Stray, the recent indie game about a cat escaping a cyberpunk city, has received stellar reviews and a lot of attention from gamers and non-gamers alike. While its catty protagonist certainly garnered a lot of attention, so did the beautiful dystopian backdrop of the Walled City. For media connoisseurs and cyberpunk fans, the city can indeed feel familiar. This is because the walled city is based on the Kowloon walled city that once existed in China.
Kowloon was once a military base but has grown into a densely populated city. In fact, it was the most densely populated city in the world, with over 30,000 people living in skyscrapers that took up just six to seven acres of land. Crime and the quality of life in the city got so bad that the place was demolished in the 1990s. However, it has had a big influence on literature, film and video games, ensuring that Stray is not the only video game inspired by the city.
Kowloon’s Gate
Kowloon’s Gate was a PS1 game that never left Japan, but it was a cult hit set in the walled city of Kowloon. It was released in 1997 and was loved for its overwhelming use of symbolism. Read also : The 10 Best Shooting Video Games (Updated 2022). All within Kowloon, the game also drew symbols and inspiration from the New Testament, Carl Jung, Dante’s Inferno, the cyberpunk genre, and Gothic architecture. Critics rightly called the game “esoteric”. Some knowledge of Chinese history and philosophy was needed to understand everything within the game.
Its esoteric nature and deep connection to Chinese philosophy likely meant that Kowloon’s Gate was never sold outside of Japan. The gameplay itself included puzzles, dungeons, and battles against various spirits. Game director Nakaji Kimura was also a writer for Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne.
Shenmue 2
Shenmue 2 was made by Sega for the DreamCast and is a game that sees players spending a lot of time in the walled city of Kowloon. Unlike Kowloon’s Gate, the game was localized outside of Japan and later became available on other consoles such as PS4, Xbox One, Xbox, and Windows. See the article : Will Microsoft buy Netflix? Why a deal makes sense — and why it doesn’t. The single-player title was part social and life simulation and part action-adventure.
Shenmue 2 not only goes to the walled city of Kowloon, but also gets into the crime the city was famous for. The player has to infiltrate a criminal organization in the city and a rescue takes place on the roofs of skyscrapers. Rooftops were a big part of Kowloon’s culture as sunlight could not reach the lower levels of the city. Like Kowloon’s Gate, Shenmue 2 has become a cult classic.
Stranglehold
Released in 2007, Stranglehold was a third-person shooter that was actually a sequel to the action movie Hard Boiled. The game focuses on crime syndicates in Hong Kong fighting over territory. To see also : LEGO releases Atari 2600 video game console set, honors 1980s nostalgia. Parts of the game take place in Kowloon. Again, like Shenmue 2, the game focused on the criminal aspect of Kowloon.
Outside of its massive population density, the walled city of Kowloon was notorious for its crime. Kowloon’s reputation for criminal activities was something that most Kowloon games drew inspiration from for their plot elements. Stranglehold was released for PS3, Windows and Xbox 360.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops
The game best known for having Kowloon Walled City was Call of Duty: Black Ops. It was released in 2010 and had a very positive reception, ensuring that to this day the game is still played for its competitive multiplayer and Zombies mode. Part of the campaign actually takes place in Kowloon City, and Kowloon is a multiplayer map that was released in DLC.
True to the real city, the map is full of tall buildings, so a popular strategy is to camp on rooftops and kill others with a sniper rifle. Like Stray, the buildings also utilized zip lines as an easy way to get from point A to point B.
Stray is currently available for PC, PS4 and PS5.
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