Summary
Spare a thought forScotland. Between theSevenDeadlySinsanime calling the country ‘Britannia’, andGod of Warfans calling the very Scottish character Mimir ‘English’, it seems like Scots aren’t as visible beyond its Caledonian shores as they were back in the day.
Once upon a time, William Wallace crying about freedom inBravehearttopped the box office. Now, even the memes about Merida fromBravehave all but disappeared. Maybe with a little more immersion, people can tell their Scots from their Nots. These are thebest games set in Scotland.
Updates on August 17th, 2024, by Connor Wright:While some titles choose to incorporate the Scottish landscape into their design due to a sense of wonder and natural beauty, there have been some recent gaming releases that have incorporated the Scottish culture into their titles as well.Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice,A Highland Song,andStill Wakes the Deepall have the player control Scottish characters within these Scottish worlds. Beyond that, titles such asA Bard’s Tale IV,Ryse: Son of Rome, andAssassin’s Creed: Valhallaall take creative liberties with Scottish History yet are still deeply rooted in Celtic and Pictish history.Hogwarts: Legacy, while not doing anything massively different with how it portrays J. K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, accurately portrayed aspects of the series' magical setting - which happens to take much of its landscape and iconography from Scottish locales. As such, this list has been expanded to incorporate these titles, and allow for gamers to peruse a larger amount of video games set within the Scottish landscape.
This PS1 classic is low on the list, as Sir Daniel Fortesque’s realm of Gallowmere MAY be in the Scottish Hebrides based on little clues placed here and there. They’re a series of islands off the West Highland coast, known for Harris Tweed, the Isle of Skye, and weather that makes the rest of the UK look like Aruba.
Even so, it’s not quite as grim as Gallowmere. The evil sorcerer Zarok returned from the dead and filled it with all sorts of Tim Burton-esque horrors. Legend said that he was finished off the first time by Sir Daniel, but he actually died as soon as the battle. Now he has to make up for his unheroic life bybeing heroic in deathand freeing Gallowmere from Zarok’s clutches.
When it comes to setting, there is perhaps no modern video game series as flexible asAssassin’s Creed. From ancient Greece to Victorian London, Ubisoft’s open worlds flesh out all manner of historical real-world locations.
In its 2021 DLC mission ‘A Fated Encounter’,Assassin’s Creed Valhallabrings forth a young seer seeking help for her people. Tormented by nightmares, they have sent her to ask the Norse player-protagonist to aid in solving this issue. As such, Scotland’s craggy northern Isle of Skye opens up to explore.
A Time-Travel Twist With A Fictional Scottish Island
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is the pinnacle of the acclaimed series, blending action, humor, and intricate storytelling. Play as Sergeant Cortez, embarking on a time-bending journey across past, present, and future to thwart the sinister TimeSplitters. Explore diverse environments from ancient temples to futuristic cities, each with unique challenges and visual splendor.The single-player campaign is a blend of action and witty dialogue, unfolding through epic battles, puzzles, and animated cut-scenes that bring to life quirky allies and formidable adversaries. The narrative is cinematic and rich, revealing mysteries behind the TimeSplitters' plans with depth and flair.Multiplayer shines with cooperative and competitive modes, offering classic deathmatches, objective-based challenges, and innovative gameplay that tests strategy and reflexes. The game’s visuals impress with detailed models, vibrant settings, and seamless animations that enhance immersion.TimeSplitters: Future Perfect honors the series' legacy while innovating with modern gameplay elements, appealing to both longtime fans and new players. Whether for its compelling story, engaging multiplayer, or sheer entertainment value, it promises an unforgettable journey through time and space, making it a timeless addition to any gamer’s collection.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect,the third entry in Free Radical’sclassic shooter seriesone-upsMediEvilby confirming for sure that one of its levels is set in Scotland. Though the Isle of Urnsay is fictional, it resembles the Scottish Isles much more closely right down to the architecture. It still has a little fun with the setting, like mentioning 1924 Urnsay had a trousers-to-kilt ratio of 1:5.
Lead star Cortes is sent to the island in 1924 to investigate time travel energy residues, and ends up having to join forces with Captain Ash to save a hostage in the middle of a battle between the Royal Navy and Archibald Khallos' terrorist group. It’s the second level in the game, so it’s not the most difficult level. Provided the player keeps their wits about them at any rate.
Between Italy, Madagascar, and the lost pirate kingdom of Libertalia itself, the Highland setting inUncharted 4: A Thief’s Enddoesn’t seem particularly exotic. However, it provides an early bit of fun in the game, offering equal parts of stealth, action, and puzzle solving as Nathan Drake and his brother Sam seek out clues from Henry Avery’s reported grave.
It’s also a rather realistic depiction of the Highlands with its snowy, remote plains, ruined churches, and craggy cliff faces. The only shame is that they don’t give a specific location for the place beyond ‘Scotland’, though some sources say it’s based on the northern coast of the Isle of Skye in the Hebrides.
Ryse: Son of Romeis not a Scottish game in any of the usual respects. Created by German developer Crytek, it depicts the adventures of Roman general Marius Titus as he expands and uncovers the Empire’s machinations.
However, Marius' adventures take him on a conquest of Britannia to enforce Rome’s rule over the people there. Taking inspiration from the real-world construction of the Antonine and Hadrian’s Wall, the Romans invade Scotland and attempt to keep the wholly historically inaccurate demon-like native Caledonians under their heels.
Not only isHogwarts Legacyarguably the quintessential video game adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, but the entireHarry Potter universe is irrevocably Scottish.
Whether fans recognize the Glenfinnan viaduct as the real-life bridge the Hogwarts Express travels along to the magical school, or the snug Highland village of Dufftown being mentioned in-universe, Scotland is undeniably the home of this magical setting. Especially when players are nestled up in the clouds on a broomstick, gazing down at the towering Scottish landscape can leave them in awe.
While Skye and the Inner Hebrides are more popular,Dear Esthersets itself in the Outer Hebrides. They’re much further from the Scottish coast, and thus more remote, stormy, and likely to feature an uninhabited island full of mystery for people to explore. Or at least that’s what developers The Chinese Room thought.
The player is put into the role ofan anonymous narrator, who travels to the island to piece together its connection to his late wife Esther. Through him, the player has to explore every nook and cranny, discovering hidden sights and figuring out its history. It makes for an eerie experience especially when it suggests he’s not the only one on the island.
The Highlands tend to feature the most in Scots media because it’s where the most famous parts of Scottish culture come from. Tartan kilts, Scots Gaelic, the Hebrides, and Loch Ness are all within Scotland’s most northerly region.Tomb Raider 3wasn’t any different as Lara Croft has to explore a castle near the Loch to learn more about a mysterious artifact.
UnlikeTimeSplitters: Future Perfect,Lara has to do more puzzle-solving than shooting, avoiding Castle Drummond’s different traps to discover the truth. None of them involve the Loch’s monster. But if players keep their eyes open, they may spot something lurking in the water. The castle has some other grim surprises hidden in store.
A Fictionalized Setting Rooted In Scottish Mythology and Geography
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep
Hidden in the shadows, an evil has waited patiently. Until now. Who will face the darkness if not you? A heroic adventure featuring 50+ hours of gameplay, 350 speaking parts, a Legacy Mode for returning fans, and over 100 pieces of incredible music!The Director’s Cut brings more character customization options, new items, new enemies, revised UI, and a free expansion dungeon.Customize How You Play: Define the way you play, using sliders on numerous options such as saving (including “save anywhere”), the mini-map, waypoint markers and many more. Whether you seek a hardcore challenge, a lighter experience, or something in-between, the choice is yours.Create the Hero You Want To Be: Play as Bard, Fighter, Practitioner, and Rogue, each featuring 60-70 skills and collectively unlocking 21 unique classes. Build an array of characters to make every playthrough a unique experience.Craft your Party, Your Way: Start your party with a single character, recruiting or creating new heroes to bolster your ranks. Build a party that suits your play style!An Adventure Around Every Corner: Explore towns full of quest givers, fight your way through dark and deadly dungeons, and navigate beautiful rolling hills, dense forests, and icy wastes.
Despite the grotesque monsters and fantasy setting of InXile’sThe Bard’s Taleseries, its world has always been intrinsically linked with Scotland - specifically, the Northern Orkney Isles.
This classic dungeon-crawler RPG may have a high-fantasy setting, but locations such as the Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae make appearances. As such, the fictional universe ofThe Bard’s Taleis somewhat superimposed on the real-life Scottish landscape, with its esthetic and inhabitants “based on a lot of Scottish, Orcadian, and Pict mythology.”
The action stays in the Highlands with this forlorn adventure game from 1996. Made by Trilobyte, the companybehindThe 7th Guest,Clandestinyalso involves exploring a creepy old castle. Only instead of being a futuristic gunslinger or a sexy relic hunter, the heroes are a guy called Andrew and his girlfriend Paula. Andrew learns he’s the 13th Earl of the MacPhiles and has inherited the family land and castle.
Paula thinks they’re in for a big payday when she and Andrew discover there’s a hoard of treasure hidden inside the castle as well. But to get it, Andrew has to get past the ghosts of his ancestors and a dreadful beast to fulfill his clan’s destiny. It’s a fairly typical point & click game for its age, though one with plenty of charm through its neatly animated sequences and gags.
