Publisher: Modern Storyteller
Genre: Adventure
Summary: You are sent to a hidden ancient Roman city where if anyone sins, everyone is punished with a fate worse than death.
Gameplay: The gameplay mostly consists of exploring the city, talking to the people, and figuring out how to solve quests and eventually escape the city. The setting is just big enough to provide interesting exploration but not so large as to become exhausting or to cause you to get lost. There are just enough people to provide interesting characters without being confusingly many, too.
The unique element is the availability of a time loop, so if the Golden Rule is broken (or you choose to break it), you can restart the day. Despite this, the game is good about not making you repeat quests you've already done.
There is eventually a bow available that offers some (optional) action elements and ways to solve puzzles. The game almost always multiple solutions to puzzles, multiple choices in how to respond to people, and varying order for competing quests, as well as several endings, though one is preferable.
Style: "The Forgotten City" is lovely, with beautiful mosaics, rushing water, and variable lighting. The music was great. Sometimes I wished I wasn't entirely locked into third-person perspective, and the game's not a graphical wonder. Despite this, sometimes it had to stop and load the new area, which seemed odd even on my older machine. Overall these were minor complaints, however.
Story: This story of a doomed Roman city has some great twists and turns and memorable characters. The time loop element offers some unique gameplay options and is integrated into the story well. "The Forgotten City" offers insight on philosophy, mythology, and Roman history all while providing great puzzles and exploration.