Video Games With Historical Themes
Many developers disregard factual accuracy in favour of creating an enjoyable gaming experience. However, this is beginning to change.
Historical accuracy is not typically associated with the video game industry. Many developers disregard factual accuracy in favour of creating an enjoyable gaming experience. This began to change when the gaming industry became a dominant form of media. Many gamers became interested in developers incorporating education into their games, making their guilty pleasure hobby feel less guilty.
Even AAA titles, such as the Assassins Creed series, actively encourage gamers to learn more about the eras they are playing in, primarily by adding notes or diary entries as collectables.
With the recent global lockdowns, historically accurate video games demonstrated their true worth. When people couldn’t afford to visit landmarks or museums, the gaming industry allowed them to travel to the world’s wonders and historical periods from the comfort of their own homes.
L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire is a bit like spending a night at the casino. You need skill and cunning as well as luck for the roulette numbers sequence, and so for L.A. Noir. The game’s early trailers piqued players’ interest with its combination of a quincuncial Rockstar open world and innovative detective mechanics.
The open world is primarily what distinguishes the game from other historically accurate releases, as it provides players with an incredible rendition of post-WWII Los Angeles that encapsulates what the city would have looked like in the 1940s.
The Brothers in Arms Trilogy
From a game set shortly after WWII to a franchise set in the thick of it. The Brothers In Arms series debuted in 2005 with the critically acclaimed Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, the first of nine games in the series.
With its world design, character models, and tactical gameplay, the Brothers In Arms series provides historical accuracy. The aforementioned first game was used in a History Channel documentary to depict the Normandy invasion. Unfortunately, the series appears to be over after the cancellation of Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 in 2015.
Steel Division: Normandy 44
Eugen Systems created Steel Division: Normandy 44, a team known to fans of war-time strategy games for titles such as R.U.S.E. in 2010 and Wargame: AirLand Battle in 2013. The game is set in WWII France and allows players to command forces from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and, of course, France.
Steel Division 2 was released in 2019 as a sequel to Steel Division: Normandy 44, but it fell short of its predecessor’s quality.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Warhorse Studios created Kingdom Come: Deliverance, an adventure RPG. The gameplay was heavily focused on realism. To stay healthy, players must eat, drink, and sleep. Furthermore, armour, clothing, and perishable food degrade over time.
The game takes place in the Kingdom of Bohemia, also known as the Czech Kingdom, in the early 1400s. Despite having a large open world, the developers made certain that the environment contained historically accurate weapons, characters, and buildings.
The Assassins Creed Series
The Assassins Creed series, a pioneer of historical accuracy in modern gaming, has transported players to some of history’s most famous time periods, from 15th-century Renaissance Italy to the 1700s American Revolution to Ancient Egypt’s Ptolemaic period.
The main plots of the Assassin’s Creed games are usually more historically influenced than historically accurate. The games, on the other hand, are littered with famous historical figures and locations that frequently play key roles. In addition, the series frequently provides players with a database in the pause menu. This database offers a plethora of optional documents to read that educate players on the era in which they are playing.
The Total War Series
Since the release of Shogun: Total War in 2000, the Total War series has dominated the real-time strategy market. The series is notable for fusing a turn-based strategy overworld with real-time strategy combat.
The series’ settings have included Ancient Rome, feudal Japan in the 16th century, and the 18th century Early Modern Period. The game’s historical accuracy focuses primarily on eras’ social cultures, as well as ensuring that commendable units have period-appropriate weapons and armoury.
When it comes to historical accuracy, historians have yet to find evidence of Bone Giants or Zombie Dragons in the Total War: Warhammer games.
The Age Of Empires Series
The games in the Age of Empires series covers the Stone Age, Ancient History, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The gameplay focuses on the wise use of technological advances and the careful management of limited resources. These technologies are accurate to their time periods and, when used correctly, can provide players with a decisive advantage over their opponents.
Age of Mythology was a spin-off game from the series. The game was based on Egyptian, Greek, and Norse mythology, with gameplay reminiscent of the Age of Empires series.
