The most evocative settings of video games of 2020

Almost a year has passed since the pandemic arrived. 2020 has been a difficult year for many in which, among other things, we have not been able to travel around the world as easily as in previous years. However, this didn't stop us from visiting numerous fascinating places through our dear, beloved video games. In recent months, thanks to the restrictions due to the virus, we have certainly had the opportunity to spend more time in our homes in the company of any gaming machine. There are also new interesting releases, which have been able to entertain regardless of tastes and age. Thanks to this simple pastime we were able to temporarily abandon reality to transport us to truly wonderful fantasy worlds.

Several titles have given us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in settings of all kinds, from medieval Japan, up to the futuristic cities of the twenty-first century. So let's go back to the most evocative settings of the 2020 video games, trips for which it was not necessary to take a plane, but simply to sit in front of our gaming station.

A quick escape to a desert island

The first of our trips came right down to the start of the March lockdown, when we were all forced to close. We are talking about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, an exquisite title capable of thrilling gamers of all ages for a long time. At the beginning of the adventure, our little virtual avatar moves to an island in the company of some animal friends. With these creatures he will soon establish a great relationship and build an entire community on the island. It is a game with no particular objectives or difficult challenges to overcome. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a simple pastime in which we can enjoy our stay on a remote island, doing small tasks to happily spend our time. The ideal cure to leave a difficult and stressful reality and enjoy moments of peace and tranquility in this little corner of paradise.

Are you longing for air travel?

If you have having felt the nostalgia of the flight and of the splendid views that can be admired from the porthole of the plane, Microsoft has thought of an almost ideal solution. Flight Simulator is the perfect game for those who love the tranquility of high or low altitude flight. As the name of the title suggests, in addition to being an excellent simulator equipped with numerous functions and commands, it manages to give the gamer truly breathtaking views. Through the three-dimensional scanning of the satellites and some improvements with artificial intelligence combined with the touch of the developers, in this video game it is possible to travel around our entire planet. Some particularly well-known cities and places have also received greater attention and appear to be virtually identical to their real-life counterparts. Needless to hide how this Flight Simulator has given us many hours of travel by plane also in this 2020, flying over unique places with spectacular sunsets, furious storms or peaceful clear skies. A truly unique experience, which allowed us to travel while sitting comfortably in front of our PC.

Destination New York

With the release of Playstation 5 and the exclusive Sony Spider-Man: Miles Morales we catapulted with great pleasure into beautiful New York. The developers of the title have been able to recreate the city in an almost excellent way, exploiting, among other things, the potential of the new generation console such as ray tracing. Thanks to the extreme ability of vertical movement between the skyscrapers of the metropolis, our beloved Spider-Man is undoubtedly the ideal protagonist to enjoy this fabulous city to the fullest. The cobwebs will allow us to easily reach the roofs of the numerous buildings to admire the splendid views offered by the "Big Apple". Going ashore the magic will not fade, because even the streets, shops, traffic and citizens of New York have been implemented in a rather realistic and believable way, giving the feeling of moving in a living and constantly moving city. We are sure that after many hours spent on Spider-Man: Miles Morales you will be able to move more easily when you visit New York next time.

Towards the future of Night City

2020 has us allowed to live in one of the most popular metropolises in the world in the year 2077. We are clearly talking about Night City, a real futuristic masterpiece full of details. From billboards, to television broadcasts on screens, radios to listen to in your car, buildings of huge international corporations, neighborhoods dominated by numerous gangs, futuristic styles and fashions and a truly unique artistic touch. A perfect framework for a title like Cyberpunk 2077, which certainly needs no introduction. In this role-playing game, we play as a mercenary capable of carrying out numerous tasks and missions. During our game sessions, however, there were several moments in which we simply admired the scenery offered by the splendid Night City or the boundless expanses of the suburbs in the "Badlands".

The numerous secondary missions and a database of information within the game have allowed us to discover numerous gems related to this complex futuristic world: political intrigues, environmental problems, technological developments on human grafts and related psychological consequences, the entertainment of the future through braindance and many other goodies that will continue to amaze us in the coming months with the arrival of future updates and expansions.

Back to the past on Tsushima Island

In In recent months there have been no shortage of experiences and travels in the past, thanks to a splendid Japan during the first Mongol invasion around the year 1270. More precisely we found ourselves on the island of Tsushima, following the events of the last samurai of these lands . The huge expanses enriched by settlements, fortresses and military bases, have allowed us to experience a truly splendid adventure in this open world video game. The technical implementation of Ghost of Tsushima is truly of a high standard and offers breathtaking scenery. Moving on horseback we crossed magnificent forests full of vegetation with the strong wind to move and drop the leaves from the trees for a truly suggestive atmosphere. The cinematic component desired by the developers is felt and has been greatly appreciated by critics and the public. The feeling of being able to move in this historical scenario as if we were in a film has significantly increased the degree of involvement offered by the title. Everything was then seasoned with a high-level soundtrack, which makes the atmosphere even more alive. In addition to the setting, the game allows us to discover some interesting references to the culture and customs of the time, as well as the historical events that really happened.

In the disparity of Midgar

Probably the most expected for the last 20 years, this Final Fantasy VII has certainly been one of the most popular titles in the past year. In addition to offering a truly well-structured gameplay with a more action footprint than the original, this game has allowed us to return to one of the most fascinating settings of the era of the very first Playstation. Midgar, the city where the events of this first part of the remake project take place, is a very particular futuristic metropolis. In the upper part, almost suspended in the air, there are eight sectors populated by wealthy people. At the center of this huge plate is the main building of Shinra, the energy company that provides electricity to the city and is closely linked to its technological, military and political development. Underneath all this, in direct contact with the earth, are the slums. A place for the so-called "mere mortals", where a certain degree of crime and underworld has also developed. As if that weren't enough, having to live under the huge flat of the upper sectors, the lower part of the city cannot even enjoy an open sky and is forced to live in the shadow of wealthy people. Our protagonist will be transported to these two very different realities, taking sides for justice and equality towards all citizens. A truly wonderful scenario, able to make us perceive this huge metropolis, drastically divided into a richer and a poorer part.

Among the Vikings of Valhalla

Finally we could also enjoy of a splendid journey into the Viking era, thanks to the fascinating Assassin's Creed Valhalla. As also highlighted by our review, the setting in this title is undoubtedly the real, great protagonist. In addition to the three splendid cities that can be visited (London, York and Winchester), recreated in a rather faithful way compared to their counterparts of the past, the developers have also dedicated a lot of effort to the freely explorable English regions. The glance of some views is truly extraordinary, thanks to a very wide variety of scenarios: from the snow-capped mountains with an extremely variable climate, to the movements on small Viking boats, up to an England with autumn colors. Dynamic lighting, combined with a respectable technical department made our journey in Assassin's Creed Valhalla truly unforgettable. A pleasant dive into the past, which in addition to the splendid scenery, made us discover some important events that really happened, but also elements of the culture, religion and customs of the peoples who inhabited those lands at the time.