Loads of builders select to base their video games on real-life places so as to add a way of immersion and groundedness, providing gamers a way of authenticity that’s laborious to attain in any other case. Whereas most easily take mild inspiration from actual locations, some select to go the additional mile and take painstaking care to attempt to replicate actuality with a one hundred pc accuracy.
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In some circumstances, the real-life equivalents to in-game places are instantly apparent to anybody who picks up the sport, like New York City in the Spider-Man games. In different cases, the similarities aren’t so readily obvious, particularly in video games which are primarily based on real-life places which are themselves not very well-known. Discovering out {that a} sport one might need thought was purely fictional was truly primarily based on an actual place is a stunning feeling, particularly for gamers who’ve invested loads of time into these titles.
Alan Wake 2
Exploring the Pacific Northwest By means of A Surreal, Terrifying Lens
- Location: Astoria, Oregon and North Bend, Washington
In Alan Wake 2, gamers expertise the Pacific Northwest area of the US within the type of the fictional city of Vivid Falls, Cauldron Lake, and Watery. Treatment has said that a lot of the inspiration for Vivid Falls’ infrastructure and format got here from Astoria, a port city in Clatsop County, Oregon which has a notable inhabitants of Finnish immigrant communities. Particularly, Suomi Corridor was modeled after a location by the identical identify that was first based in 1886, positioned underneath the Astoria Megler Bridge.
The principle a part of Vivid Falls seems to be closely influenced by numerous components of North Bend, Washington, a metropolis on the outskirts of Seattle that additionally impressed the city within the Twin Peaks television series. Different real-life equivalents current in Alan Wake 2 embody the Gorge Powerhouse (Vivid Falls Gentle & Energy), the Diablo Dam (Vivid Falls Dam), Cauldron Lake (Crater Lake), and the Lake Quinault Lodge (Cauldron Lake Lodge).
The place Winds Meet
A Wuxia Epic Set in One in all China’s Oldest Capital Cities
Where Winds Meet is a wuxia open-world action-adventure MMO that takes gamers to seemingly fantastical places of Qinghe and the traditional metropolis of Kaifeng. What many gamers might not understand is that Kaifeng is actually a real place in China, at the moment serving as a vacationer hotspot showcasing genuine historic Chinese language tradition to guests. The Kaifeng from Where Winds Meet is definitely a devoted recreation of historic Kaifeng from actual life, a reality acknowledged by the native authorities.
Situated within the Henan province of China, Kaifeng is without doubt one of the eight historic capitals of China, which served as a real-life capital metropolis for emperors within the Northern Tune dynasty practically a thousand years in the past. Though the present Kaifeng is modernized to an extent, places proven in The place Winds Meet, just like the Iron Pagoda, the Daliang Metropolis Gate, and the Dragon Pavilion, nonetheless stand.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Medieval Bohemia’s Actual Villages and Castles, Revived for Trendy RPG Followers
- Location: Czech Republic (Bohemia)
Like its predecessor, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 takes gamers to medieval Bohemia, permitting them to expertise that world by means of the eyes of an individual who may’ve truly lived within the area on the time. What might come as a shock to some gamers is the truth that the areas and locations depicted in KCD2 aren’t fictional in any respect however are primarily based on actual places.
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Kuttenberg, the big metropolis on the middle of the sport’s storyline, is understood right this moment as Kutna Hora, and Trosky Fortress might be discovered within the Czech Republic within the Bohemian Paradise area. Different iconic places just like the Nebakov Fortress, the Italian Courtroom, and the Sedlec Ossuary are all real places featured in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Even smaller cities like Semine, Tachov, and Troskowitz (Troskovice) have real-life equivalents, all recognized by the same names in modern-day Czech Republic, positioned northeast of Prague.
Apparently, in accordance with official sources, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2’s release had a significant impact on tourism within the area, growing foot site visitors in Kutna Hora, Trosky, and Suchdol by a substantial margin.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
A Fictional Valley Crafted From Actual Polish Landscapes
- Location: Pilchowice, Poland
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person thriller sport that takes place in a fictional city in Wisconsin, USA known as Pink Creek Valley. Whereas not a one-to-one recreation totally, many of the in-game map and places proven in Pink Creek Valley are primarily based on a real-life city in Poland known as Pilchowice, current within the Decrease Silesian Voivodeship.
The picket bridge that gamers take to enter Pink Creek Valley for the very first time is predicated on Most na Bobrze w Pilchowicach, a dilapidated bridge on the outskirts of the city, and the dam the serves as a central set piece for the sport is predicated on Pilchowice Dam (Zapora Pilchowice/Bobertalsperre), the second-oldest hydroelectric dam in all of Poland. Different places just like the prepare station and the city itself are additionally impressed by the landmarks within the surrounding area.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was developed by an indie Polish developer primarily based in Warsaw, which is why many of the inspirations for the sport come from Poland as an alternative of the USA, the place the sport takes place.
Dying Stranding
A Harsh New World Impressed by One in all Earth’s Most Alien Landscapes
Death Stranding’s panorama might ostensibly depict a post-apocalyptic model of the US, however anybody with primary data of the native geography will instantly understand that the sport’s terrain is nearly totally primarily based on Iceland. The stunning vistas that Sam Porter experiences in Death Stranding bear a stark resemblance to the wild Icelandic landscapes which are laborious to disclaim.
Most sources agree that Hideo Kojima obtained the inspiration for Dying Stranding’s landscapes and terrain from his trip to Garður, a small port city in Iceland that he visited in August 2014, years earlier than the concept of Dying Stranding had even taken form when he was nonetheless with Konami. Evaluating screenshots from Iceland’s wilderness to these of Dying Stranding, it’s straightforward to see the similarities.
Dying Gentle
A Parkour Playground Impressed by a Actual Turkish Metropolis
- Location: Istanbul, Turkiye
In Dying Light, Harran is depicted as a Turkish metropolis with an extended and storied historical past. What many gamers might not understand is that Harran is predicated, largely, on Istanbul, the former capital city of Turkiye and its surrounding areas. The constructing constructions, the dense format of the cityscape, and all of the minute particulars that make a metropolis really feel lived in come from these inspirations. Some have additionally noticed that the previous city specifically bears a stark resemblance to the skyline of Mardin, one other Turkish metropolis positioned close to the Tigris River in actual life.
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One other level that lends credence to the truth that Dying Gentle’s Harran is definitely primarily based on Istanbul is that numerous location markers and signboards pointing to the opposite districts of the principle metropolis appear to be misspelled variations of actual districts of Istanbul. Names like Ancyrra, Siyrran, and Chaldekoy are seemingly references to Ankara, Sariyer, and Chalcedon, respectively, all actual locations current in current-day Istanbul.
Apparently, Harran is definitely the identify of an actual city in Turkiye, notable for its historic significance. It doesn’t, nevertheless, bear any similarities with the Harran from Dying Light, which has led some to consider that Techland might not even have recognized that there was an actual place known as Harran earlier than they made the sport.
The Final of Us Half 2
A Actual American Metropolis Rebuilt With Uncanny Accuracy
- Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Most gamers know that The Last of Us Part 2 takes place in Seattle, USA, taking inspiration from real-life places current within the metropolis right this moment. What many might not understand is that Naughty Canine has given an absurd quantity of consideration to element to ensure that in-game places match their real-life counterparts in Seattle precisely.
Notable places just like the Seattle Central Library, Area Needle, Lumen Discipline (recognized in-game as WLF Stadium), Seattle Nice Wheel, and others have been meticulously recreated in The Last of Us Part 2 to offer gamers as genuine an expertise as attainable.
Even smaller places like overrun cafes by the facet of the street, parking garages, and different deserted buildings that Ellie can not truly go into within the sport bear resemblances to real-life constructions in present-day Seattle which are uncannily correct.
Firewatch
A Solo Journey Set in an Genuine American Forest
- Location: Shoshone Nationwide Forest, Wyoming, USA
Firewatch is a story-driven first-person thriller journey that places gamers within the sneakers of a park ranger alone on a lookout tower within the wild Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming, USA. What gamers might have failed to comprehend is that Shoshone Nationwide Forest exists as an actual vacationer vacation spot in Wyoming, positioned proper subsequent to the well-known Yellowstone Nationwide Park, which the state is understood for.
The Shoshone Nationwide Forest in Firewatch will not be a one-to-one recreation of its actual counterpart. The developer, Campo Santo, has taken some liberties with the format of the forest and the places of the place sure landmarks are positioned to make the sport’s marketing campaign a extra engaging single-player experience. That stated, gamers can nonetheless discover precise replicas of sure locations in-game.
Days Gone
A Submit-Apocalyptic Trip By means of the Actual Trails of Oregon
Days Gone is without doubt one of the most notable examples of real-life places showing in a sport, however as a result of these places aren’t well-known locations everybody is aware of, many gamers might not understand that that is the case. In actual fact, virtually the complete map of Days Gone is predicated on actual places and locations that gamers can go to in actual life within the Pacific Northwest (PNW) area of the US, principally from Oregon.
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Among the most notable real locations depicted in Days Gone are Mount Thielsen, Crater Lake, Mount Bachelor, Rainbow Falls, Three Fingered Jack, Diamond Lake, Freeway 97, and lots of others. Even minor places just like the Burger Mart (known as Burger Cease in actuality) are copies of actual locations.
Bend Studios, the builders behind Days Gone, are from Bend, Oregon, which makes it straightforward to see why a lot of the inspiration for his or her open-world journey comes from the PNW wilderness.
The Division 2
A Hyper-Correct Washington Turned Right into a Warfare-Torn Playground
- Location: Washington, D.C.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 takes place in Washington, D.C., the place gamers have to assist defend and rebuild town after the devastation wrought by the Inexperienced Poison. For an correct depiction of modern-day Washington, Ubisoft took pains to make sure that from the big set items to the smaller particulars, each a part of town proven within the sport is as near actuality as attainable.
Locations just like the Ronald Reagan Constructing, the Worldwide Commerce Heart, the Division of Commerce, the Federal Credit score Union, the Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Division of the Treasury, and the Washington Monument are all basically one-to-one replicas of what’s current in actuality.
Even the roads, intersections, and parks are practically an identical to locations from real-world D.C., giving the sport a way of immersion that will be laborious to attain in any other case.
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