This trope has of course been applied to the medium of video games too. It is not at all uncommon for science-fiction games to take place entirely within a relatively small space. There are plenty of great examples of this interesting phenomenon, although some of them make a much bigger impression on players than others.
7 Metroid Fusion
The Metroid series is certainly no stranger to instilling a sense of isolation in players, and this was taken to a whole new level in Metroid Fusion. Despite featuring several diverse biomes, the entire game takes place aboard the Biologic Space Laboratories Space Station orbiting planet SR388.
The game frequently reminds the player of this fact by either confining Samus to certain sections of the station or by having parts of the station malfunction. The fact that the station is self-contained is also vital for the story as it ensures that the deadly X-Parasites cannot easily spread and threaten galactic civilization. It also ensures that Samus is effectively trapped in close proximity to the SA-X.
6 Bioshock
Rather than taking place within the inky blackness of outer space, Bioshock instead took players to the depths of the ocean. Except for the opening cutscene, the entire game takes place in the underwater city of Rapture, an art deco dystopia fallen into ruin under the very weight of its ideals.
The fact that the entire game takes place under thousands of tons of seawater that could come crashing in at any moment further adds to the sense of tension. Bioshock’s Rapture has earned its place as one of the most iconic and memorable settings for any video game. It achieves this by thoroughly immersing players through a combination of immaculate atmosphere and fantastic narrative integration.
5 System Shock
The original System Shock is another game that takes place entirely in a single setting. After waking from having a military-grade neural implant surgically grafted into their body, the player character discovers that while he was asleep a malevolent AI named Shodan has taken over Citadel Space Station, slaughtered its inhabitants, and turned them into cyborgs.
The main character is trapped aboard this space station, making it all the more difficult for him to escape from the mechanical monstrosities that want him dead alongside the mad AI with a god complex. It’s a massively underrated title and one of the best sci-fi games that take place in a single location.
4 Beneath a Steel Sky
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Beneath a Steel Sky sees the main character Foster have to navigate through the dystopian Union City. This city sits beneath the titular steel dome and is both hyper-capitalistic and fascist, with its citizens’ every move being constantly monitored.
This makes for a fascinating setting for a graphic adventure game, as players get the chance to become intimately familiar with many of its citizens as they delve ever deeper into the world of the game. This is a game that manages to thoroughly immerse players despite its fairly limited scope.
3 Portal
The entirety of Portal takes place within the Aperture Science Laboratory facilities. At first, players are only allowed access to the squeaky-clean test chambers. However, soon the curtain is pulled back and players are allowed to explore the grimy back rooms that had previously only been hinted at.
The goal of the game is to escape from the facility, something that is much easier said than done as it means having to overcome the diabolical AI GLaDOS. The sequel, Portal 2, also takes place entirely within Aperture Science but reveals new areas unseen in the first game such as the drone production factories and older parts of the facility.
2 Prey (2017)
The 2017 title Prey is another sci-fi game that takes place entirely within a single location; in this case, the space station Talos 1. The player character is part of a research team investigating a mysterious alien force called Typhon.
Soon they are knocked unconscious and when they awaken they find the station devoid of human life and infested with aliens, many of whom have the ability to disguise themselves as ordinary objects. The player character is trapped aboard the space station unless they can find a way to stop this alien menace.
1 Metal Gear Solid
From beginning to end, the original Metal Gear Solid takes place entirely within a nuclear disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island, located in Alaska’s fox archipelago in the Bering Sea. The premise of the game is that the elite special forces unit FoxHound has taken control of the island, taken several high-profile hostages, and is threatening to use one of the facilities’ decommissioned nuclear weapons if their demands are not met.
It is later discovered that the nuclear disposal facility is really a front for the creation of a new model of Metal Gear. The location plays host to some of the series’ most memorable moments and also introduces many of the most iconic Metal Gear characters.
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