Games with great environments

[Crappy Blue Luigi]

LA-MULANA

okay, i know what this looks like. i swear, i'm not trying to be a la-mulana fanboy, but it was the first thing that came to mind when i read the thread.

the game is full of beautifully detailed and readable backgrounds. all of the ruins areas have numerous archaeological and mythological references, including statues, sculptures, and other icons from actual civilizations. the game even allows you to check out many of the referential background objects using your hand scanner, giving them names and pointing out similarities to real-world archaeological finds.

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on top of that, each section of the ruins is incredibly distinct from the rest. the different areas share no visual similarities, disregarding constant elements like tablets and certain enemies. notably, every part of the ruins has a "backside" with a similar visual theme. the backsides do reuse a lot of material from the frontsides, but they do it in a way that highlights contrasts and continues to differentiate the ruins' sections. at a quick glance, you would not think these two areas are related:

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in general, i find the locations to be really memorable. i have an easy time keeping track of where i am, where i want to be, and what goals i have in front of me just by looking at landmarks all over the place. screens with important objects tend to be designed in a way that brings your attention to them.

this room has most entrances moving your character closer to a smaller room to the right, where there used to be a fish you had to attack to solve a puzzle.