

Naevia has been trying to free the statues by stripping their golden shell to get to the person underneath. The last few corridors resemble a gilded abattoir, with bodies strewn liberally about and walls coated in gore. The deeper you go, the more graphic the scenes. Bloodstains splashed on the ground, restraining equipment smeared in gold and crimson ichor. As you approach the palace's inner sanctum, you begin to see evidence of Naevia's 'treatments'. According to her notes, Naevia has dedicated herself to trying to cure the tormented souls of their curse.Ī noble endeavour, but Naevia's intentions soon take a cruel turn. These, it turns out, were inhabitants of the city previously cursed for breaking the Golden Rule, damned to spend an eternity encased in gold. Moving further into the palace, you come across notes written by a woman named Naevia, charting her discovery of the palace and the story behind the statues.

Find him a bow and help him switch it for the one in Diana's shrine, and he'll split the dividends with you 50/50.īut the Gilding is only getting started. Then, technically, he wouldn't be stealing the bow, he'd be replacing it. If he can find another bow, any bow, all he needs to do is wrap it in gold leaf and swap it for the real deal. The only problem is stealing anything in The Forgotten City breaks the Golden Rule, destroying the entire settlement and forcing you to flee into a portal that transports you back to the start of the day.īut Desius has a plan.

Found at his market-stall, Desius wants to 'retrieve' a magical bow from the nearby shrine of Diana, arrows fired from which will transform whatever they strike into gold.

That man is named Desius, an avaricious roman merchant who views the mythical King Midas as an aspirational figure. Like most bad things in life, The Gilding starts with a greedy man trying to get his hands on something that doesn't belong to him. Titled 'The Gilding', it sees you explore a labyrinthine palace while gradually unravelling a nightmarish tale of tragedy, torture, and toxic love. But there's one quest in the game that's possibly the most disturbing thing I've experienced all year. The Forgotten City is mainly a chill detective game about exploring a lush roman metropolis, solving puzzles by talking to people and manipulating a cleverly constructed time-loop.
