The Best Games With A Dying Earth Setting

Key Takeaways

Video games showcase diverse depictions of the end of the world, from bleak to beautiful settings.
Games like Xenogears, Death Stranding, and Majora’s Mask provide unique takes on the Dying Earth genre.
Player choices in games like The Banner Saga lead to impactful consequences, making the end feel real and immersive.

As a seasoned gamer who has traversed through countless digital realms, I must say that these games have truly captured the essence of the Dying Earth genre in their unique ways. The Lands Between of Elden Ring, much like the world of The Book of the New Sun, exudes an atmosphere of decay and desolation, yet hides intriguing sci-fi elements within its fabric.

Anything that starts will eventually come to an end. Some narratives explore this concept extensively, suggesting the ultimate demise of all existence. Many video games portray catastrophic events or post-catastrophe and post-apocalyptic scenarios. A few even guide players towards the brink, offering a glimpse into what the end of the world might be like as envisioned by video games themselves.

The outcome presents an astonishing variety of games, boasting visuals spanning from grim to glorious landscapes. Some prioritize high-octane action, while others emphasize intricate details like conversation and exploration. Regardless, they all acknowledge that the significance of introductions is equally reflected in their conclusions.

8 Xenogears

Rise Of The Kung Fu Machines

In a distant future where technology has been lost then found again, it’s as if magic is what people truly understand. I’m part of a mutated human population, living in a world that seems almost divine. The tales and lore here span millennia, making it a challenge to grasp the first time around. It’s like stepping into a vast, intricate storyline straight out of the Dying Earth genre.

The second disc of this content is largely dedicated to showing the player various scenes and asking, “Can you understand?” This approach involves a succession of slides and dramatic presentations reminiscent of community theater. Despite its somewhat awkward delivery method, the content of Xenogears was groundbreaking for its time, and playing it now still leaves one in awe of its ambitious scope and innovative spirit.

7 Death Stranding

A (Final) Day At The Beach

Hideo Kojima has consistently been recognized for crafting distinctive narratives and intriguing, oddly endearing characters. In Death Stranding, his interpretation of the Dying Earth genre is no exception. This game stands alone on the list in addressing the theme of Earth’s extinction, a characteristic that aligns with Kojima’s games known for their surreal fantasticality yet striking prescience. Amidst the pandemic, the irony of controlling a character who avoids close contact and dislikes being touched resonated strongly with players during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring a bleak, post-apocalyptic Earth devoid of animal life and filled with terrifying “voidouts” – massive explosions caused by death, and rain that ages anything it touches, creates an eerie and unsettling experience. However, at certain moments, as you traverse mountains while the haunting music of Low Roar plays softly in the background, your destination appearing on the horizon, the journey can be heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

6 The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Experience The End, Again And Again

Similar to many timeless children’s stories, the The Legend of Zelda series isn’t shy about tackling mature and somber themes, with none more pronounced than Majora’s Mask. Regarded as an elite title in the Zelda series and its darkest installment, Majora’s Mask plunges players immediately into a grim setting. The protagonist, Link, finds himself in a time loop where each cycle ends with the moon colliding with Termina, forcing the player to restart the game; thereby creating an authentic feeling of loss and disappearance.

Of course, this fate can be avoided. Link’s quest is to stop this world-ending event from occurring and while this is the endgame accomplishment, it certainly isn’t the lasting impression left on the player. There is an inescapable knowledge of the inevitable and a mistrust of the Moon while playing through this game.

5 The Banner Saga Series

Consequences, Consequences Everywhere

In this tale, you’ll find echoes of many grim fantasy narratives: an age-old menace resurfaces, igniting conflicts among races and internal factions, while the gods are deceased and the world appears to be on its last legs. Yet, it deviates in three significant aspects. Firstly, drawing inspiration from Norse mythology, it crafts a distinct universe with original lore, ensuring a fresh experience for all. Secondly, it boasts an art style that harks back to Ralph Bakshi’s animated movies, making it visually captivating. Lastly and most crucially, the narrative’s progression is heavily influenced by player decisions.

In many games, it’s often claimed that player decisions can shape the story, but few execute this concept as effectively and extensively as “The Banner Saga“. The fate of characters can swing between life and death, hidden plotlines may unfold or stay concealed, and the world could be destroyed or preserved – all based on the decisions made by the player.

4 Elden Ring

The Game Of The New Sun

In the realm known as The Lands Between, even Death seems to have expired. The protagonist, a member of the “Tarnished” group, is mysteriously revived by an ethereal force called “Grace”. This world and its inhabitants, much like those in Elden Ring, carry an air of decay and desolation – entities clinging to life long past their prime, struggling to persist in a state of deterioration.

In this list, the initial title directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki shares striking similarities with Gene Wolfe’s “The Book of the New Sun,” a renowned series from the Dying Earth genre. The subtle hints that the Lands Between combines elements of science fiction as well as fantasy are skillfully woven into details such as item descriptions and increasingly alien adversaries.

3 Outer Wilds

Houston, We Have A Problem

In many Dying Earth stories, it’s the impending death of the Sun that sets the stage for the narrative. However, Outer Wilds takes this concept and broadens it to encompass an entire solar system. The game masterfully combines moments of reassurance with moments of sheer terror as you traverse space, a feat in itself. Yet, what truly stands out is the depth of emotion that permeates such a vast explorable universe.

Similar to Majora’s Mask, the character in Outer Wilds finds themselves trapped within a 22-minute time loop, leading up to the sun’s imminent supernova and the subsequent destruction of the entire system. The player is tasked with utilizing each cycle wisely, while having complete freedom to decide their approach, ultimately mastering the art of space travel in the process.

2 Nier

All The World’s A Stage

Nier delves into relationships during apocalyptic times, encompassing familial ties, romantic bonds, estrangement, and even those with extraterrestrial beings. Remarkably, the weapons wielded by the unidentified protagonist each carry a story within themselves. This is an engaging action RPG that uniquely weaves its environment as the narrative and its characters as the tale’s heart.

In Nier, it skillfully maximizes its limited resources by subtly revealing information via the environment and side characters. It then offers contrasting perspectives on events through multiple replays to uncover various endings. Unlike many games, a traditional “happy” or “good” ending isn’t readily available, mirroring the complexities of the characters and world itself.

1 Dark Souls

You Died

Dark Souls embodies the essence of the Dying Earth genre perfectly. The world, though stunningly beautiful, is in decline, and the longing to preserve it, to cling to something, is palpable everywhere. Each character has their own needs, goals, and reasons for being, and without them, emptiness looms. In the end, all are destined to give way. The grotesque carries an air of tragedy and at times sensitivity, while grandeur and ostentatious beauty can reveal themselves as cruel deceits. What was once undeniably solid and true is now unraveling, leaving the player to bear witness.

As a gamer, I can’t help but feel the weight of the two sequels echoing their message, yet none of it diminishes the haunting sensation that the game world is about to vanish, leaving behind an empty canvas, regardless of the character or path chosen. The final moment, where the world ceases to exist, remains etched in my mind, a unique instant frozen in time before fading into oblivion, forever lost.

2024-09-10 08:34