Not sure how to put words on this.
There is a whole aesthethic in sci fi landscape during the 90's , early 2000 that is so special to me.
I am currently playing KOTOR 2, and this saga is so special in its atmosphere. The Star Wars universe helps a lot of course, but there is something in those landscape. To me they feel comfortable, nostalgic and kinda strange. In Dantooine KOTOR, the mix of the minimalistic natural landscape, with some sci fi details such as a speeder that is parked around a tree, a farmhouse with grass on its top, the flying stringray above the landscape…. It just give me this "wow" feeling.
I say "nostalgic" but I never played those game when they were released. I dont have any particular connection to them. Yet, thats how they make me feel.
Other games that makes me feel the same way : Final Fantasy X and especially the Besaid easthethic. The Wipeout series and especially the tracks that are set in nature :
I am craving for games like those. Maybe there is some modern equivalent, but I think AAA graphics are not compatible with this feeling. Maybe in some indie titles ?
I am sorry if this is very vague, I am bad at puting words on my feelings. I hope you will still understand what I am trying to describe here.
Thank you for reading 🙂
20 Comments
Halo CE(original) probably has what you’re lookin for. If ya like shooters or haven’t played it. All the installations on Halo have that vibe in the first game.
The series gets more “cluttered” as it goes on, visually. But Halo CE was very minimalistic. That’s why it gets harder to see enemies as the series goes on versus Halo CE.Â
Not Sci-Fi, but Super Mario 64 is my favorite example of liminal spaces in gaming.
You arrive at a castle in a field from a pipe from nowhere. One would expect a castle to be a busy, bustling environment, but it isn’t. There’s no one outside, no music, just ambient sounds. Perhaps it’s an abandoned castle, but you know it isn’t. It shouldn’t be. When you enter, it’s more of the same. There should be people here, but other than a couple of Toads, there aren’t. Even the levels themselves feel a bit lonely.
This video explains it better than I ever could. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7mzAcYHtFY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7mzAcYHtFY)
Bandits: Phoenix Rising has vast and empty, but quite atmospheric terrains (game is on MyAbandonware) Edit: woops, link with an ad, huh? Replaced with clean image
https://images.gog.com/82f73ce01c41563d7a3a5442511d0e21597fee5bed616e04d8c5645f0c19e1fa.webp?namespace=gamesdb
Check out Project I.G.I. 1 and 2
https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/projectigi.jpg?width=382&quality=70&format=jpg&dpr=2&auto=webp
Red Faction Guerilla Badlands, especially the Irradiated zone, invoke very strange feelings for me – you see vast space, but you feel trapped; relatively, nothing should be there, but you feel like you’re being watched. Very atmospheric.
I’d say it’s a time where resolutions and draw distances increased, but poor density and artistic direction left things looking void and disconnected.
Planetside 2 is where my mind goes to, and is a very fun time with some friends, even today.
Witcher 1 for me
I wish I could back to Star Wars Galaxies.
Soul Reaver
Maybe check out Anarchy Online, its an mmorpg that started out in 2001 and it got some of that kotor feeling, hard to describe.
Maybe try Xenoblade Chronicles? it’s not super sci-fi but has a lot of elements and looks pretty similar to that FFX screenshot. Lots of different cool areas with unique aesthetics
It’s funny that you get a comfortable feeling in those places when it’s the polar opposite for me. I remember playing them back then and deciding to really avoid those types of games because I hated the “dead” landscapes and places. They felt sterile and surreal to me.
You should play the Mass Effect games if you haven’t already. ME1 in particular has a lot of planets like this
Also the original Deus Ex. It’s way darker/boxier looking but very liminal in a similar way
Outcast 1.1
Star Explorers
Metroid Prime, maybe?
Morrowind, definitely,
Would death stranding fit as a modern AAA example? It has these breathtaking natural environments and scenes with some sci-fi esque buildings and bandit camps littered around it at the end of each delivery.
Crazy Frog Racer 2 always gave me that vibe, as to give something out of usual.
What strikes me is how these environments imply so much without saying anything. A speeder near a tree, a quiet village with glowing lights at dusk it’s like the world has a history, and I’m just passing through. Does anyone else feel that passive storytelling works better than explicit lore dumps?
Check out **Omikron: The Nomad Soul**. It was actually among the first games to give you a full functioning 3D city to wander around – except it’s a bizarre alien city, complete with uncanny liminal spaces. Sounds like exactly the sort of thing you’re looking for.
As a game, it’s only so-so. Basically, it was too ambitious for its own good, but definitely fascinating to play for at least a few hours. Plus, it’s got an amazing [soundtrack](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiodKBLDpys) full of David Bowie songs.
You might like the look of Kenshi. It’s got a KOTOR aesthetic.
Not Sci-Fi but Neverwinter Nights has the exact same vibes as your top screenshot, which makes sense since KOTOR used it’s engine. Deus Ex (first one) has a lot of this too.