7 Dystopian Games With Beautiful Scenery

Modern society sees many hallmarks of our fiction’s hypothesized dystopias. These include privacy-intrusive technology, monopolistic corporations, and dysfunctional governments. Basically, it’s everything that one would expect in a dark science fiction novel.

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Dystopias don’t have to be all bad, though. In fact, some of them can be quite beautiful. Video games have offered various interpretations of capitalist hellscapes, including sleek architecture and nature reclaiming what it lost to humanity. These environments can offer much to explore. Here are some beautiful dark futures in which to get lost.

8 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Fallen Land Of Hyrule

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild revamped the formula of the Zelda franchise, introducing a non-linear play style and a world populated by challenges, wildlife, and colorful characters. The basic story beats are similar to past entries, though, as Link is still on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda from her century-long struggle to hold back the threat of Calamity Ganon.

Breath of the Wild is set 100 years after the Great Calamity, when Ganon rose up and nearly obliterated all of Hyrule. The land is still just as beautiful as it ever was. Grassy valleys, rolling hills, mighty mountains, and deep canyons are in every direction. Sometimes, it is great just to take in the view, providing some great photo opportunities.

7 Terra Nil

Relax While Rebuilding Nature

Humanity has irreversibly damaged the planet. Terra Nil, however, allows one to participate in the healing process, using eco-friendly power sources to grow sustainable biomes and draw wildlife out from the poisoned wastelands. Every trace of human activity must also be removed from the ecosystems.

This is one of the cozier dystopian games out there. The forests, marshes, and beaches bloom to life. The hand-painted visuals are detailed, allowing for close-ups that retain visual fidelity. Once each section’s challenges are complete, the game provides an option for players to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor, making this a therapeutic experience.

6 Tron 2.0

A Neon City

Tron may not be one of Disney’s most popular movies, but it is certainly beloved by computer enthusiasts. The film sees video game programmer Kevin Flynn transported inside a computer at his former employer, ENCOM, and finds himself trapped in the Game Grid. This digital realm is ruled by the Master Control Program (MCP) and his minions. In Tron 2.0, Jet Bradley, the son of Alan Bradley, is teleported into a computer while searching for his father.

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The digital realm in Tron 2.0 is ruled by Kernel, a program that assumes Jet to be the source of a corruption plaguing the system. In Jet’s quest to find his father and root out the Game Grid’s true aggressor, he has to evade antivirus software and compete in light cycle matches. While navigating a digital dystopia is a challenge, exploring the sights of the Game Grid is a pleasure. The visuals capture the iconic neon blue glow of the movie’s structures and environments and the light cycle matches are a treat for the eyes.

5 We Happy Few

Playing Through A Beatles Music Video

We Happy Few is a psychedelic hybrid of The Matrix and Brave New World. In a dystopian 1960s Britain, citizens take Joy Pills, which make them think and see happy things so that they are not aware of the brutal reality of their country’s dark history, and the “Very Bad Thing” that it did.

We Happy Few features some trippy imagery. Its bright technicolors, cobblestone roads, and rainbow walkways are like something out of the British Invasion and Flower Power movement. When the Joy wears off, though, it’s a different story. Everything is run-down, and impoverished people in tattered clothes are banished from the city for choosing reality over a cheerful lie. The DNA of BioShock can be seen all around.

4 Borderlands 2

Anarchy With A Cartoon Coating

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The follow-up to the classic first-person shooter from Gearbox sees aspiring bandits on the planet of Pandora going up against gangs and the mechanical forces of the Hyperion Corporation’s narcissistic CEO Handsome Jack. The gameplay consists of taking down mobs of enemies, riding around on desert buggies, and upgrading an arsenal of destructive firepower.

While being persistently hunted is not an ideal experience, the anarchic wastelands of Pandora are a joy to behold. The cel shading makes everything pop, and Pandora’s sunsets are especially beautiful. One almost feels bad about destroying the Handsome Jack statues in his city of Opportunity. Almost.

2 BioShock

Welcome To Rapture

BioShock is a terrifying, haunting experience. Protagonist Jack finds himself in Rapture, an underwater city that was supposed to be Ryan Industries owner Andrew Ryan’s vision for a better world. Instead, it descended into civil war, with the residents altering their genes with a substance called ADAM and becoming psychotic killers.

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When Jack first lays his eyes on Rapture, it is an awe-inspiring experience. The dazzling architecture and neon signs capture the 1940s era in which the city was built. The aquatic wildlife swimming among the buildings makes the setting even more fantastical, a beauty that conceals its rotten underbelly. Jack’s journey in Rapture will have the players guiding him dealing with some tough philosophical quandaries.

1 Mirror’s Edge

Physical, Emotional, And Literal Heights

Mirror’s Edge is a first-person free-running game where protagonist Faith must run and jump across the rooftops and along the city streets of Velocity, where the government controls the flow of information. Faith is a Runner, someone who transports packages and messages across Velocity while keeping them out of the city’s reach.

Velocity looks like something out of an Apple commercial, with stark white buildings and reflective glass windows. When one gets a chance to take in the scenery, it can be truly breathtaking, like a meditative experience, and the visuals still hold up even all these years later.

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