Best Games Set In France
There are a lot of video games out there and in this era of mobile and home-based gaming, the choices have never been greater. So how do you cut through the noise and find the “Best of” for any chosen topic?
Well, we’re here to help celebrate and shine a spotlight on some of the latest, greatest, and unforgettable games through the years.
For our ongoing series of articles depicting the best video games, our attention this time turns to games set in France. From mainstream franchises like Pokémon to slightly niche games like Valiant Hearts, you have a lot here to whet your appetite.
Of course, if we’ve missed any of your favorites, feel free to comment below and we’ll get them added on!
Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2 is an incredible follow-up to 2012’s Forza Horizon title. The game features multiple vehicles, a luscious open-world setting, and competitive races that are set in Southern France. As you race through the game’s mesmerizing locales, you’ll notice neat attractions like gold courses and docks to make the maps feel lively.
You can enjoy Forza Horizon 2’s races or spend time zooming across its plethora of landscapes. The events take place in the morning or at night with a dynamic weather system in place to add to your immersion. Forza Horizon 2 includes fabulous features that you can play with friends or alone. These include Car Meets and Bucket Lists.
The former encourages players to interact with each other and compare vehicles. The game included some neat expansions and collaborations with racing franchises like Fast and the Furious to keep players hooked. If you adore racing titles with mesmerizing graphics and countless activities and vehicles, check this out.
Valiant Heart: The Great War
If racing games aren’t your cup of tea, then Valiant Hearts: The Great War’s historical richness and melancholic atmosphere should keep you at bay. This puzzle adventure game is about survival, sacrifice, and friendship. It follows four characters helping a German soldier find his lover by interacting with many people and multiple items.
As you traverse the game’s landscape with your canine companion Walt you’ll stumble across multiple items. These items will reveal information about the war that will pull at your heartstrings. The developers at Ubisoft Montpellier aimed to create a game that felt emotionally realistic, so they researched letters written by soldiers and traveled to the remains of wartime trenches in France.
The game does a fabulous job of interconnecting everyone’s tale together to forge a breathtakingly emotional piece. The game’s graphical style resembles the art you’d find in colorful comic books. However, the game never steers away from its gritty tone and deep themes. With its touching storytelling, excellent graphics, and fun gameplay, you’re in for a memorable time with this one.
The Saboteur
The Saboteur is a fun action-adventure title that takes place during WWII. It’s set in a France occupied by German troops. It follows Sean Devlin, an Irish race car driver, and mechanic who joins the French Resistance to free Paris. The gameplay involves players shooting and fighting multiple enemies and exploring their surroundings to a certain extent.
Sean’s a skilled fighter with parkour abilities, which helps him climb tall buildings at incredible speeds. The Saboteur’s Paris-themed environments are stunning and memorable. The landscape’s color filtering looks dull to symbolize the German’s control over the land. As you complete many missions, you’ll free the area’s boroughs.
This results in the environment reverting to its beautiful color schemes. The game received much praise from fans and critics for its setting, content, and gameplay mechanics. However, The Saboteur also has various technical issues and most of its locales look less polished than you’d like. If you’re looking for a fun action-adventure title with decent storytelling, give The Saboteur a shot.
Pokémon X & Y
Although the Pokémon franchise’s mainline titles have declined in recent years, many hold the series’ older titles in high regard. Pokémon X & Y was GameFreak’s first foray into 3D with the mainline titles. It’s set in a fantastical version of France called Kalos and has players pursue a journey no different from previous Pokémon titles.
Your mission is to collect all-8 badges, defeat the elite four and highest ranking Pokémon trainer, and become the region’s new champion. Players will also combat the game’s evil team Team Flare and their leader, Lysandre. Besides taking a leap into 3D, Pokémon X & Y introduced Mega Evolution into the mix. This allowed Pokémon to transform into powerful versions of themselves.
Only a select few creatures received Mega Evolutions, though. Those who did receive immense adoration from the fandom. Furthermore, Pokémon X & Y had a better online infrastructure that made it easier for people to trade and battle each other. While the game’s storytelling was somewhat lackluster, the gameplay was as great as previous entries. If you have a Nintendo 3DS lying around, I’d recommend picking up a copy of either game.
Remember Me
Remember Me revolves around a memory hunter named Nilin. She embarks on a quest to defeat a megacorporation called Memorize for stealing all her memories. The game’s story is thought-provoking and touches upon many emotional themes that rile up most audiences. It’s an action-adventure title with platforming, melee, and exploration elements.
Players will spend their time using Nilin’s memory remixing abilities to toy with her target’s memories. It’s ironic given Nilin’s upbringing. You can replay your target’s memories and modify details to your liking. However, this component is also used to overcome the game’s multiple hazards and puzzles. Nilin’s melee combos are fully customizable, thanks to the game’s Combo Lab.
The combos will allow you to stun enemies, move at quick speeds to land more hits, and turn hostile robots into allies. Despite all this incredible stuff, Remember Me’s combat can feel formulaic. Some story beats don’t hit as hard as others, too. On the other hand, Nilin comes across as a strong protagonist and the puzzles are wonderfully executed and challenging.
Broken Sword: Director’s Cut
Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars is a classic point-and-click adventure game. In it, players must guide the sassy journalist Nico Collard and her American friend George Stobbart on a mysterious adventure full of wonder and danger. Nico and George will explore many strange locales while uncovering deep secrets in an attempt to reveal the truths of the Knights Templar.
The original game had a captivating narrative. Revolution Software, the game’s developers, aimed to provide long-time fans with new intricate narratives to tackle for the Director’s Cut version. This version also includes new puzzles and more hilarious banter for fans to enjoy. The game’s fully voiced, allowing newcomers to immerse themselves in the Broken Sword’s beautiful surroundings.
Furthermore, Director’s Cut includes a neat hint system. This will help newcomers immensely since Broken Sword’s puzzles can be somewhat challenging. With its fitting OST, colorful cast, and engrossing storytelling, you’ll likely love Broken Sword: Director’s Cut.
Night Call
Night Call is an atmospheric visual novel game with a riveting plot and engaging cast. This game has you assume the role of a cab driver who’ll utilize your character’s likable personality to get people to talk. By conversing with strangers, the protagonist plans to gather enough details to catch an elusive serial killer who left him to die.
This game evokes a strong noir aesthetic with its black-and-white visuals and calming OST. Night Call has many characters to interrogate, and they all have something impactful to share. While some of their stories aren’t captivating, many are and will play a key role in helping you locate the serial killer.
At the same time, people may enjoy the gameplay as numerous interactions will lead to nowhere or aren’t as exciting as others. However, if you can pull through these boring instances, you’ll have a swell time with Night Call.
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
Deus Ex is a fun FPS game that’s set in the distant future. The people in this world experience murder, drug abuse, diseases, and pollution crises on a daily basis. The wealthy and poor folks never get along. Fortunately, one individual rises from the depths in hopes of making this world a better place for everyone. Unfortunately, this is an old game that suffers from janky controls.
However, newcomers will adore interacting with Deus Ex’s civilians and solving problems. The game’s locations look incredible and include many challenging obstacles for players to overcome. You’ll be forced to make many difficult choices in the game, but these will assist in developing the game’s protagonist. Players can expect to delve into numerous conspiracies, theories, and events in Deus Ex.
Furthermore, the game’s modding scene is active despite it being older work. These mods will make the game feel better to play and look up to par with modern video game releases. For those looking for a fabulous FPS title with great story beats, check out Deus Ex.
Sly 2: Band of Thieves
Sly Cooper is one of Sony’s best mascots, despite his series not having a new game in recent years. His titles are all about stealth, platforming, and adventuring. Sly 2: Band of Thieves is the second entry in the series that comes with new goals, levels, and challenges to accomplish for Sly and his friends.
After defeating Clockwerk in Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly and his allies must locate Clockwerk’s parts across multiple worlds. Enemies feel bulkier than in the previous game and you’ll get to embark on missions as Bentley and Murray this time around. You’ll unlock new skills for these three by opening safes or by purchasing them from safehouses using coins.
Each character receives a health and special bar. Hazards and enemy attacks will deplete the former and the latter will allow you to pull off incredible tricks. Furthermore, Sly receives new and enticing moves. In one instance, he can sneak behind enemies to kill them with a stellar combo attack. There’s an optional USB microphone option that allows players to use their real-world voice to distract and attract enemies. With all these additions, it’s no wonder many praise Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves as one of its best installments.
A Plague Tale: Innocence
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a story-rich adventure game that’s absolutely breathtaking. It offers 10 hours worth of content that you’ll make you depressed by the end of it all. The game doesn’t feature visuals on par with triple AAA titles but its dark atmosphere and gritty aesthetic are on par with some of gaming’s finest and latest offerings.
Set in 14th-century France with a lurking plague, players follow Amicia and Hugo on a journey of love, friendship, and courage. They’re being hunted by strange Inquisition soldiers who want to steal Hugo away for unknown reasons. This quest will have you utilizing stealth and limited tools to hide, distract, and harm soldiers with.
On top of that, you’ll be expected to avoid plague-carrying rats and solve survival-horror-themed puzzles. Innocence’s plot is well-paced and its levels contain a great blend of action, puzzle, and stealth elements. The story’s conclusion may leave players feeling mixed about it, though. However, if you adore survival-themed adventure games with great tension, memorable characters, and excellent gameplay, this one should satisfy you.
So, there we have it, our pick for the best video games set in France through the years!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!