Even though Scotland doesn’t have a lot of games, there are a few that are set there, like these great ones.
Scotland needs your help. Since the anime Seven Deadly Sins calls the country “Britannia” and God of War fans call the very Scottish character Mimir “English,” it seems like Scots aren’t as well known outside of Caledonia as they used to be.
Once upon a time, Braveheart was the most popular movie because William Wallace cried about freedom in it. Even the memes about Merida from the movie Brave are almost gone now. People might be able to tell the Scots from the Nots if they lived there longer. Here are the top games that take place in Scotland.
MediEvil
This PS1 classic isn’t very high on the list because Sir Daniel Fortesque’s realm of Gallowmere MAY be in the Scottish Hebrides, based on hints hidden here and there. They are a group of islands off the coast of the West Highlands. They are known for Harris Tweed, the Isle of Skye, and weather that makes the rest of the UK look like Aruba.
Still, it isn’t as bad as Gallowmere. The evil sorcerer Zarok came back from the dead and made it look like something out of Tim Burton. The story goes that Sir Daniel killed him the first time, but he actually died right after the battle. Now he has to make up for the fact that he wasn’t a hero during his life by being a hero in death and saving Gallowmere from Zarok.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
The third game in Free Radical’s classic shooter series is better than MediEvil. Because it confirms that one of its levels takes place in Scotland. Even though the Isle of Urnsay is made up, it looks a lot like the Scottish Isles, right down to the buildings. It still has some fun with the setting, like when it says that in 1924 Urnsay, there were five trousers for every kilt.
In 1924, the main character Cortes is sent to the island to look for evidence of time travel energy. He ends up working with Captain Ash to save a hostage during a battle between the Royal Navy and Archibald Khallos’ terrorist group. Since it’s the second level of the game, it’s not the hardest. As long as the player keeps their mind in any case.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
Between Italy, Madagascar, and the lost pirate kingdom of Libertalia. The Highlands don’t seem like a very exotic place to live. But it’s a lot of fun early in the game as Nathan Drake and his brother Sam try to find clues in Henry Avery’s supposed grave. It’s a mix of stealth, action, and puzzle solving.
It’s also a pretty accurate picture of the Highlands, with its snowy plains in the middle of nowhere, abandoned churches, and rocky cliffs. The only bad thing is that they don’t say where the place is, other than “Scotland.” Some sources say it’s based on the northern coast of the Isle of Skye in the Hebrides, though.
Dear Esther
When it comes to the Hebrides. Skye and the other islands in the Inner Hebrides are more well-known, but Dear Esther takes place in the Outer Hebrides. They are much farther from the Scottish coast, which makes them more remote, stormy, and likely to have a mysterious, uninhabited island that people can explore. Or so thought the people who made The Chinese Room.
The player takes on the role of an unnamed narrator who goes to the island to figure out what it has to do with his dead wife Esther. Through him, the player has to look in every corner and find hidden sights and learn about the city’s history. It’s scary, especially since it makes him think he’s not the only one on the island.
Tomb Raider 3
Most Scots media focus on the Highlands because that’s where the most well-known parts of Scottish culture come from. The most northern part of Scotland is home to tartan kilts, Scots Gaelic, the Hebrides, and Loch Ness. In Tomb Raider III, Lara Croft still has to explore a castle near the Loch to find out more about a mysterious object.
Unlike in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, Lara has to do more puzzle-solving than shooting to find out the truth while avoiding Castle Drummond’s many traps. The Loch’s monster isn’t in any of them. But if players keep their eyes open, they might see something in the water. There are more scary things hidden in the castle.
Clandestiny
This lonely adventure game from 1996 takes place in the Highlands. Trilobyte, the same company that made The 7th Guest, made this Happy Wheels game. Which also has you exploring a creepy old castle. But instead of a futuristic gunslinger or a hot relic hunter, the heroes are a guy named Andrew and his girlfriend Paula. Andrew finds out that he is the 13th Earl of the MacPhiles and has gotten the land and castle from his family.
Paula thinks they’re going to make a lot of money when she and Andrew find a stash of treasure inside the castle. But Andrew can’t get it until he gets past the ghosts of his ancestors and a terrible beast. Which is the destiny of his clan. It’s a pretty typical point-and-click game for its age. But it has a lot of charm thanks to its clever animations and jokes.
Broken Sword: The Shadow Of The Templars
But players can’t go wrong with the original Broken Sword if they want a great point-and-click game. It has beautiful animated graphics that show George Stobbart’s journey around the world to find out about a dark plot involving murder, cults, and the Knights Templar. Before he gets to Scotland, he goes through France, Ireland, Syria, and Spain.
George and his partner Nicole race up to Bannockburn in the Scottish Lowlands for a change of pace in the show’s final episode. They have to get there before the Neo-Templars to stop a dark ritual with the Broken Sword that could cause trouble for the whole world. So, no need to worry.
Forza Horizon 4
Not everyone likes the stuff that is usually thought of as Scottish. People who want something more modern might find castles, tartan, and Highland Games boring. Why would players want to go to peat bogs and old lochs when they can race through the city? In Forza Horizon 4, the course is set in Edinburgh, which is the capital of Scotland. Old places like Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat are shown, and the busy streets are recreated as accurately as possible.
The only bad thing is that, since it’s a racing game, players can’t get out of the car and look around Edinburgh. That’s not a big deal for fans who want to go full speed. But if anyone wants to shake up the open-world genre, they could follow Forza’s lead and go to Scotland. It will be nice to see something other than New York in video games.
