Have you ever watched a movie and recognized a landmark in the background? Seeing a familiar place on the big screen is an incredibly exciting moment. The same goes for video games, which often draw inspiration from real life—or, in the case of the titles below, straight from reality.
Video games set in Canada tend to stick to cities like Vancouver and Toronto. However, there are a growing number of games set in Montreal and Quebec, especially as local developers start to spearhead their own projects. Dozens of video games today take inspiration from the province.
Even in the realm of online slots, plenty of games feel tailored toward Quebec and its capital city. For example, Betway offers dozens of top-tier slots via their online casino. Though the group is active worldwide, there are plenty of options for Canadian slots players.
There’s Power Play Gold for Habs fans, Wolf Call for outdoors adventurists, and Arctic Enchantress for those who enjoy winter fantasy themes—and that’s just the start. But for those looking to play a game set in the province, see the list below.
Deus-Ex: Human Revolution
This action RPG follows the journey of Adam Jensen, a cyborg whose superhuman abilities help him take on a growing world of transhumanism. Equal parts sci-fi adventure and FPS-stealth game, the title expands on the open-world concept. Players have an incredible amount of autonomy as they seek to uncover a shadow organization in charge of increasingly dangerous transhumanist projects.
The game comes from Montreal developer Eidos-Montréal. Set in the year 2027, it includes a fictionalized Montreal cityscape. Despite the re-imagination of the city, local gamers will recognize similar street layouts and architecture from the Quebec capital.
Anamorphine
Part surreal adventure and part emotional exploration, Anamorphine is an incredibly unique take on gaming. Rather than external conflict, gamers must explore an internal and highly emotional world through the main character’s eyes. The open-world sim asks gamers to piece together a charged event in order to guide their character to a better place.
The title comes from indie studio Artifact 5. It is set in Montreal and is designed to let gamers explore the city.
Kona
Set in the rural Nord-du-Québec in 1970, Kona bridges survival themes with supernatural horror. Characters must navigate the extreme environment and its dangers while also attempting to piece together an increasing series of non-human attacks. Some of its unique gameplay features include a stress meter, which will affect the character’s skills, like accuracy.
The game comes from Parabole, based in Canada. The title is unique as an indie game, as it was crowd-sourced from Kickstarter. A sequel is planned for release in 2023.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag & Rogue
When it comes to video games in Quebec, most active gamers will think of Ubisoft. Ubisoft has multiple studios, including Ubisoft Montreal. The Montreal team is responsible for Black Flag and Rogue, later editions in the Assassin’s Creed gaming series that were released in 2013.
Black Flag covers the era of piracy from the early 1700s. The main focus is in the West Indies, but there’s a portion of the game that takes place in modern-day Montreal. Given the studio’s intense attention to detail, gamers will immediately notice important landmarks. In Rogue, players have the option to explore large swathes of the North American Atlantic coast, which includes parts of Quebec.
Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves
Set in the 19th century, Sang-Froid explores some of the most engrained elements of Canadian and Native American mythology in its action-strategy format. The game comes from developer Artifice Studio and marks one of the most robust explorations of folklore. It includes beings like werewolves (as hinted at by the title), Will-O’-the-Wisps, Windigos, and even the Devil himself.
Similar to the Assassin’s Creed series, Sang-Froid (which means cold blood in French), was praised for its realistic depiction of life in the 1800s. Much of this accuracy comes from Bryan Perro, best-selling author of the Amos Daragon series, who co-wrote the story.
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