads, abandoned farmyards, graveyards and derelict buildings, the various objectives urging the player onward, despite the overwhelming sense of disadvantage accentuated by the various locations which comprise the village.

    The opening sequence – the village raid – is also incredibly memorable, the various buildings providing only a small amount of protection from the onslaught of the villagers, knocking down doors and smashing windows, thirsty for blood. It’s tense because nowhere in particular provides amply protection, only partial – meaning the player if forced to weave in and out of houses, scaling buildings, gathering ammo, and biding their time. It’s brutal, but not frustrating because the design of the surrounding area is so nuanced and illusive that the player is able to effectively evade enemies. 

  6. Shadow Moses (Metal Gear Solid)

    Masterminded by Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid has always been primarily narrative driven, the gameplay usually forced to play second fiddle to the cutscenes and codec calls, which seem almost feature length. As such, it may seem strange to praise anything but the characters and story – seeing as how those elements typically remain the focus – but, the series really does deserve some credit for its memorable environments, especially the original.

    Shadow Moses – a nuclear weapons research facility located off the coast of Alaska – is expertly arranged, offering the player plenty of camouflage without damaging the immersion, maintaining a sense of realism despite the story’s more eccentric qualities. More so than most games, the design makes sense; everything is logically placed, the player given multiple options based around reasonable justifications. There aren’t dozens of conveniently placed chest-high walls littered about the place, serving absolutely no logical purpose beyond aiding the player in their concealment. Instead, Shadow Moses feels like an actual, functioning environment, designed with plausibility in mind.

  7. Ravenholm (Half-Life 2)

    Ravenholm – once a mining town, repurposed as a resistance stronghold – isn’t anywhere you would want to find yourself. In recent years, it’s become deserted, overrun with legions of the undead; the only known survivor, a priest with a psychotic disposition, guiding the player through the nightmarish town, across rooftops and through buildings, the previous inhabitants lurking behind every corner, and countless hazards blocking your progression.

    Ravenholm is an expansive environment, but the designers do an excellent job of quarantining the action, maintaining a sense of cohesion, and keeping the player moving forward. Throughout, enemies are used sparingly but effectively, pushing the player onward through the town, maintaining a crucial sense of urgency, itself emphasised by the tight corridors, winding streets and branching pathways, most of which lead to disaster.

    Visually, Ravenholm is incredibly memorable, but it’s the layout and structure of the town that cement its status as a standout location from the series, controlling the player’s movements through the otherwise cluttered environment, dragging them towards the relative safety of a distant graveyard. 

  8. Snowpeak Ruins (Twilight Princess)

    Twilight Princess is arguably a disappointment in terms of story and gameplay (according to some, at least), but it’s elevated by the quality of its dungeons, several of which rank among the best in the series. In particular, Snowpeak Ruins – a manor located on the peak of a descending gorge – is among the most memorable, consisting of three floors, numerous smaller locations restricted by ice, several variations of enemies, and a master bedroom on the third floor.

    What’s especially great about the dungeon is that it’s structured around a specific character story. Throughout, you’re guided through the various rooms by a couple of yetis who happen to reside in the mansion – an ageing couple forced to occupy only a small portion of their original home. As you progress, uncovering more of the dungeon in the process, you become gradually acquainted with the couple, as well as their personal backstories. In this respect, the dungeon – packed with puzzles and enemies – is more than a simple challenge, but an exploration of two very specific characters, and is subsequently designed with those particular characters in mind.

    It functions on two entirely separate levels, the design emphasising aspects of each.

  9. The Haunted Cathedral (Thief)

    Incredibly innovative, the Thief series was one of the earliest stealth franchises to utilises light/shadow as a central gameplay mechanic, forcing the player to alternate their tactics depending on each situation. In particular, Thief 2 took things to whole new direction, presenting the player with numerous, sprawling environments with multiple possible solutions, and tasking them with determining their own course of action, though stealth is prioritised.

    The Haunted Cathedral is a standout example of excellent level design – a complicated, open-ended environment, plastered with shadows for concealment purposes, as well as patrols to keep things interesting. It’s also one of the most varied stages in the game, requiring the player to venture beyond their comfort zone. In particular, the interior sections should be handled with caution, forcing the players from the shadows in favour of the light, exposing them to potential dangers, but rewarding them with excess plunder for their troubles. It’s also spooky as hell.

    There are numerous stages throughout the game – many of which compare in terms of variation – but none in terms of overall complexity, or enjoyment. It’s astounding, the degree to which this particular stage has you varying your playstyle, from aggressively headlong to downright restrained, moving in and out of the shadows, slowly picking apart the guards.

  10. Tallon IV

    Metroid Prime – the fifth instalment in the franchise – is a first-person adventure, merging exploration and shooting to create something utterly unique. In the game, players assume the role of Samus Aran – a bounty-hunter tasked with preventing a merciless pirate organisation from performing genetic experiments on the surface of Tallon IV.

    The planet – much more than a simple setting – gradually expands as the player uncovers new abilities, allowing them to advance through previously restricted areas as they gain greater access to their surroundings. Consequently, the entire game is expertly designed, the player growing accustomed to the various locations as they backtrack through certain areas, uncovering secrets as the initially restrictive landscape expands exponentially.

    It also contributes to other aspects of the gameplay, requiring the player to reconsider the manner by which they traverse each section, both horizontally and vertically, emphasising again a sense of adventure and discovery.

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