Pokémon towns are somewhat unique compared to other RPGs, since they’re typically where you encounter the game’s main bosses (the gym leaders). Most RPGs have their bosses at the end of a dungeon, which Pokémon sometimes does (like with legendaries or the evil team leaders), but it’s much more rare.
Other parts of Pokémon are very different from most RPGs too. The random battles are with wild animals who are ALL potential friends, instead of ravaging hordes of ghouls. The other enemies are trainers who are just people like you, they’re hanging out, hiking, swimming, and they want to exercise with you not really “fight”.
@@AquaticMammalOnBicycle well this is the same logic for every monster colleting game basically, smt principally (excluding all the personas that aren't 5).
Clock Town from Majora's Mask is definitely one of my favorite video game towns. It's a hub that you can visit to buy things and take a break from combat, but what's happening there is also the central conflict and tension point of the entire game, to the point that it can almost feel more relaxing to get away from it and not feel the moon bearing down on you so directly. The way the music increases in pace ups the anxiety the more time you spend there, and nothing brings me dread like the sound of the bell tower chiming away, 12 hours closer to doom.
It's also very different than most other towns as the town does change based on the time left. The town couldn't be any more different on day 1 and day 3 and KNOWING how the town used to be on the first day, makes seeing it's state on the third hit much harder. And it isn't all, the there are plenty of little quests to do that change details within the town, but thanks to the game's nature, none of them are permanent. The little detail I love the most about Clock Town is about the goron that has the same name as you. If you check into the hotel before he does, you'll steal his room, forcing him to sleep outside. Now, he is a Goron, so he doesn't mind too much, but you definitely will feel bad about doing that. What's also so great about it is that it could (and often will) happen by accident. There is a good chance that you run in there and steal his room without even knowing what's going on. Then you see a poor little goron forced to sleep on the street because of that. But once you reset the time, he will have another chance to get his room and finally sleep under sturdy roof in a comfy bed.
@@CornishCreamtea07 It is to some extent, as an "Action-adventure" RPG. RPG just means "Role-playing game" which can encompass the majority of games today, though it is more often used to describe JRPGs and games like them. Game genres are weird.
The unspoken rule of RPG towns is that their theme music MUST be one of the best songs on the entire soundtrack. Chrono Cross in particular knocks this out of the park with its fantastic town themes throughout the whole game.
Traverse Town has always been a big favourite of mine - the warm colours, chill atmosphere, the starry sky above you and the relaxing music always made it a nice place to come back to.
Its really a great town. The music is quite literally one of the best smooth jazz songs ive ever heard. Also traverse town has a ton of small changes if you keep coming back and there is quite a bit of content there.
It also helps set one of my favorite details about KH1, where clearing the plot for a world will make the whole world peaceful until you return. Seeing the people return to Agrabah is always one of the most magical moments on replay for me. You get to actually see a more populated place compared to the typical window dressing. Also huge shoutout to being able to see how much it changed in DDD. Getting to see various aspects of the town you never knew about originally is such a neat idea.
Personally, I prefer Twilight Town (I'm still not over how little of it was accessible in KH3 - how can you give players an almost unlimited vertical wall-run and not give them access to the station clocktower?) but Traverse Town does the job in KH1.
The House of Hades in, well, Hades, is a fantastic Town. Not only does it provide downtime between plays, the ability to check on quests, and to spend currency customizing the town and your next runs, but in so many little ways as well. For example, the characters may or may not be present each time you visit. Hades also does a stellar job in evolving the dialogue of these characters between visits -- and having an entire system in place to prevent the player from missing dialogue by accident.
At first, it kinda bugged us that characters weren't always available to talk to, especially if I was trying to max out friendships. After some runs, I began to appreciate their absences. Just because Zagreus can't venture out into other areas of the Underworld doesn't mean that everyone else is trapped. Where do some of the NPCs go? Where do they live? Makes it feel like everyone is living their life and just doing their jobs within The House.
On the other hand, I'm much more fond of towns that grow completely without your influence. It feels a little contrived to me that a full town would stagnate without the player's influence, and I feel it makes the world feel more alive if large events can happen without you needing to directly cause that event. (Not saying your opinion is wrong, just giving some reasons why I prefer these towns).
Rebuilding Colony 6 in Xenoblade was kind of a hassle in some spaces, but seeing the world visibly improve and expand with more characters was an amazing feeling!
Dirtmouth from Hollowknight is one of the more interesting town hubs in my opinion: Rather than being this large sprawling space with dozens of npcs, it's just a handful of buildings, a bench, and a fast travel station. By the end of the game barely makes it to 10 npcs total, though it is possible to complete the game with the only bug present in dirtmouth being Elderbug if you went out of your way to avoid expanding Dirtmouth (though doing so entails skipping incredibly useful utilities like area maps or the Lumafly lantern). It is nice though, that whenever something happens to change Dirtmouth, like Cornifer and Iselda moving in and setting up shop, or Bretta returning to her home, Elderbug always has something to say about it.
I think one of the big things is that it starts with only 1 Person and then grows over time. Even if it only grows to 10 people by the end, that's a 1000% increase which really does make a huge difference in how the area feels. When you first enter, Dirtmouth is a fading town sitting atop a forgotten kingdom. You don't even know why you came here in the first place. But as you explore and begin to understand your purpose in this world, you also interact with NPCs and get the town to grow. This way, you develop your own reason to fight and save Hallownest separate from just being told that its what you have to do.
13:18 I agree with the point, but I don't agree that it's easy. Trails in the Sky went through absolute hell and nearly didn't make it through localization specifically because of the amount of dialog that had to be translated in towns and such. Growing and changing towns are a great thing to aspire to, but it can be dangerous to underestimate the significant amount of time and effort that goes into actually creating something like this. It's actually no wonder why even big-name games often end up sticking with their one-line-of-dialogue NPCs
I think it'd be easy if restricted to its' native language. An English RPG within only English -> it wouldn't be necessarily more difficult. But yeah, the moment you go into another language, which all RPGs basically have to do since most RPGs are kind of niche, the complexity and difficulty goes through the roof.
Dang, I had no idea. It makes me want a remaster/port of the Sky games even more. Xseed is sitting on so many good games that they're just letting rot.
I love Ishgard Restoration. So much so I ranked in it one season. There's just something special about knowing you helped build a massive section of a game.
Rogueport has always been so memorable to me. All the hidden things around every corner really bring the place to life, and there is always a reason to go back throughout the game. There's nothing more disappointing than a starting town that you leave for good (unless there's a satisfying plot reason for leaving).
I love getting to explore more and more of a town once I get new abilities on my journey. Flipside in Super Paper Mario was crazy too! With some new abilities and exploration, you find an entire Flopside!
@@matthewjones6786 I forgot about that! Man, I need to replay Super. I hope Nintendo goes back to more unique stories and worlds for Paper Mario. Origami King was a step in the right direction but it still lacked the originality of the first three games.
@@daizbid I totally understand that and I love the first three, but I'm also one of those who fell in love with Origami King! Where it lacks in character design, I think it makes up for in creative mechanics, insane visual detail, some of my favorite music in any game, etc. :3
@@matthewjones6786 oh, absolutely! I did still love the game and it made me feel nostalgic for TTYD. I thought the combat was super creative, too. I just miss the more unique characters and environments of the older games
Super Mario RPG had some really great and memorable towns. Monstro Town, in particular, was fun because the standard friendly villagers were all classic Mario enemies, like koopas and thwomps.
Shibuya on The World Ends With You and its sequel NEO The World Ends With You is pretty interesting because, well, the entirety of those games is that town (well city, but you get it). Due to how encounter enemy works on that game there is not a clear separation between "danger zones" and sanctuaries" outside of you scanning the zone. Whats more, the entire game has only 1 "town". However each zone of Shibuya has its own personality and aesthethic and stores, so, in a way, each zone is also its own town, which fits perfectly on the games themes, especially in the first.
@@KopperNeoman I have to disagree, I think that the localization of NEO is great. A lot people don't like it becaude it changes a lot from the original script, but in general is just doing thr same as the localization of the first game: making so the original intention can be translated to a different culture
@@KopperNeoman or maybe the fact that for those who only have a computer the only option is to buy it on the epic games store. i dont think the game having some cringe slang puts people off, but i have not played it, maybe you are referring to something else?
@@darkfire1289 is this for real? way to go square cause that obviously worked out for the first game >.> and geez, why does everyone seem to think “yeah lets put all the best lines or all the spoilers in our trailer!”
Midgar's fine. It just so happens to have a government that is hostile to you. Actually that would be an interesting concept for a town where you have to avoid detection even while doing the usual stuff. Stay out of the light, avoid guards and don't talk to the wrong person or he'll rat you out. Like an RPG crossed with Metal Gear.
Clock Town from Legend of Zelda MM is one of the best RPG towns in games. The three day time mechanic is implemented beautifully here as 90 percent of the town's residents can be followed and we can see what they do throughout the day. Not only that but 90 percent of them have their own side quest which we the player can interact with and they have clear relationships with other characters as well. By the end of the game it makes Clock Town feel like a real town going through an end of the world event and it's up to us to stop that from happening.
@@isayasbashiri5371 Fair but the idea is ultimately the same. Towns in action adventure games with minimal RPG elements still serve the same function as towns in heavy stat based RPGs.
The Tales series probably has my favorite towns from a visual standpoint. The towns in those games are visually interesting and do a good job with environmental storytelling.
I like how in pokemon towns and cities are thematically diverse, usually around the same type as the gym, specially in Hoenn where nature is an important theme and there is secret bases giving the impression of living nearby some town, specially good how it applies the theme of people and pokemon living in places affected by nature, like Fortree City with everyone living in trees, Sootopolis in the mid of an ancient conflict and Pacifidlog in the middle of the sea
Pacifidlog was always weird to me, like who would choose to live in a small town in the middle of an ocean, but it makes up for it because funny softlock
It is amazing what trails in the sky made with this towns, they are not just there, it's like they exist. Every NPC has a name and a backstory, but what I liked more is that the conversations is not just you listeing to them, but sometimes you or your party members will start to talk to them and becomes an interesting conversation like ones from main story, this only increases in trails from zero where it is a hub city, basicily everyone knows you and sometimes you will just talk to your friend in the bakery or scolding a kid who is skipping class or even listing the cassino owner complaing that his teammate is going to the casino a lot. This is incredible becase this attests the existence of your party in the world, and most of the NPC won't have any appearance in the main plot or even in a side quest but some of then will have dialogue as complex as the ones found in the main plot.
And then they repeated (and expanded) the same thing with every other games of the franchise. This is absolutely insane. And it's also what allow every side quests to be absolutely worth it.
The only time i didn't enjoy cities in trails is in CS4. you know, Doom clock and all, yet So. Many. Cities. I Love the field trip idea of exploring a town but when you move past that its always on a some kind urgency in Cold Steel.
@@fjhatsu That didn't actually bother me that much because sky already trained me to ignore urgency with town conversations. If you recall there's that one part where the orphan kids get mugged on the highway along with the grant money to rebuild the building and you have to try and stop the perpetrator and hopefully recover the grant money. But no, first you got to run in the opposite direction to goto town or else you miss a carnelia book and lose your chance at the best weapon in the game... I found the most tedious time was in Zero/Azure no kiseki. Crossbell is quite big, and you're there the entire game, and you have to travel to goto the cathedral, and the mining town, and the honey town, etc, and it just takes SO LONG to do it after every event, and the npc chatter just didn't strike me as interesting as it did in Cold steel. So I basically gave up and settled talking to only a favored few npcs. Sunita's family, Renne's family, Lloyd's house, the bakery, etc. The Crossbell games seemed like they had alot more nameless npcs too. In any case I didn't even watch this video yet, I just saw it before my nap time, and wanted to save it for later but was thinking as soon as I saw it 'trails better mention or at least what makes trails' good better get a mention or else'. And saw this comment near the top, so hopefully that's the case.
Some NPCs even have story arcs across the multiple games. We're talking about town level NPCs, and just the supporting cast NPCs. I don't know how creators write all of this stuff, as some shop owners have a backstory and/or react to changes in the games or changes to other NPCs.
Ah man perfect example of that game's party members talking with npcs? The random older ladies hitting on Joshua. And then Olivier would agree, join in and start buttering up Joshua too. And Estelle is just standing right there and she explodes and flips her lid on everyone lmao.
The best game towns are definitely the ones that evolve based on the player's actions. The Wellspring Glade from Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a perfect example. You initially find this place nearly abandoned, overgrown with thorns, without any of the plants or environmental features that fill the rest of the game. But, as you play, you'll build houses for the local critters, remove the thorns, clean up the water, and plant a ton of different seeds that allow you access to a whole bunch of Metroidvania goodies. It turns the town from basically nothing into one of the most beautiful areas in a gorgeous game. In kind of the opposite, Palm Brinks from Dark Cloud 2 (or Dark Chronicle, if you're in a PAL region) has everyone leave due to the player's influence. It starts out being completely isolated - nobody has been outside in living memory. But as you repair the old railroad and venture out in the world, you'll find new towns you need to restore and populate. So, you head back to Palm Brinks and do a ton of (mostly fun) sidequests to recruit townsfolk to join you on your quest. They all have their own desires for a place to live, and can even help you out in the dungeons. It fits the theme of the game perfectly.
just curious. what would you say is the main theme in dark chronicle? it's one of my favorite games from my childhood but i'm not sure it sets out to say anything in particular. from what i can remember.
@@landis9767 My read on the game is that it's about broadening your horizons. Most of the characters' formative moments are defined by contact with the outside world. There's a pervasive fear of the world around them that keeps everyone in Palm Brinks isolated, but they can't grow. The town is stuck. And that's reflected in Sirus himself; his fear of humans is reinforced by his separation from the world. But, as you play, Max and the townsfolk meet more people and grow as characters. That fear begins to disappear. Sirus's fear - and his persona as Griffin - is shattered by one moment of empathy. It's hardly a revolutionary take, but a theme doesn't necessarily have to be an explicit moral.
The towns and cities in the Trails series are always phenomenal in making it feel like a living, breathing location. Every NPC has a unique name and dialogue which updates constantly throughout the story. Some NPCs move between towns and even make appearances in other games years later. I've never seen any other studio achieve this kind of world immersion since.
I can't forget that an NPC you meet in Trails in the Sky called Lloyd has an especial dialogue with the protagonist of Zero no Kiseki only because they share a name, boy that's attention to detail
@@roxanepineda3609 can forget when Estelle acknowledges the name sharing too Estelle: "Wait... Tio and Lloyd? Hahaha, sorry about that! I just thought it was funny because I have two friends named Tio and Lloyd."
Crossbell City is a great JRPG city but I don't like the ''independence thing''. It would be more interesting if Crossbell became part of Erebonia ''forever'' and the SSS had to deal with they choice (To protect KeA but condemn the city). But at this point I don't care anymore. Trails Series before ToCS = A great ''Slice of Life JRPG''. Simple but charming characters and good Story. The pacing could be done a little better but it's not like it's bad. Monsters are a bit generic and my least favorite part about the series. ToCS = A complete mess! Too much ''special'' characters with the most generic development(IMO Rean is the worst JRPG MC). Bonding Events being a main mechanic that fails miserably. Horrible pacing for a bad Story. And the worst part: The absurd amount of ''anime jokes''. I feel like they went from a ''human world'' with anime design to a ''generic anime world''. I dropped everything during Crossbell Act in ColdSteel 3(I couldn't stand how annoying Alisa, Musse, Juna, Sharon and Elise are)
@@mystocaixeta2065 Anton is, in my opinion, the greatest NPC of all-time. His story is so gripping, and evolves throughout the course of so many games. His sidequests are mostly comedic, but you're rooting for him to find love every step of the way, with Ricky always by his side. When he finally meets someone, it makes complete and total perfect sense. That's a great NPC.
Though I only started playing Persona 4 recently, Inaba has been a very memorable hub town for me. It's got everything that a generic town needs, such as shops, a place to heal up, and NPCs to take on sidequests for, but it also has a great launchpad for the party's adventures with the Junes department store. You may not do much navigation around the world, but one city and one dungeon entrance area alone will give you more than enough to do.
Inaba is probably one of the most perfectly designed towns I've ever seen. All of the details you would expect from a small town outside of the major commerce hubs are there, but placed well enough to not only feel lived in, but eventually reinforce the idea of Inaba being your "true home."
I think Traverse Town is one of my favorites. It does a good job of feeling like a place for refugees. The moment you leave the first district, you're still in the town but now Heartless can attack you. But it's so full of different puzzles and hidden secrets that it's fun to explore. When I was a kid I was scared of the heartless. Which made the first district and actual sigh of relief for me whenever I got back to it. And then moment near the beginning where the Heartless finally make their in was a very scary and unnerving moment for me. Suddenly the one place I found safety wasn't that any more. It pushed me out of my comfort zone. Traverse Town is my favorite world in the series and I don't think it gets enough credit for how cool it is.
Agreed. I never felt the towns in the sequels were as fleshed out and filled with secrets as Traverse Town was. It was so much fun exploring and finding all the different paths and see how the were all connected.
It's also where you meet Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Yuffie. I had never played a final fantasy that wasn't 10 before KH, so those characters may as well have been new to me. I loved them regardless. I missed them in kh3 :c.
That feeling of a town on the edge of danger is always really interesting because of how well it sets the standing state of the universe for the foreseeable future, not every world is in imminent world ending danger like you just escaped, but almost everywhere is under threat from the dark monsters lurking in the unseen corners, just waiting for the chance to prey upon the weak and the misguided, nowhere is truly safe, but very little is on the verge of destruction just yet, creating a universe in a tense balance
Tazmily Village from Mother 3 is perhaps one of my favorite towns in all of gaming. Back in the day, I knew every single person in the village by name, and they sort of felt like family, due to how close-knit of a community they had going. It also helps that they employ the hub town model, where character dialogue will change every chapter, and often multiple times per chapter depending on what you do. It truly feels alive, and there are so many fun easter eggs and quirky hidden dialogue to find, it made exploring the town and talking to everyone each chapter a total blast.
It almost feels wrong to compare Tazmily to other rpg towns, because Mother 3 is an rpg ABOUT a town. It's not a connecting point between different areas of focus, it's the primary area of focus, the stakes of the plot. From a purely gameplay perspective it's like, say, Toadtown, but in terms of story it's almost a main character.
One thing I like and dislike about SMT Nocturne is that even in towns you can get attacked via random encounters. It makes sense since it's the apocalypse and demons have taken their place in most of the towns. It adds to the hostile environment and gives you the feeling of never being safe. Obviously this can also lead to a lot of frustration because you never get a break and can die in 1 or 2 turns due to bad luck.
Yes, running to a fountain of life or amala terminal and hoping to not have another encounter is very tense. Although there is one town that is safe, asakusa before the mifunashiro incident
Same deal in smt 1 where your characters home is basically the only place in the game without random encounters. Though that does make the only other place without demons feel even more “”off”” than it already did
Persona 5's downtime to explore different parts of the city was a true joy and being limited to only a few actions each day meant you had to have a more meaningful use of your time. I also always enjoyed town's that felt like they had their own character. It's really cool when you visit real towns that have this charm.
It seems quaint now, but I was obsessed with Goldenrod City from Pokémon Silver back in 2000. The day/night cycle, the friendship rater, weekly rates on haircuts, it all seemed sooo compelling on that little GameBoy Color screen.
I recently played the first Dragon Quest and while overall I found it to be just ok, one of my favorite moments is when you’re exploring the over world and you see this town and instantly you think “Oh cool, a town! I can’t wait to heal up and stock up on items and new weapons and see what the town folk have to say!” So you walk into it only to find once inside that the town has been completely destroyed and random encounters appear in it. For as simple as it is, it has a lot of cool features to it. For one, it does a good job at conveying the threat the dragon lord and his monsters possess and adds to the fear so many NPCs express with how the monsters have been attacking more. It also just feels immersive in a way because that feeling of excitement to shock is probably akin to what the hero is feeling too at seeing this. It’s really simple and it doesn’t fit the criteria of this video a ton but still, for as much as Dragon Quest 1 felt primitive, this was a moment in the game that genuinely impressed me and left an impact
Is it weird to say my favorite town is... all of them from FF6? Like every one of them is connected to the plot in some way or another, some functioning as hideouts for rebels or Imperial strongholds, or just trying to ignore the conflict entirely on top of filling all the roles mentioned here. Add on top of that how the entire world changes at the half point of the game and the environmental storytelling gets cranked up to 11. It really was the first time a game really drove home the gravity of an event through the town design and how that event reverberated through the world
Narshe was the best. Soooo many things happen there. It has both a mine and a cave system connected to it. A siege, Tritoch, Terra awakening, Yeti, Moogles, I probably missed some things too.
Some of my favorite RPG towns: - Mercado from Dragon Warrior 1. You need to beat a boss fight (one of the exactly _four_ boss fights in the entire game) in order to enter, and the boss is nearly impossible without using a key item from another town. Once in, the city's buildings are densely packed and maze-like with need to use keys and fake walls to access all that it has to offer, like a dungeon but without combat inside. There are multiple shops of each type, showing that there's a lot of competing commerce going on in it. The best sword and shield money can buy require a little looking around, and this is where you get hints leading you to the best armor in the game (guarded by one of the game's other three bosses). - Melmond from Final Fantasy 1. The use of sandy/dirt tiles mixed in with the grass as well as some of the destroyed buildings (including critical services you've been trained to take for granted in towns to this point) tell a story of just how ruinous the Fiends' presence in the world is. - Rogueport from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. It does a really good job conveying that it's a crime-ridden slum, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, and also serves as a well-designed hub from which to access the rest of the game. The first Paper Mario was really good at making flavorful NPCs and towns and the second just stepped it up to a degree few professional games ever reach. - Valada from Spellshard: The Black Crown of Horgoth. Does everything a town in a retro 8-bit throwback RPG town should. Mostly I just want to shamelessly plug one of my favorite indie RPGs here. --It was an 8-bit retro RPG back in 2004, half a decade before that became "cool"--
Bastions' town was the first of it's kind for me when I played it. Before it, towns were rock solid locations where there will be hardly any modifications after your first visit. It was also my first time experiencing a hub in any game because there's just no other choice. But because of it, the town seemed more like a system menu screen that came out of your bag and happens to morph with the story.
Does Tarrey Town from Breath of the Wild count? I loved how once you’ve finished the homeowner side quest in Hateno village, you help Hudson build this town. As you find residents to move into the town, more buildings are built and the town theme gets instruments added with each resident as well. My only issue is that there was no shrine in the town but at least you could glide to the town from the nearest one.
Towns can play an additional role in open world or non-linear games, as they can guide players to locations they may not have explored. This could be through hints in dialogue or more straightforward in quests. They can also give a sense of direction to players who may be overwhelmed otherwise if they just wondered into the world. Riverwood in Skyrim served this role pretty well. After the tutorial, you are free to go wherever. However, you’re right nearby the town, so it doesn’t hurt to check it out. Once in Riverwood, you get directions for starting the main quest, and you get a couple of side quests that lead to other areas as well, including what is the first dungeon for many players.
Twilight town from KH2 specifically. It’s one of those places that feels comfortable whenever I visit it. The ambiance and music complement the fairly close together, but not obscenely tall buildings so it all feels cozy as you go through the place. It’s supposed to feel like home, and does a great job of it so you feel extra motivated to get rid of the baddies. Or maybe that’s just me! For you super old fans, Destiny Islands is another place I really like (KH1). It isn’t a town at all (at least not the portions of it the player has access to) but it feels like something the player has to protect- an innocence and peace that shouldn’t be disturbed. The fact that it’s the set price to one of the greatest ‘call to action’ moments in gaming history compounds it’s greatness.
Trails towns are just amazing, every NPC feels like a real person and it's great to see that no matter what you do, the world it's always changing and moving on, with or without you. Something about that franchise that I can't forget it's just the part where you return to the hometown of Estelle in Trails in the sky 2, I felt so nostalgic because everyone were commenting about how they missed you, everyone remembered Estelle but also continued with their life, but also it was sad because everyone were asking for Joshua, for a moment I thought about how hard it has to be for Estelle just being remembered that he left her behind. My favorite game of all Legend of Heroes
Balamb in FF8 has been my favorite. I think it’s mostly nostalgia for me but the theme and the crickets at night and of course the cafeteria with no hot dogs!
The coolest town may be Khorinis in Gothic 2. Everyone has a unique time schedule, the social dynamics are a LOT and there is so much to see. Probably the best town I know.
Funny on the breaking-and-entering part is the Quest for Glory series, where breaking-and-entering is actually a whole mechanic for the Thief (or any Devon with Stealth and Lockpicking) - and far from being a sanctuary, it's a life-or-death puzzle. I think there's only once in the entire quintilogy where you even get the option to fight your way out if you get caught. Ah, cutscenes truly are the Kryptonite of video game heroes.
One thing that always hits home if when a town turns into a combat zone and acts like a dungeon for a bit. Or other variants of destruction and disruption. Final fantasy IX really likes to have these situations happen every other town or so.
IX does a real good job of giving you time to get attached before things go south. I appreciated that you got to see Lindblum rebuilding as the discs went on, too.
I was going to mention Balamb Garden in FFVIII for exactly this reason. Sometimes it functions as a town, sometimes it's a dungeon, sometimes it's an action set piece. Eventually it becomes a vehicle for world map travel.
I'm honestly surprised The World Ends With You and its Sequel were not brought up. Their town Shibuya is such a key part to it and is a character of its own. NEO also leans more into this too with its Social Network system and its different clothing and eating system. All of these systems play into the combat of the game.
I think it was not mentioned because Shibuya is where the games take place. There are different areas, shops, different npc dialogues and all that but there isnt a clear distinction between the part of the world you explore and the town/city. The setting doesnt quite fulfill all of the elements/roles that he mentioned, but to be fair i dont know if any of the games that were showed are similar. But i did expect him to at least mention them, too
The Hunter’s Dream in Bloodborne. It has this compact and vertical design that makes it feel like a diorama, and it has a surprising number of nooks and crannies for such a small space. It’s incredibly atmospheric and mysterious, and its eerie calm contrasts wonderfully with the incessant screeches of beasts and loud action in the overworld.
Majula in Dark Souls 2 has a lot of similar qualities too. I think it shines in environmental story telling. It looks like a shanty town, but one gets the vibe that it has a thriving crossroad at some point. The souls series in general just excels at that stuff.
20 years on, I still remember the towns from Skies of Arcadia. All of them were awesome lore-wise since (in a game about being a sky pirate) they were all ports for airships inspired by different cultures from around the world during the Age of Discovery. One "town that isn't a town" was your airship, the Delphinus, itself. At any time, while cruising the skies, you could opt to just take a break, walk around the decks of your ship, and talk to your crew. The crew were all NPCs that you met and recruited, some as part of the story, but most during side quests, and I still remember how immersive it was to just see them all interacting with each other (independent of me) in the galley or on the bridge. Then there was Crescent Isle, your secret hideout/pirate base that you get to build up and choose what buildings to add, and what they should look like. When you're on Crescent Isle, your crew become the town NPCs, all of them keeping busy and giving more context to their little side stories (as well as more of their interactions with each other). It really felt like you were building a town from the ground up, and helping it to thrive as you convinced more specialists to join your crew and add their talents to the community.
Bump for Skies of Arcadia! The town designs were so **interesting.** Like Ixa'taka, with giant tree houses, and a wooden slide several stories high that you could take a ride on. Or Yafutoma, with multiple levels of floating islands, and a waterfall from the top island down to the bottom (you can ride over the edge in a Japanese taraibune, or tub-boat). Just fantastic towns in that game.
While I don't have much experience with rpg towns (unless I get Darkest Dungeons) I do have an idea for a topic you can go over: Economy. Specifically how designers can use the in-game currencies of a game to influence player behaviour, while also weaving it into the games mechanics in unique ways.
One of the most memorable towns for me was Zere from Dragon Quest IX, though not necessarily for the town itself and more so the tone it indirectly sets. The town itself is a pretty standard Dragon Quest fair where you hear of an sculptor who used to live that that now lives at the top of a mountain by himself. When you actually arrive to the mountain later on in the game however, you discover that at the top is an exact stone made replica of the town, even down to stone statues of the citizens littering about, and the only NPC that even lives here is a talking slime you reveals that the sculptor built it all by himself and passed away some time ago. Even if it's not the actual town, there's an intense feeling of unsettledness, seeing a normally very active place with characters to talk to completely devoid of practically all life, which isn't helped either by the very muted grey stone color of the town replica.
I can’t believe you would leave out the fact that the original town (which is absolutely gorgeous) is called Zere, but the (kind of sad-feeling) stone copy is called Zere Rocks. As in Xerox. The copy machine.
I came to appreciate JRPG towns a lot more once I understood that they're hubs to learn about the world and the way people live in it. The reason why Townsfolks talk "like that" is because their dialog follows an implied question your character asked them.
The video already touched on this and there's some overlap with the categories mentioned here, but a (hub) town that functions as a measure for progress is my favorite kind. As you play through the game, you might add different folks to your town, growing it and increasing the services available. Examples of this would be the Village of Beginnings in Digimon Adventure, Dunan Castle in Suikoden II, and despite being tied to a single side quest, Tarrey Town in Breath of the Wild. A very tangible way of seeing the change you've made in the world.
Xenoblade X is also a great example since you can ally with a number of aliens and they will come and populate your home city and help you fight against the Ganglion.
Nice vid. JRPG towns are peak comfy, and Arni Village is one of my all time favorites. The beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds combined with the relaxing music is just magical
So hey, I know this has NOTHING to do with the video, but... Nice run on Jeaprody, Mike! This is the LAST place I would have expected to hear/see you with my folks watching in the back. You did damn good, but Amy is just nuts, it's crazy how much she dominates!
Something i like about some towns NPCs that make the whole world be more realistic, are *Foreign NPCs* In such a big world, you aren't gonna be the only one traveling from here to there, and people don't always stay on the same places forever, so it makes sense some NPCs from other areas appear as "other visitors" besides you, and not only for the sake of variety or sticking out in the crowd, but can also have fun functions in the game. Maybe a NPC that comes from a more advanced mid/late game town, is on an early game town for any reason, and it's mere presence, design, and even story can give you a glimpse of what might be ahead of your journey and hype you up for it... or even better, maybe the NPC has some sidequest that could reward you with a more advanced item you won't find for a while, until you reach their actual home that sells them, specially if they might come from an place that isn't tied to the main story, so visiting their home town isn't needed, unless that item they show you or the NPC as a whole raised your interest to search their hometown, and explore what special secrets they might hide.
For sure, I remember Stiltzkin the moogle played this role in FF9 and it made the world so much more real when you would hear about his adventures in the coming town. He would describe the icy cavern in a way that makes you imagine all sorts of cool stuff, so when you get there, it's like actually travelling to a place you've heard about. You also had that british dude in FF10 who would seem to travel a lot and made the destinations in the game feel like a popular, genuine route in the world, rather than one that simply fulfills some storyline.
This isn’t an rpg, or a town, but I love Station Square from Sonic Adventure. So many npcs have unique dialogue and it even changes throughout the game. There are so many subplots going on throughout the story that go a long way to making station square feel like a real life city, like the girl outside the burger place. Edit: apparently “npcs” autocorrects to “nice”
FF12 Rabanastre has to be my number one pick for a well designed town. Final fantasy 12 was my first real RPG I played and the way the dialog and people changed throughout the game has shaped my expectations for similar games.
Gothic 1 and 2 each had a town you sorely needed, but you had to work a questline to even be allowed in past the walls. The respite aspect was much stronger through this one. Also each inhabitant had a job with day a night cycle, which was really rare in other games.
Gran Soren in Dragon's Dogma, with it's side quests, the possibility to explore the rooftops and ramparts and how it changes as the scenario unfolds, hosting the final dungeon. Plus they're masterworks all, you can't go wrong ! Also Dalaran/New Dalaran in WoW were great hubs with stellar soundtracks and a bit of exploration. Silvermoon, Ironforge and the Undercity also had good environmental storytelling and layouts. In fact IF and UC became the base layout model for subsequent hub cities. FFVII had towns as part of main/sub quests which could be considered as part town, part non-combat dungeons like Wall Market, the Gold Saucer, Wutai... Square did a great job of making the towns more than just a waypoint to restock on your way, rather a part of your progression through the story.
Dragon's dogma's story takes a backseat for the majority of the game, but the way everything changes in the last few hours especially is just incredible. I'll never forget my first time re-entering Gran Soren after shit hit the fan near the end.
I love how the cities in ffxiv actually have their own communities and subcultures. Spend 5 mins in Gridania and 5 in Limsa, and you will feel the difference immediately!
The Normandy is easily my favorite hub town that isn't a town. Returning from a mission to chat with your crew, do upgrades and enjoy hours of the galaxy map's music. It also has major importance in the story and features in a couple of interesting ways.
Khorinis.... entering khorinis was kinda your first quest and that you had different ways to achieve that made it so nice and rewarding. Also the city has such a perfect atmosphere... god i love gothic 2 :D
I don't know anyone else who's played the first Alundra game, but it had a central hub that revolved around your relationships and delving into the residents dreams. It really evolved throughout the game
i tryed this year but could not go pass the puzzles and old platform control. kinda sad but i dont have enough time this days to lose time when i am not having fun.
Shoutout goes to Radiata Stories' central hub city. It's a living, breathing town where everyone has their own schedule, and it definitely changes as you progress through the story. I love how huge it is since there are several distinct districts along with a castle, so there is much opportunity to explore.
Any town that lets you explore! Although this is also a trait of hub worlds, I love places that you can spend hours finding every nook and cranny of. The Zelda series does this particularly well, especially in WW imo
I love the first town you come to in Final Fantasy IX. After the craziness of the opening and after some overworld trekking, you come to a sleepy little town that has way more going on under the surface than it first appears.
Best town in my opinion is Crossbell (Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure), hands down. It has the usual Trails thing of having tons of characters with their own names and stories independent of what the player does, which really sells it as being a real place, but turned up to eleven because of how big it is, and how its politics and tensions on multiple axes are central to the story. I'm also rather fond of the visual design of nearly every town in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, especially the whimsical designs you see in Mira. That game is just beautifully rendered in general, honestly. And I'm sure others have mentioned it already, but Clock Town in Majora's Mask is also excellent--many of the characters have their own little mini-stories, and the time travel mechanic means you can never miss anything, and for any that require you to do something, you can see both what happens if you succeed, and what happens if you fail. Plus the increasing sense of trying-to-cover-up-your-panic that you get from just about everyone (and from the music, too!) is really masterfully done.
The Ramuh "tip" I witnessed it first hand and I still love that memory. When I found the "old guy throwing lightnings around" my reaction went from "oh.." to "OH!", I love FFV.
Story telling wise, I think SMT 4 did a pretty great job. The original town gives you a clear idea of what life is like for all in the surface, and Tokyo is filled with its own lore shown by how towns are either taken over, abandoned or barely scrapping by
Midgar from Final Fantasy VII / FFVII Remake - Though eventually you move onto the world proper and discover even more exotic locales, the 'city of mako' is an integral part of the game's identity, has significance in the plot-- playing a central role within the main narrative for many characters both pro and antagonistic. Plus, it just looks cool.
One of my favourites is the Castle in Suikoden, that you build and populate with the characters you enlist along your way, and you see it progressively grow and fill with people and new features.
I haven't seen this done very often in modern games, but one thing I've really liked in RPGs is when, through your actions of progressing the story, you build a town. It's like a concrete tangible illustration of your positive effects on the game world
HOLY wow! I’m watching you on Jeapordy right now!! Mike! Wow! Tough luck going against such a powerhouse but wow it was neat to realize who you were lol! You did awesome!
Back when it came out: Dragon’s Dogma had one of the best RPG towns. Only one fixed city, but it was needed for everything crucial. Made it feel like a hub and not just a source of quests and vendors like in some Elder Scrolls games.
Well as for RPG town NPCs I really think Mother 2/Earthbound nailed it on how to keep them from getting boring considering they’re really entertaining to talk to, so I really enjoy all the towns from Earthbound considering there’s always some entertaining dialogue from the NPCs in each one of them in the game.
The Legend of Dragoon has some of my favorite towns. Every one is unique, they feel like they're much bigger than just the area where you walk around and shop in, and they all are involved in advancing the plot (it _is_ a very linear game). Unfortunately, once the plot progresses to the next chapter in a new area with a new town, you very rarely _need_ to go back to previous towns, but there are a few sidequests and items you can get from earlier towns later in the game, including one key item which you will always get at a certain point in the plot, but that you can get _much_ earlier from one of the first towns and you _definitely_ want to get it as soon as you can to avoid level grinding later. [Spoiler below] . . . . It's the Earth Dragoon Spirit, you can get it as soon as Kongol joins the party (even before Meru gets the Water Dragoon Spirit) from a merchant in Lohan for 1000 GP. A man in the bar at Donau gives you a hint about it. If you don't get it nefore the games "point of no return", you won't get it until near the end of the game, where you'll _really_ have to grind to get Kongol's dragoon abilities leveled up to the rest of the party.
I think my favorite town that I’ve seen in an RPG would have to be Colony 6 from Xenoblade Chronicles. The way it starts has an inaccessible fortress housing a major dungeon in the wake of a hostile takeover and then becomes a war-torn husk that you can gradually nurse back to the health of the thriving, diverse community it once was is so charming to me. It really made me think about how real-world community efforts can help shape the world we live in.
Traverse Town and Zora's Domain (BOTW) will forever be my favorite video game towns. The music, the atmosphere, both are very calming and peaceful towns that actually feel like a safe place for me. Sometimes, I'll even play BoTW just to visit Zora's Domain again. It really feels like home. And I know Zelda isn't an RPG, but I wanted to give a shout out to it anyway :)
That part about Chrono Cross was really on point, on a more spoilery sidenote .... . . . . . . . . . . . . When you get back to Arni village at THAT other half of the game, everything is transformed again, from home, to another, then to a hostile (to "you") place, again changing the feel of that familiar place in a way that complements everything. Really glad to see Chrono Cross on this channel.
The Trails series have the best towns of any game franchise imo. I always make sure to talk to every NPC whenever time progresses in the game, because most of them have little stories to tell over time. It really does make the world feel bigger than just you and your group.
peach's castle from mario and luigi partners in time serves as the game's main hub "town", and while it's little more than the place to buy items/gear, learn new moves, progress the story, and connect to new worlds with the 'time holes' that appear, one thing i really really like about it is how because the setting for each "dungeon" is 'a place in the mushroom kingdom's past', it's very fitting that the final dungeon is the past version of peach's castle itself. it's twisted and warped due to the takeover from the alien shroob princesses, but it's still very recognizable as the hub you spent the game treating as a safe haven, and it makes for a very nice subversion and it's very cool to see in what way each area got turned into a dungeon room.
I like seeing a sense of mystery, questions that take several revisits to be answered over time... also areas that are visible but closed off, where you wonder what their significance are and how (when?) you can get there... characters that immediately look "important" but refuse to talk to you much until you've gained more cred or a quest-dependent reason to get their attention... generally things that make a place evolve over time, but pique your curiosity and sense of wonder from the get go.
I'm glad you mentionned Trails in the Sky; the effort put into the world building of these games is stellar. The NPCs changes their dialogue each time the story progresses and each one (or at least the named ones) have a personnality and/or their own little stories happening at the same time as the main one, reinforcing the idea that they exist with or without the main characters; some can foreshadow upcoming sidequests; some can extend to several towns throughout the game or even several games; and some can hint at an element of the main story that has not yet relevant, you can learn some elements before the main brought it up, and the main characters will sometimes comment on that info in the main story (the game even encourage you in either sidequests or story missions to go beyond what is required of you, and rewards the player for his curiosity with bonus points). Though I can agree and confirm on the fact that it's hell for a completionist, to make a tour of every NPCs in a region or town can take a while ( 1-2 hours per tour), and it must have been really difficult to translate all of this (the script sizes of these games are already ridiculous in Japanese), the story of the localization of Trails in the Sky SC is a prime exemple of that massive task. The in-universe books, newspapers, and collectible book series (which you can collect through the game by talking with certain NPCs at certain times), also contribute to the world-building of the game, but perhaps it would be more appropriate for another video on that specific subject. And to talk about something you said in the video, town or certain locations being places of respite; an element that I love in storytelling is when the game suddenly broke that respite zone and put a battle or tense situation in the middle of it, making you no longer feel safe and adds another layer of danger and urgency to this situation.
Crossbell from the the trails "Crossbell duology" really seems like the gold standard of hub towns to me. It's so huge and full of life, it really feels like many towns within a town (and it is!). I mean Trails knocks it out of the park with most of its towns, but Crossbell was definitely a tier above.
Pokemon's Ecruteak City. Feels like flipping through an old photo album every time I walk in there. The music is softer than the others that precede it. The town has a rich history with the imprint of legendaries left behind. Culturally it's the most "traditional" out of the other more modernized towns, save for perhaps Violet City.
The Castles in the Suikoden series are amazing. They grow as you recruit more members to your army so you feel as if you have a hard in the development, but they feel like they are operating even if you rarely visit
My favorite RPGS are Final Fantasy VI, FF8 (7's over rated) along with Chrono Trigger & the Lufia series. I wish you'd have shown more of those ones in here too.
Been a huge fan of your channel for years now. This channel has been constantly giving me inspiration and motivation to work on my passion. But rn I'm working part time to buy my own pc! Cheers to this channel's success!
balamb town from ffviii. you can literally feel the gentle sea breeze on your skin just by looking at it. everybody in it seems to live their own peaceful normal life. its so relaxing. and brings back so many memories. plus theres a lot of things to do. the car, the train, the mystery of whats in zells room, the hotel, the docks, the queen of cards quest. god i miss being a 12 year old kid back in 2000 playing viii on Christmas. life was so simple before everything went to hell. if i could go back i would do so many things differently....
Freeside from Fallout: New Vegas is a favorite that comes to mind. Gives you a lot of insight from the locals about how New Vegas actually works, and has lots of side quests that flesh out the area and teaches you the plights of those that have to live there. Plus it's patrolled by Elvis impersonators, can't say any other game gave me that.
I love the towns in dragon quest games, the dialogue and what the town does are so iconic to me, i am not good with names but most of the towns in dragon quest iv and v are what i think when people say rpg town.
I recall really enjoying the village in Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2, I looked forward to seeing what it'd have each day. Realms of Arkania games also had interesting towns, something about them felt very nice and immersive to me.
I like the transition two seconds after 4:13. And the visuals of Nibleheim at the mention of a theme park facade. As for towns, I like the town in Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Heoi. There are things happening between missions, and by what the residents there talk about you get a sense time moving forward. You also slowly find out more stuff about what's going on in that part of the world, like at least one detail that's crucial to get the good ending. And then there are all the smaller missions and stories told throughout the game within Heoi. The two previous games also have similar hubs, but HK is the best of them.
Pokémon towns are somewhat unique compared to other RPGs, since they’re typically where you encounter the game’s main bosses (the gym leaders). Most RPGs have their bosses at the end of a dungeon, which Pokémon sometimes does (like with legendaries or the evil team leaders), but it’s much more rare.
I'd argue that the gyms are non-traditional dungeons
@@TheWrathAbove true
Other parts of Pokémon are very different from most RPGs too. The random battles are with wild animals who are ALL potential friends, instead of ravaging hordes of ghouls. The other enemies are trainers who are just people like you, they’re hanging out, hiking, swimming, and they want to exercise with you not really “fight”.
@@AquaticMammalOnBicycle well this is the same logic for every monster colleting game basically, smt principally (excluding all the personas that aren't 5).
@@AquaticMammalOnBicycle The evil team's grunts function the most like traditional enemies from JRPGs
Clock Town from Majora's Mask is definitely one of my favorite video game towns. It's a hub that you can visit to buy things and take a break from combat, but what's happening there is also the central conflict and tension point of the entire game, to the point that it can almost feel more relaxing to get away from it and not feel the moon bearing down on you so directly. The way the music increases in pace ups the anxiety the more time you spend there, and nothing brings me dread like the sound of the bell tower chiming away, 12 hours closer to doom.
You have met with a terrible faith haven't you?
It's also very different than most other towns as the town does change based on the time left. The town couldn't be any more different on day 1 and day 3 and KNOWING how the town used to be on the first day, makes seeing it's state on the third hit much harder.
And it isn't all, the there are plenty of little quests to do that change details within the town, but thanks to the game's nature, none of them are permanent. The little detail I love the most about Clock Town is about the goron that has the same name as you. If you check into the hotel before he does, you'll steal his room, forcing him to sleep outside. Now, he is a Goron, so he doesn't mind too much, but you definitely will feel bad about doing that.
What's also so great about it is that it could (and often will) happen by accident. There is a good chance that you run in there and steal his room without even knowing what's going on. Then you see a poor little goron forced to sleep on the street because of that.
But once you reset the time, he will have another chance to get his room and finally sleep under sturdy roof in a comfy bed.
@@ducksauce2696 Fate
While I don't disagree, Majora's Mask is not an RPG.
@@CornishCreamtea07 It is to some extent, as an "Action-adventure" RPG. RPG just means "Role-playing game" which can encompass the majority of games today, though it is more often used to describe JRPGs and games like them. Game genres are weird.
The unspoken rule of RPG towns is that their theme music MUST be one of the best songs on the entire soundtrack. Chrono Cross in particular knocks this out of the park with its fantastic town themes throughout the whole game.
Agree 100%
I don't see what you're talking about...
*He said as he loaded Another Termina in the media player.*
Especially the Snow Town lol.
@@Terranigma23 Damn snow towns, they get me every time !
Traverse town in Kingdom hearts 1
Traverse Town has always been a big favourite of mine - the warm colours, chill atmosphere, the starry sky above you and the relaxing music always made it a nice place to come back to.
Its really a great town. The music is quite literally one of the best smooth jazz songs ive ever heard. Also traverse town has a ton of small changes if you keep coming back and there is quite a bit of content there.
If I could visit one place from a video game, traverse town is very close to the top
It also helps set one of my favorite details about KH1, where clearing the plot for a world will make the whole world peaceful until you return. Seeing the people return to Agrabah is always one of the most magical moments on replay for me. You get to actually see a more populated place compared to the typical window dressing.
Also huge shoutout to being able to see how much it changed in DDD. Getting to see various aspects of the town you never knew about originally is such a neat idea.
@@SapphireCarbuncle009 I have DDD but never played. Currentlly on Data Xehnort and then finally yozora. How good is the gameplay?
Personally, I prefer Twilight Town (I'm still not over how little of it was accessible in KH3 - how can you give players an almost unlimited vertical wall-run and not give them access to the station clocktower?) but Traverse Town does the job in KH1.
The House of Hades in, well, Hades, is a fantastic Town. Not only does it provide downtime between plays, the ability to check on quests, and to spend currency customizing the town and your next runs, but in so many little ways as well. For example, the characters may or may not be present each time you visit. Hades also does a stellar job in evolving the dialogue of these characters between visits -- and having an entire system in place to prevent the player from missing dialogue by accident.
Love the decor aspect
At first, it kinda bugged us that characters weren't always available to talk to, especially if I was trying to max out friendships. After some runs, I began to appreciate their absences. Just because Zagreus can't venture out into other areas of the Underworld doesn't mean that everyone else is trapped. Where do some of the NPCs go? Where do they live? Makes it feel like everyone is living their life and just doing their jobs within The House.
@@avereynakama9854 Also gives a reason to play again
I had a completely opposite experience. Almost no interactivity.
I came down to the comments to say just this and I am glad others found the same.
Personally, I like towns where you have a part in the construction and implementation. It gives you a sense of personality, customization, and growth.
this brings to mind the Georama mechanics from the Dark Cloud games and Tarrey Town from Breath of the Wild; I wonder what some others may be
On the other hand, I'm much more fond of towns that grow completely without your influence. It feels a little contrived to me that a full town would stagnate without the player's influence, and I feel it makes the world feel more alive if large events can happen without you needing to directly cause that event.
(Not saying your opinion is wrong, just giving some reasons why I prefer these towns).
Fallout 4
Luin from Tales of Symphonia was one of my favorite towns. Seeing how much it grew was great, although you weren't involved in the implementation.
Rebuilding Colony 6 in Xenoblade was kind of a hassle in some spaces, but seeing the world visibly improve and expand with more characters was an amazing feeling!
Dirtmouth from Hollowknight is one of the more interesting town hubs in my opinion: Rather than being this large sprawling space with dozens of npcs, it's just a handful of buildings, a bench, and a fast travel station. By the end of the game barely makes it to 10 npcs total, though it is possible to complete the game with the only bug present in dirtmouth being Elderbug if you went out of your way to avoid expanding Dirtmouth (though doing so entails skipping incredibly useful utilities like area maps or the Lumafly lantern).
It is nice though, that whenever something happens to change Dirtmouth, like Cornifer and Iselda moving in and setting up shop, or Bretta returning to her home, Elderbug always has something to say about it.
I think one of the big things is that it starts with only 1 Person and then grows over time. Even if it only grows to 10 people by the end, that's a 1000% increase which really does make a huge difference in how the area feels.
When you first enter, Dirtmouth is a fading town sitting atop a forgotten kingdom. You don't even know why you came here in the first place. But as you explore and begin to understand your purpose in this world, you also interact with NPCs and get the town to grow. This way, you develop your own reason to fight and save Hallownest separate from just being told that its what you have to do.
@@adamweinberg2532 you’re not even told to save hallownest until you get the dream nail. By then, a lot of people are in dirtmouth already
13:18 I agree with the point, but I don't agree that it's easy. Trails in the Sky went through absolute hell and nearly didn't make it through localization specifically because of the amount of dialog that had to be translated in towns and such.
Growing and changing towns are a great thing to aspire to, but it can be dangerous to underestimate the significant amount of time and effort that goes into actually creating something like this. It's actually no wonder why even big-name games often end up sticking with their one-line-of-dialogue NPCs
Yeah, that should probably be 'straightforward' rather than 'easy'.
I think it'd be easy if restricted to its' native language. An English RPG within only English -> it wouldn't be necessarily more difficult.
But yeah, the moment you go into another language, which all RPGs basically have to do since most RPGs are kind of niche, the complexity and difficulty goes through the roof.
Dang, I had no idea. It makes me want a remaster/port of the Sky games even more. Xseed is sitting on so many good games that they're just letting rot.
I think I could watch an entire video delving into the environmental storytelling of FFXIV, it's really something special
I love Ishgard Restoration. So much so I ranked in it one season. There's just something special about knowing you helped build a massive section of a game.
Eeh
Rogueport has always been so memorable to me. All the hidden things around every corner really bring the place to life, and there is always a reason to go back throughout the game. There's nothing more disappointing than a starting town that you leave for good (unless there's a satisfying plot reason for leaving).
I love getting to explore more and more of a town once I get new abilities on my journey. Flipside in Super Paper Mario was crazy too! With some new abilities and exploration, you find an entire Flopside!
@@matthewjones6786 I forgot about that! Man, I need to replay Super. I hope Nintendo goes back to more unique stories and worlds for Paper Mario. Origami King was a step in the right direction but it still lacked the originality of the first three games.
@@daizbid I totally understand that and I love the first three, but I'm also one of those who fell in love with Origami King! Where it lacks in character design, I think it makes up for in creative mechanics, insane visual detail, some of my favorite music in any game, etc. :3
@@matthewjones6786 oh, absolutely! I did still love the game and it made me feel nostalgic for TTYD. I thought the combat was super creative, too. I just miss the more unique characters and environments of the older games
Super Mario RPG had some really great and memorable towns. Monstro Town, in particular, was fun because the standard friendly villagers were all classic Mario enemies, like koopas and thwomps.
Probably my favorite version of the Mushroom Kingdom/castle as well.
Shibuya on The World Ends With You and its sequel NEO The World Ends With You is pretty interesting because, well, the entirety of those games is that town (well city, but you get it). Due to how encounter enemy works on that game there is not a clear separation between "danger zones" and sanctuaries" outside of you scanning the zone. Whats more, the entire game has only 1 "town". However each zone of Shibuya has its own personality and aesthethic and stores, so, in a way, each zone is also its own town, which fits perfectly on the games themes, especially in the first.
The deliberately awful localisation of NEO probably put a lot of people off.
@@KopperNeoman I have to disagree, I think that the localization of NEO is great. A lot people don't like it becaude it changes a lot from the original script, but in general is just doing thr same as the localization of the first game: making so the original intention can be translated to a different culture
@@KopperNeoman or maybe the fact that for those who only have a computer the only option is to buy it on the epic games store. i dont think the game having some cringe slang puts people off, but i have not played it, maybe you are referring to something else?
@@KopperNeoman No, what put people off is the literal non existent marketing save for one ad on Crunchyroll with a clip from the literal final boss
@@darkfire1289 is this for real? way to go square cause that obviously worked out for the first game >.>
and geez, why does everyone seem to think “yeah lets put all the best lines or all the spoilers in our trailer!”
"Towns are a sanctuary"
Midgar: "I don't think so"
I wouldn't say Midgar counts as a town in this sense. There are towns within Midgar though. Like the area around Seventh Heaven or Wall Market.
- "Towns are a sanctuary"
- "yes, literally", said the developers of Borderlands 2
Midgar's fine. It just so happens to have a government that is hostile to you. Actually that would be an interesting concept for a town where you have to avoid detection even while doing the usual stuff. Stay out of the light, avoid guards and don't talk to the wrong person or he'll rat you out. Like an RPG crossed with Metal Gear.
@WhiteFangofWhoa assassins creed Valhalla in a nutshell
*laughs in SMT Nocturne*
Clock Town from Legend of Zelda MM is one of the best RPG towns in games. The three day time mechanic is implemented beautifully here as 90 percent of the town's residents can be followed and we can see what they do throughout the day. Not only that but 90 percent of them have their own side quest which we the player can interact with and they have clear relationships with other characters as well. By the end of the game it makes Clock Town feel like a real town going through an end of the world event and it's up to us to stop that from happening.
Zelda is not an RPG.
@@isayasbashiri5371 Fair but the idea is ultimately the same. Towns in action adventure games with minimal RPG elements still serve the same function as towns in heavy stat based RPGs.
very well said
The Tales series probably has my favorite towns from a visual standpoint. The towns in those games are visually interesting and do a good job with environmental storytelling.
I like how in pokemon towns and cities are thematically diverse, usually around the same type as the gym, specially in Hoenn where nature is an important theme and there is secret bases giving the impression of living nearby some town, specially good how it applies the theme of people and pokemon living in places affected by nature, like Fortree City with everyone living in trees, Sootopolis in the mid of an ancient conflict and Pacifidlog in the middle of the sea
Pacifidlog was always weird to me, like who would choose to live in a small town in the middle of an ocean, but it makes up for it because funny softlock
@@Boooo There is real people that lives in places like that, usually fisher towns
@@Boooo There are lots of towns that are based near the ocean, especially in Asia.
It is amazing what trails in the sky made with this towns, they are not just there, it's like they exist.
Every NPC has a name and a backstory, but what I liked more is that the conversations is not just you listeing to them, but sometimes you or your party members will start to talk to them and becomes an interesting conversation like ones from main story, this only increases in trails from zero where it is a hub city, basicily everyone knows you and sometimes you will just talk to your friend in the bakery or scolding a kid who is skipping class or even listing the cassino owner complaing that his teammate is going to the casino a lot.
This is incredible becase this attests the existence of your party in the world, and most of the NPC won't have any appearance in the main plot or even in a side quest but some of then will have dialogue as complex as the ones found in the main plot.
And then they repeated (and expanded) the same thing with every other games of the franchise. This is absolutely insane.
And it's also what allow every side quests to be absolutely worth it.
The only time i didn't enjoy cities in trails is in CS4. you know, Doom clock and all, yet So. Many. Cities. I Love the field trip idea of exploring a town but when you move past that its always on a some kind urgency in Cold Steel.
@@fjhatsu That didn't actually bother me that much because sky already trained me to ignore urgency with town conversations. If you recall there's that one part where the orphan kids get mugged on the highway along with the grant money to rebuild the building and you have to try and stop the perpetrator and hopefully recover the grant money. But no, first you got to run in the opposite direction to goto town or else you miss a carnelia book and lose your chance at the best weapon in the game...
I found the most tedious time was in Zero/Azure no kiseki. Crossbell is quite big, and you're there the entire game, and you have to travel to goto the cathedral, and the mining town, and the honey town, etc, and it just takes SO LONG to do it after every event, and the npc chatter just didn't strike me as interesting as it did in Cold steel. So I basically gave up and settled talking to only a favored few npcs. Sunita's family, Renne's family, Lloyd's house, the bakery, etc. The Crossbell games seemed like they had alot more nameless npcs too.
In any case I didn't even watch this video yet, I just saw it before my nap time, and wanted to save it for later but was thinking as soon as I saw it 'trails better mention or at least what makes trails' good better get a mention or else'. And saw this comment near the top, so hopefully that's the case.
Some NPCs even have story arcs across the multiple games. We're talking about town level NPCs, and just the supporting cast NPCs. I don't know how creators write all of this stuff, as some shop owners have a backstory and/or react to changes in the games or changes to other NPCs.
Ah man perfect example of that game's party members talking with npcs? The random older ladies hitting on Joshua. And then Olivier would agree, join in and start buttering up Joshua too. And Estelle is just standing right there and she explodes and flips her lid on everyone lmao.
I always loved the hand drawn towns from the Bravely Default games, they had such a unique vibe to them.
The best game towns are definitely the ones that evolve based on the player's actions. The Wellspring Glade from Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a perfect example. You initially find this place nearly abandoned, overgrown with thorns, without any of the plants or environmental features that fill the rest of the game. But, as you play, you'll build houses for the local critters, remove the thorns, clean up the water, and plant a ton of different seeds that allow you access to a whole bunch of Metroidvania goodies. It turns the town from basically nothing into one of the most beautiful areas in a gorgeous game.
In kind of the opposite, Palm Brinks from Dark Cloud 2 (or Dark Chronicle, if you're in a PAL region) has everyone leave due to the player's influence. It starts out being completely isolated - nobody has been outside in living memory. But as you repair the old railroad and venture out in the world, you'll find new towns you need to restore and populate. So, you head back to Palm Brinks and do a ton of (mostly fun) sidequests to recruit townsfolk to join you on your quest. They all have their own desires for a place to live, and can even help you out in the dungeons. It fits the theme of the game perfectly.
just curious. what would you say is the main theme in dark chronicle? it's one of my favorite games from my childhood but i'm not sure it sets out to say anything in particular. from what i can remember.
@@landis9767 My read on the game is that it's about broadening your horizons. Most of the characters' formative moments are defined by contact with the outside world. There's a pervasive fear of the world around them that keeps everyone in Palm Brinks isolated, but they can't grow. The town is stuck. And that's reflected in Sirus himself; his fear of humans is reinforced by his separation from the world. But, as you play, Max and the townsfolk meet more people and grow as characters. That fear begins to disappear. Sirus's fear - and his persona as Griffin - is shattered by one moment of empathy.
It's hardly a revolutionary take, but a theme doesn't necessarily have to be an explicit moral.
@@clairity266 huh... makes sense. thanks.
i should play it again, too bad it's so lenghty
@@landis9767 It's real good! But that's true, it does drag a bit by the end. I always skip the fish races as much as possible lol
Dirtmouth in Hollow Knight is also a great example of this
The towns and cities in the Trails series are always phenomenal in making it feel like a living, breathing location. Every NPC has a unique name and dialogue which updates constantly throughout the story. Some NPCs move between towns and even make appearances in other games years later. I've never seen any other studio achieve this kind of world immersion since.
I can't forget that an NPC you meet in Trails in the Sky called Lloyd has an especial dialogue with the protagonist of Zero no Kiseki only because they share a name, boy that's attention to detail
@@roxanepineda3609 can forget when Estelle acknowledges the name sharing too
Estelle: "Wait... Tio and Lloyd? Hahaha, sorry about that! I just thought it was funny because I have two friends named Tio and Lloyd."
Crossbell City is a great JRPG city but I don't like the ''independence thing''. It would be more interesting if Crossbell became part of Erebonia ''forever'' and the SSS had to deal with they choice (To protect KeA but condemn
the city). But at this point I don't care anymore.
Trails Series before ToCS = A great ''Slice of Life JRPG''. Simple but charming characters and good Story. The pacing could be done a little better but it's not like it's bad. Monsters are a bit generic and my least favorite part about the series.
ToCS = A complete mess! Too much ''special'' characters with the most generic development(IMO Rean is the worst JRPG MC). Bonding Events being a main mechanic that fails miserably. Horrible pacing for a bad Story. And the worst part: The absurd amount of ''anime jokes''.
I feel like they went from a ''human world'' with anime design to a ''generic anime world''. I dropped everything during Crossbell Act in ColdSteel 3(I couldn't stand how annoying Alisa, Musse, Juna, Sharon and Elise are)
Anton is my favorite NPC and is more interesting than the entire Thors Academy together. Falcom immersion was really good in Sky/Zero/Ao.
@@mystocaixeta2065 Anton is, in my opinion, the greatest NPC of all-time. His story is so gripping, and evolves throughout the course of so many games. His sidequests are mostly comedic, but you're rooting for him to find love every step of the way, with Ricky always by his side.
When he finally meets someone, it makes complete and total perfect sense. That's a great NPC.
Though I only started playing Persona 4 recently, Inaba has been a very memorable hub town for me. It's got everything that a generic town needs, such as shops, a place to heal up, and NPCs to take on sidequests for, but it also has a great launchpad for the party's adventures with the Junes department store. You may not do much navigation around the world, but one city and one dungeon entrance area alone will give you more than enough to do.
Inaba is probably one of the most perfectly designed towns I've ever seen. All of the details you would expect from a small town outside of the major commerce hubs are there, but placed well enough to not only feel lived in, but eventually reinforce the idea of Inaba being your "true home."
I think Traverse Town is one of my favorites. It does a good job of feeling like a place for refugees. The moment you leave the first district, you're still in the town but now Heartless can attack you. But it's so full of different puzzles and hidden secrets that it's fun to explore.
When I was a kid I was scared of the heartless. Which made the first district and actual sigh of relief for me whenever I got back to it. And then moment near the beginning where the Heartless finally make their in was a very scary and unnerving moment for me. Suddenly the one place I found safety wasn't that any more. It pushed me out of my comfort zone.
Traverse Town is my favorite world in the series and I don't think it gets enough credit for how cool it is.
Agreed. I never felt the towns in the sequels were as fleshed out and filled with secrets as Traverse Town was. It was so much fun exploring and finding all the different paths and see how the were all connected.
It's also where you meet Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Yuffie. I had never played a final fantasy that wasn't 10 before KH, so those characters may as well have been new to me. I loved them regardless. I missed them in kh3 :c.
That feeling of a town on the edge of danger is always really interesting because of how well it sets the standing state of the universe for the foreseeable future, not every world is in imminent world ending danger like you just escaped, but almost everywhere is under threat from the dark monsters lurking in the unseen corners, just waiting for the chance to prey upon the weak and the misguided, nowhere is truly safe, but very little is on the verge of destruction just yet, creating a universe in a tense balance
Tazmily Village from Mother 3 is perhaps one of my favorite towns in all of gaming. Back in the day, I knew every single person in the village by name, and they sort of felt like family, due to how close-knit of a community they had going. It also helps that they employ the hub town model, where character dialogue will change every chapter, and often multiple times per chapter depending on what you do. It truly feels alive, and there are so many fun easter eggs and quirky hidden dialogue to find, it made exploring the town and talking to everyone each chapter a total blast.
Exploring the empty Tazmily village near the end of the game makes me feels sad.
It almost feels wrong to compare Tazmily to other rpg towns, because Mother 3 is an rpg ABOUT a town. It's not a connecting point between different areas of focus, it's the primary area of focus, the stakes of the plot. From a purely gameplay perspective it's like, say, Toadtown, but in terms of story it's almost a main character.
Exactly. I just started playing (still on chapter one) and I already feel a deep bond with the locals
@@NookStudios You're in for quite a ride. Hope you enjoy it!
One thing I like and dislike about SMT Nocturne is that even in towns you can get attacked via random encounters. It makes sense since it's the apocalypse and demons have taken their place in most of the towns. It adds to the hostile environment and gives you the feeling of never being safe. Obviously this can also lead to a lot of frustration because you never get a break and can die in 1 or 2 turns due to bad luck.
Yes, running to a fountain of life or amala terminal and hoping to not have another encounter is very tense. Although there is one town that is safe, asakusa before the mifunashiro incident
Same deal in smt 1 where your characters home is basically the only place in the game without random encounters.
Though that does make the only other place without demons feel even more “”off”” than it already did
Persona 5's downtime to explore different parts of the city was a true joy and being limited to only a few actions each day meant you had to have a more meaningful use of your time. I also always enjoyed town's that felt like they had their own character. It's really cool when you visit real towns that have this charm.
It seems quaint now, but I was obsessed with Goldenrod City from Pokémon Silver back in 2000. The day/night cycle, the friendship rater, weekly rates on haircuts, it all seemed sooo compelling on that little GameBoy Color screen.
I recently played the first Dragon Quest and while overall I found it to be just ok, one of my favorite moments is when you’re exploring the over world and you see this town and instantly you think “Oh cool, a town! I can’t wait to heal up and stock up on items and new weapons and see what the town folk have to say!” So you walk into it only to find once inside that the town has been completely destroyed and random encounters appear in it. For as simple as it is, it has a lot of cool features to it. For one, it does a good job at conveying the threat the dragon lord and his monsters possess and adds to the fear so many NPCs express with how the monsters have been attacking more. It also just feels immersive in a way because that feeling of excitement to shock is probably akin to what the hero is feeling too at seeing this. It’s really simple and it doesn’t fit the criteria of this video a ton but still, for as much as Dragon Quest 1 felt primitive, this was a moment in the game that genuinely impressed me and left an impact
And when i found the town where everyone was asleep that was pretty interesting
Is it weird to say my favorite town is... all of them from FF6? Like every one of them is connected to the plot in some way or another, some functioning as hideouts for rebels or Imperial strongholds, or just trying to ignore the conflict entirely on top of filling all the roles mentioned here. Add on top of that how the entire world changes at the half point of the game and the environmental storytelling gets cranked up to 11. It really was the first time a game really drove home the gravity of an event through the town design and how that event reverberated through the world
Zozo is the best town (or at least the best town music).
Zozos such a great place with great people.
Narshe was the best. Soooo many things happen there. It has both a mine and a cave system connected to it. A siege, Tritoch, Terra awakening, Yeti, Moogles, I probably missed some things too.
Some of my favorite RPG towns:
- Mercado from Dragon Warrior 1. You need to beat a boss fight (one of the exactly _four_ boss fights in the entire game) in order to enter, and the boss is nearly impossible without using a key item from another town. Once in, the city's buildings are densely packed and maze-like with need to use keys and fake walls to access all that it has to offer, like a dungeon but without combat inside. There are multiple shops of each type, showing that there's a lot of competing commerce going on in it. The best sword and shield money can buy require a little looking around, and this is where you get hints leading you to the best armor in the game (guarded by one of the game's other three bosses).
- Melmond from Final Fantasy 1. The use of sandy/dirt tiles mixed in with the grass as well as some of the destroyed buildings (including critical services you've been trained to take for granted in towns to this point) tell a story of just how ruinous the Fiends' presence in the world is.
- Rogueport from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. It does a really good job conveying that it's a crime-ridden slum, a wretched hive of scum and villainy, and also serves as a well-designed hub from which to access the rest of the game. The first Paper Mario was really good at making flavorful NPCs and towns and the second just stepped it up to a degree few professional games ever reach.
- Valada from Spellshard: The Black Crown of Horgoth. Does everything a town in a retro 8-bit throwback RPG town should. Mostly I just want to shamelessly plug one of my favorite indie RPGs here. --It was an 8-bit retro RPG back in 2004, half a decade before that became "cool"--
Bastions' town was the first of it's kind for me when I played it. Before it, towns were rock solid locations where there will be hardly any modifications after your first visit. It was also my first time experiencing a hub in any game because there's just no other choice. But because of it, the town seemed more like a system menu screen that came out of your bag and happens to morph with the story.
Balamb Garden in FF8 is one of the most creative towns.
Ding Dong Dell from Ni No Kuni is just beautiful.
Does Tarrey Town from Breath of the Wild count? I loved how once you’ve finished the homeowner side quest in Hateno village, you help Hudson build this town. As you find residents to move into the town, more buildings are built and the town theme gets instruments added with each resident as well. My only issue is that there was no shrine in the town but at least you could glide to the town from the nearest one.
Aaaah, this town. I remember arriving at the town for the marriage on the motorcycle, felt like the uncle that's absent 95% of the time.
Just spent a solid hour trying to find the channel of tonight’s Jeopardy contestant, little did I know I’ve been watching you for years!
Towns can play an additional role in open world or non-linear games, as they can guide players to locations they may not have explored. This could be through hints in dialogue or more straightforward in quests. They can also give a sense of direction to players who may be overwhelmed otherwise if they just wondered into the world.
Riverwood in Skyrim served this role pretty well. After the tutorial, you are free to go wherever. However, you’re right nearby the town, so it doesn’t hurt to check it out. Once in Riverwood, you get directions for starting the main quest, and you get a couple of side quests that lead to other areas as well, including what is the first dungeon for many players.
Twilight town from KH2 specifically. It’s one of those places that feels comfortable whenever I visit it. The ambiance and music complement the fairly close together, but not obscenely tall buildings so it all feels cozy as you go through the place. It’s supposed to feel like home, and does a great job of it so you feel extra motivated to get rid of the baddies. Or maybe that’s just me!
For you super old fans, Destiny Islands is another place I really like (KH1). It isn’t a town at all (at least not the portions of it the player has access to) but it feels like something the player has to protect- an innocence and peace that shouldn’t be disturbed. The fact that it’s the set price to one of the greatest ‘call to action’ moments in gaming history compounds it’s greatness.
Trails towns are just amazing, every NPC feels like a real person and it's great to see that no matter what you do, the world it's always changing and moving on, with or without you. Something about that franchise that I can't forget it's just the part where you return to the hometown of Estelle in Trails in the sky 2, I felt so nostalgic because everyone were commenting about how they missed you, everyone remembered Estelle but also continued with their life, but also it was sad because everyone were asking for Joshua, for a moment I thought about how hard it has to be for Estelle just being remembered that he left her behind. My favorite game of all Legend of Heroes
Balamb in FF8 has been my favorite. I think it’s mostly nostalgia for me but the theme and the crickets at night and of course the cafeteria with no hot dogs!
Damn bro, glad you bet almost all on DD3.
The coolest town may be Khorinis in Gothic 2. Everyone has a unique time schedule, the social dynamics are a LOT and there is so much to see. Probably the best town I know.
Funny on the breaking-and-entering part is the Quest for Glory series, where breaking-and-entering is actually a whole mechanic for the Thief (or any Devon with Stealth and Lockpicking) - and far from being a sanctuary, it's a life-or-death puzzle.
I think there's only once in the entire quintilogy where you even get the option to fight your way out if you get caught. Ah, cutscenes truly are the Kryptonite of video game heroes.
One thing that always hits home if when a town turns into a combat zone and acts like a dungeon for a bit. Or other variants of destruction and disruption.
Final fantasy IX really likes to have these situations happen every other town or so.
Oh man, I liked Lindblum so much, and seeing it destroyed like that with almost half of the city becoming inaccessible was so sad.
Resistance Camp from Nier Automata, ooooh boy what a gut punch..
IX does a real good job of giving you time to get attached before things go south.
I appreciated that you got to see Lindblum rebuilding as the discs went on, too.
I was going to mention Balamb Garden in FFVIII for exactly this reason. Sometimes it functions as a town, sometimes it's a dungeon, sometimes it's an action set piece. Eventually it becomes a vehicle for world map travel.
I love when this happened in Nier Automata and Replicant.
I'm honestly surprised The World Ends With You and its Sequel were not brought up. Their town Shibuya is such a key part to it and is a character of its own. NEO also leans more into this too with its Social Network system and its different clothing and eating system. All of these systems play into the combat of the game.
I think it was not mentioned because Shibuya is where the games take place. There are different areas, shops, different npc dialogues and all that but there isnt a clear distinction between the part of the world you explore and the town/city. The setting doesnt quite fulfill all of the elements/roles that he mentioned, but to be fair i dont know if any of the games that were showed are similar. But i did expect him to at least mention them, too
The Hunter’s Dream in Bloodborne. It has this compact and vertical design that makes it feel like a diorama, and it has a surprising number of nooks and crannies for such a small space. It’s incredibly atmospheric and mysterious, and its eerie calm contrasts wonderfully with the incessant screeches of beasts and loud action in the overworld.
Majula in Dark Souls 2 has a lot of similar qualities too. I think it shines in environmental story telling. It looks like a shanty town, but one gets the vibe that it has a thriving crossroad at some point. The souls series in general just excels at that stuff.
20 years on, I still remember the towns from Skies of Arcadia. All of them were awesome lore-wise since (in a game about being a sky pirate) they were all ports for airships inspired by different cultures from around the world during the Age of Discovery. One "town that isn't a town" was your airship, the Delphinus, itself. At any time, while cruising the skies, you could opt to just take a break, walk around the decks of your ship, and talk to your crew. The crew were all NPCs that you met and recruited, some as part of the story, but most during side quests, and I still remember how immersive it was to just see them all interacting with each other (independent of me) in the galley or on the bridge.
Then there was Crescent Isle, your secret hideout/pirate base that you get to build up and choose what buildings to add, and what they should look like. When you're on Crescent Isle, your crew become the town NPCs, all of them keeping busy and giving more context to their little side stories (as well as more of their interactions with each other). It really felt like you were building a town from the ground up, and helping it to thrive as you convinced more specialists to join your crew and add their talents to the community.
Bump for Skies of Arcadia! The town designs were so **interesting.** Like Ixa'taka, with giant tree houses, and a wooden slide several stories high that you could take a ride on. Or Yafutoma, with multiple levels of floating islands, and a waterfall from the top island down to the bottom (you can ride over the edge in a Japanese taraibune, or tub-boat). Just fantastic towns in that game.
That's because Skies of Arcadia is a masterpiece.
While I don't have much experience with rpg towns (unless I get Darkest Dungeons) I do have an idea for a topic you can go over: Economy. Specifically how designers can use the in-game currencies of a game to influence player behaviour, while also weaving it into the games mechanics in unique ways.
One of the most memorable towns for me was Zere from Dragon Quest IX, though not necessarily for the town itself and more so the tone it indirectly sets. The town itself is a pretty standard Dragon Quest fair where you hear of an sculptor who used to live that that now lives at the top of a mountain by himself.
When you actually arrive to the mountain later on in the game however, you discover that at the top is an exact stone made replica of the town, even down to stone statues of the citizens littering about, and the only NPC that even lives here is a talking slime you reveals that the sculptor built it all by himself and passed away some time ago. Even if it's not the actual town, there's an intense feeling of unsettledness, seeing a normally very active place with characters to talk to completely devoid of practically all life, which isn't helped either by the very muted grey stone color of the town replica.
I can’t believe you would leave out the fact that the original town (which is absolutely gorgeous) is called Zere, but the (kind of sad-feeling) stone copy is called Zere Rocks. As in Xerox. The copy machine.
I came to appreciate JRPG towns a lot more once I understood that they're hubs to learn about the world and the way people live in it. The reason why Townsfolks talk "like that" is because their dialog follows an implied question your character asked them.
The video already touched on this and there's some overlap with the categories mentioned here, but a (hub) town that functions as a measure for progress is my favorite kind. As you play through the game, you might add different folks to your town, growing it and increasing the services available. Examples of this would be the Village of Beginnings in Digimon Adventure, Dunan Castle in Suikoden II, and despite being tied to a single side quest, Tarrey Town in Breath of the Wild. A very tangible way of seeing the change you've made in the world.
Xenoblade X is also a great example since you can ally with a number of aliens and they will come and populate your home city and help you fight against the Ganglion.
Tarry Town is too precious and pure for this world *cries*
Nice vid. JRPG towns are peak comfy, and Arni Village is one of my all time favorites. The beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds combined with the relaxing music is just magical
So hey, I know this has NOTHING to do with the video, but...
Nice run on Jeaprody, Mike! This is the LAST place I would have expected to hear/see you with my folks watching in the back. You did damn good, but Amy is just nuts, it's crazy how much she dominates!
Something i like about some towns NPCs that make the whole world be more realistic, are *Foreign NPCs*
In such a big world, you aren't gonna be the only one traveling from here to there, and people don't always stay on the same places forever, so it makes sense some NPCs from other areas appear as "other visitors" besides you, and not only for the sake of variety or sticking out in the crowd, but can also have fun functions in the game.
Maybe a NPC that comes from a more advanced mid/late game town, is on an early game town for any reason, and it's mere presence, design, and even story can give you a glimpse of what might be ahead of your journey and hype you up for it... or even better, maybe the NPC has some sidequest that could reward you with a more advanced item you won't find for a while, until you reach their actual home that sells them, specially if they might come from an place that isn't tied to the main story, so visiting their home town isn't needed, unless that item they show you or the NPC as a whole raised your interest to search their hometown, and explore what special secrets they might hide.
For sure, I remember Stiltzkin the moogle played this role in FF9 and it made the world so much more real when you would hear about his adventures in the coming town. He would describe the icy cavern in a way that makes you imagine all sorts of cool stuff, so when you get there, it's like actually travelling to a place you've heard about. You also had that british dude in FF10 who would seem to travel a lot and made the destinations in the game feel like a popular, genuine route in the world, rather than one that simply fulfills some storyline.
This isn’t an rpg, or a town, but I love Station Square from Sonic Adventure. So many npcs have unique dialogue and it even changes throughout the game. There are so many subplots going on throughout the story that go a long way to making station square feel like a real life city, like the girl outside the burger place.
Edit: apparently “npcs” autocorrects to “nice”
FF12 Rabanastre has to be my number one pick for a well designed town. Final fantasy 12 was my first real RPG I played and the way the dialog and people changed throughout the game has shaped my expectations for similar games.
it's also freaking gorgeous and i wanna live in it dammit
Gothic 1 and 2 each had a town you sorely needed, but you had to work a questline to even be allowed in past the walls. The respite aspect was much stronger through this one. Also each inhabitant had a job with day a night cycle, which was really rare in other games.
Gran Soren in Dragon's Dogma, with it's side quests, the possibility to explore the rooftops and ramparts and how it changes as the scenario unfolds, hosting the final dungeon. Plus they're masterworks all, you can't go wrong !
Also Dalaran/New Dalaran in WoW were great hubs with stellar soundtracks and a bit of exploration. Silvermoon, Ironforge and the Undercity also had good environmental storytelling and layouts. In fact IF and UC became the base layout model for subsequent hub cities.
FFVII had towns as part of main/sub quests which could be considered as part town, part non-combat dungeons like Wall Market, the Gold Saucer, Wutai... Square did a great job of making the towns more than just a waypoint to restock on your way, rather a part of your progression through the story.
They're masterworks all, ya can't go wrong!
Dragon's dogma's story takes a backseat for the majority of the game, but the way everything changes in the last few hours especially is just incredible. I'll never forget my first time re-entering Gran Soren after shit hit the fan near the end.
Thanks! Your RPG videos are really helping me create my dream RPG game, which I'm working on right now! :D
I love how the cities in ffxiv actually have their own communities and subcultures. Spend 5 mins in Gridania and 5 in Limsa, and you will feel the difference immediately!
The Normandy is easily my favorite hub town that isn't a town. Returning from a mission to chat with your crew, do upgrades and enjoy hours of the galaxy map's music. It also has major importance in the story and features in a couple of interesting ways.
Sigil from Planescape Torment. The city hides so many fascinating secrets and it has such an unique atmosphere.
Khorinis....
entering khorinis was kinda your first quest and that you had different ways to achieve that made it so nice and rewarding.
Also the city has such a perfect atmosphere... god i love gothic 2 :D
I love how you showed the Ant Kingdom from bug fables so many times during this, and I was just waiting for you to talk about it lol
I don't know anyone else who's played the first Alundra game, but it had a central hub that revolved around your relationships and delving into the residents dreams. It really evolved throughout the game
i tryed this year but could not go pass the puzzles and old platform control. kinda sad but i dont have enough time this days to lose time when i am not having fun.
I remember it! Especially how much of a downer the village gets near the middle point, with pretty much everyone feeling hopeless.
My favourite Town might be a Hat in Times Necuza Dlc. This Cat Town feels just so alive and good.
I love the subway towns in Shin Megami Tensei IV, they're a lesson in environmental storytelling
Shoutout goes to Radiata Stories' central hub city. It's a living, breathing town where everyone has their own schedule, and it definitely changes as you progress through the story. I love how huge it is since there are several distinct districts along with a castle, so there is much opportunity to explore.
Any town that lets you explore! Although this is also a trait of hub worlds, I love places that you can spend hours finding every nook and cranny of. The Zelda series does this particularly well, especially in WW imo
I love the first town you come to in Final Fantasy IX. After the craziness of the opening and after some overworld trekking, you come to a sleepy little town that has way more going on under the surface than it first appears.
Best town in my opinion is Crossbell (Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure), hands down. It has the usual Trails thing of having tons of characters with their own names and stories independent of what the player does, which really sells it as being a real place, but turned up to eleven because of how big it is, and how its politics and tensions on multiple axes are central to the story.
I'm also rather fond of the visual design of nearly every town in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, especially the whimsical designs you see in Mira. That game is just beautifully rendered in general, honestly.
And I'm sure others have mentioned it already, but Clock Town in Majora's Mask is also excellent--many of the characters have their own little mini-stories, and the time travel mechanic means you can never miss anything, and for any that require you to do something, you can see both what happens if you succeed, and what happens if you fail. Plus the increasing sense of trying-to-cover-up-your-panic that you get from just about everyone (and from the music, too!) is really masterfully done.
The Ramuh "tip" I witnessed it first hand and I still love that memory. When I found the "old guy throwing lightnings around" my reaction went from "oh.." to "OH!", I love FFV.
great job on Jeopardy today!
Story telling wise, I think SMT 4 did a pretty great job. The original town gives you a clear idea of what life is like for all in the surface, and Tokyo is filled with its own lore shown by how towns are either taken over, abandoned or barely scrapping by
Midgar from Final Fantasy VII / FFVII Remake - Though eventually you move onto the world proper and discover even more exotic locales, the 'city of mako' is an integral part of the game's identity, has significance in the plot-- playing a central role within the main narrative for many characters both pro and antagonistic. Plus, it just looks cool.
One of my favourites is the Castle in Suikoden, that you build and populate with the characters you enlist along your way, and you see it progressively grow and fill with people and new features.
I haven't seen this done very often in modern games, but one thing I've really liked in RPGs is when, through your actions of progressing the story, you build a town. It's like a concrete tangible illustration of your positive effects on the game world
HOLY wow! I’m watching you on Jeapordy right now!! Mike! Wow! Tough luck going against such a powerhouse but wow it was neat to realize who you were lol! You did awesome!
Back when it came out: Dragon’s Dogma had one of the best RPG towns. Only one fixed city, but it was needed for everything crucial. Made it feel like a hub and not just a source of quests and vendors like in some Elder Scrolls games.
Well as for RPG town NPCs I really think Mother 2/Earthbound nailed it on how to keep them from getting boring considering they’re really entertaining to talk to, so I really enjoy all the towns from Earthbound considering there’s always some entertaining dialogue from the NPCs in each one of them in the game.
The Legend of Dragoon has some of my favorite towns. Every one is unique, they feel like they're much bigger than just the area where you walk around and shop in, and they all are involved in advancing the plot (it _is_ a very linear game). Unfortunately, once the plot progresses to the next chapter in a new area with a new town, you very rarely _need_ to go back to previous towns, but there are a few sidequests and items you can get from earlier towns later in the game, including one key item which you will always get at a certain point in the plot, but that you can get _much_ earlier from one of the first towns and you _definitely_ want to get it as soon as you can to avoid level grinding later. [Spoiler below]
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It's the Earth Dragoon Spirit, you can get it as soon as Kongol joins the party (even before Meru gets the Water Dragoon Spirit) from a merchant in Lohan for 1000 GP. A man in the bar at Donau gives you a hint about it. If you don't get it nefore the games "point of no return", you won't get it until near the end of the game, where you'll _really_ have to grind to get Kongol's dragoon abilities leveled up to the rest of the party.
I think my favorite town that I’ve seen in an RPG would have to be Colony 6 from Xenoblade Chronicles. The way it starts has an inaccessible fortress housing a major dungeon in the wake of a hostile takeover and then becomes a war-torn husk that you can gradually nurse back to the health of the thriving, diverse community it once was is so charming to me. It really made me think about how real-world community efforts can help shape the world we live in.
This video was incredibly interesting and enlightening!! The vast display of diverse games shown is pleasant as well, do love me some crosscode...
Traverse Town and Zora's Domain (BOTW) will forever be my favorite video game towns. The music, the atmosphere, both are very calming and peaceful towns that actually feel like a safe place for me. Sometimes, I'll even play BoTW just to visit Zora's Domain again. It really feels like home.
And I know Zelda isn't an RPG, but I wanted to give a shout out to it anyway :)
That part about Chrono Cross was really on point, on a more spoilery sidenote ....
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When you get back to Arni village at THAT other half of the game, everything is transformed again, from home, to another, then to a hostile (to "you") place, again changing the feel of that familiar place in a way that complements everything. Really glad to see Chrono Cross on this channel.
The Trails series have the best towns of any game franchise imo. I always make sure to talk to every NPC whenever time progresses in the game, because most of them have little stories to tell over time. It really does make the world feel bigger than just you and your group.
peach's castle from mario and luigi partners in time serves as the game's main hub "town", and while it's little more than the place to buy items/gear, learn new moves, progress the story, and connect to new worlds with the 'time holes' that appear, one thing i really really like about it is how because the setting for each "dungeon" is 'a place in the mushroom kingdom's past', it's very fitting that the final dungeon is the past version of peach's castle itself. it's twisted and warped due to the takeover from the alien shroob princesses, but it's still very recognizable as the hub you spent the game treating as a safe haven, and it makes for a very nice subversion and it's very cool to see in what way each area got turned into a dungeon room.
I like seeing a sense of mystery, questions that take several revisits to be answered over time... also areas that are visible but closed off, where you wonder what their significance are and how (when?) you can get there... characters that immediately look "important" but refuse to talk to you much until you've gained more cred or a quest-dependent reason to get their attention... generally things that make a place evolve over time, but pique your curiosity and sense of wonder from the get go.
I'm glad you mentionned Trails in the Sky; the effort put into the world building of these games is stellar. The NPCs changes their dialogue each time the story progresses and each one (or at least the named ones) have a personnality and/or their own little stories happening at the same time as the main one, reinforcing the idea that they exist with or without the main characters; some can foreshadow upcoming sidequests; some can extend to several towns throughout the game or even several games; and some can hint at an element of the main story that has not yet relevant, you can learn some elements before the main brought it up, and the main characters will sometimes comment on that info in the main story (the game even encourage you in either sidequests or story missions to go beyond what is required of you, and rewards the player for his curiosity with bonus points).
Though I can agree and confirm on the fact that it's hell for a completionist, to make a tour of every NPCs in a region or town can take a while ( 1-2 hours per tour), and it must have been really difficult to translate all of this (the script sizes of these games are already ridiculous in Japanese), the story of the localization of Trails in the Sky SC is a prime exemple of that massive task.
The in-universe books, newspapers, and collectible book series (which you can collect through the game by talking with certain NPCs at certain times), also contribute to the world-building of the game, but perhaps it would be more appropriate for another video on that specific subject.
And to talk about something you said in the video, town or certain locations being places of respite; an element that I love in storytelling is when the game suddenly broke that respite zone and put a battle or tense situation in the middle of it, making you no longer feel safe and adds another layer of danger and urgency to this situation.
Crossbell from the the trails "Crossbell duology" really seems like the gold standard of hub towns to me. It's so huge and full of life, it really feels like many towns within a town (and it is!). I mean Trails knocks it out of the park with most of its towns, but Crossbell was definitely a tier above.
Pokemon's Ecruteak City. Feels like flipping through an old photo album every time I walk in there. The music is softer than the others that precede it. The town has a rich history with the imprint of legendaries left behind. Culturally it's the most "traditional" out of the other more modernized towns, save for perhaps Violet City.
The Castles in the Suikoden series are amazing. They grow as you recruit more members to your army so you feel as if you have a hard in the development, but they feel like they are operating even if you rarely visit
My favorite RPGS are Final Fantasy VI, FF8 (7's over rated) along with Chrono Trigger & the Lufia series. I wish you'd have shown more of those ones in here too.
Been a huge fan of your channel for years now. This channel has been constantly giving me inspiration and motivation to work on my passion. But rn I'm working part time to buy my own pc! Cheers to this channel's success!
I'm a simple man: I see Trails in the Sky, I click Like
balamb town from ffviii. you can literally feel the gentle sea breeze on your skin just by looking at it. everybody in it seems to live their own peaceful normal life. its so relaxing. and brings back so many memories. plus theres a lot of things to do. the car, the train, the mystery of whats in zells room, the hotel, the docks, the queen of cards quest. god i miss being a 12 year old kid back in 2000 playing viii on Christmas. life was so simple before everything went to hell. if i could go back i would do so many things differently....
Freeside from Fallout: New Vegas is a favorite that comes to mind. Gives you a lot of insight from the locals about how New Vegas actually works, and has lots of side quests that flesh out the area and teaches you the plights of those that have to live there. Plus it's patrolled by Elvis impersonators, can't say any other game gave me that.
Speaking of that game, Goodsprings is also a great introduction both mechanically and lore-wise.
I love the towns in dragon quest games, the dialogue and what the town does are so iconic to me, i am not good with names but most of the towns in dragon quest iv and v are what i think when people say rpg town.
I recall really enjoying the village in Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2, I looked forward to seeing what it'd have each day.
Realms of Arkania games also had interesting towns, something about them felt very nice and immersive to me.
I do be liking me a good rpg town
This video makes me think you REALLY need to play some Suikoden.
In those games you make your own town and it does all of these points and more.
I like the transition two seconds after 4:13. And the visuals of Nibleheim at the mention of a theme park facade.
As for towns, I like the town in Shadowrun: Hong Kong, Heoi. There are things happening between missions, and by what the residents there talk about you get a sense time moving forward. You also slowly find out more stuff about what's going on in that part of the world, like at least one detail that's crucial to get the good ending. And then there are all the smaller missions and stories told throughout the game within Heoi. The two previous games also have similar hubs, but HK is the best of them.
Just saw mike on jeopardy lol
Turns out Amy's really good at Jeopardy lol