Top 50 Hub Worlds: What's all the Hubbub?

[Adrenaline]

Masking repeating the same shit over and over by having rooms and a boss you might encounter at a different point but you're still repeating the same progress you lost is just masking the same NES bullshit from 1988 with modern window dressing.

"Repeating the same shit over and over"

You are describing the act of playing a video game

 

[Kirin]

The problem with House of Hades as a hub is that it has one exit. Sure, it is a hub, but it's connecting your runs, not different areas.
I love the parallel thinking that resulted in some of these votes, but I completely understand why it didn't place higher.

Yeah, I think I was thinking similarly about the Suikoden castles, which are great home base areas, but are generally just a place somewhere on the map and don't particularly shortcut you to other areas of the game except whatever happens to be next door.

 

[Issun]

Apologies for turning this thread into a referendum on roguelikes. Realizing this is not the place for that.

 

[Patrick]

Welcome to Talking Time.

 

[Aurelia]

I'm extremely surprised that only two people voted for House of Hades!

Yeah I forgot this, it’s a fantastic choice and I wish I had remembered to vote for it.

 

[Mogri]

Apologies for turning this thread into a referendum on roguelikes. Realizing this is not the place for that.

Welcome to Talking Time.

Also known as "the place for that."

 

[Baudshaw]

Roguelikes are okay, they sacrifice good level design which I dislike but otherwise they're pretty okay

 

[Baudshaw]

Number 40: Addams Residence

Game: The Addams Family for SNES

"Rescue your family from the doors- and zoom your way across the floors!"

My familiarity: 0/10

Nominated by: @Torzelbaum (#7) and @Lokii (12)

(From:https://pin.it/3PWupiT3v, is this fanart? I don't know)

Gameplay:

It's quite interesting. You're free to traverse through the house at your will, but you don't gain anything by going through a harder level first. The levels are all themed around various parts of the house, such as a plant-themed level in the gardens.

Story:

Just save your family by going through the levels and freeing them from the doors.

Do they integrate?

Another one I'm more confused about. It seems very unique for a licensed game, that's for sure.

 

[Lokii]

Noice! Gives Torzelbaum a high five. I was thinking of all the Addams s'scrollers in my vote because they all do the hub-that's-its-own-level-filled-with-puzzles-n'-secrets. And there's just something to exploring a haunted house and finding passages to other worlds tucked away in weird places, be a frozen penguin infested refrigerator land, devil-filled catacombs beneath the family plot, or swimming in the toilet. My favorite is the single bearskin rug what contains a toothy bonus room.

 

[Issun]

Oh man I forgot Addams Family SNES. Such an underrated platformer.

 

[RT-55J]

gonna guess without looking it up that this is a british platformer by ocean software

(this makes me wonder to what extent the british are responsible for a certain hub world i'm sure we'll see very close to the top of the list)

 

[WildcatJF]

You're correct, lol.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Its funny, I think I sort of considered this and remembered liking the game but I think my reasoning is my memory wasn't strong enough to allow it. But I remember playing this (well, the NES version) and the nearly identical game based on the 90s cartoon and finding them pretty fun.

Totally forgot about the bearskin rug.

 

[Mogri]

It's a surprisingly good game.

 

[Issun]

For as limited an OST as it had, it was pretty decent.

 

[Violentvixen]

I have never played this and am intrigued!

 

[Issun]

The SNES carts are surprisingly affordable on Amazon these days, though you could always don an eyepatch and parrot and play it that way.

 

[Torzelbaum]

Gives Torzelbaum a high five.

*Reciprocates*
Should we get Thing in on this?

The mansion in the game just seems to fit so well with how the Addams Family comport themselves that it doesn't really seem out of place or too video game-y.

 

[Baudshaw]

NUMBER 39: Mos Eisley Cantina

Game: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

My familiarity: 7/10

Nominated by: @Baudshaw (#7) and @Torzelbaum (#11)

"Listen to some poorly named tunes- and buy some brick-based boons!"

Gameplay:
This game is well-renowned for its extras, and you can find all of them here. Modifications, bonus levels, even some silly stuff that doesn't make sense for Star Wars (but makes perfect sense for lego!)

Story:
This reliable bar has been here for decades, and it'll probably still be the place where our hero Rey the Sixteenth will fight against the New New New New Order.

Do they integrate?
It makes sense for this game, but I can see why they abandoned it in The Skywalker Saga. Tatooine gets boring after a while.

 

[Violentvixen]

This was one I like but decided to cut it since I was confident it would get enough votes. It's quite fun.

 

[Baudshaw]

(So it turns out there was a spreadsheet error, but I'm just going to ignore it. Rip the Normandy from Mass Effect.)

NUMBER 38: Hotel Krat

Game: Lies of P

My Familiarity: 3/10

Nominated By: @SabreCat (#5) and @Lokii (#13)

"A haunted refuge in this plagued land- don't get caught in the puppet's hand!"

I actually tried this one, but I am absolutely terrible at these types of games. I died multiple times to the first puppets, I couldn't even make it inside...

Gameplay:
You'll find the receptionist and merchant, Polendina, in this hotel. As you explore the game, you can always return here, exploring newly opened secrets.

Story:
This hotel serves as a "last stand" for the puppet-infested city of Krat, but it's not looking good inside. The main lady, Antonia, is being infected with this strange rot. Everyone else is barely surviving against the puppet onslaught...

Do they integrate?
The atmosphere is certainly very cool, but that applies to all of the game, so it could be difficult for Hotel Krat to stand out here.

 

[Issun]

I only got a couple bosses deep into Lies of P, but it was pretty good and the Hotel is cool.

 

[Torzelbaum]

So it turns out there was a spreadsheet error

Well now we've got ourselves a real Top 50...

 

[WildcatJF]

Spreadsheet errors are a time honored tradition in popularity contests, so no worries.

 

[Lokii]

I liked the hotel as a dark souls hub because one you slowly populate it with npcs and two you can play records for unique (and good!) music to listen to as you level up.

 

[Violentvixen]

Rip the Normandy from Mass Effect.

Aw, I voted for a different Mass Effect thing but am glad Normandy got a vote too, it's great.

I watched my spouse play Lies of P and had Hotel Krat on my long list but it didn't make the final cut.

 

[SabreCat]

Aw, heck yeah! Glad I wasn't the only one thinking about the Hotel.
I love the way the spokes of the hub work. The Hotel connects out to the city in some peculiar ways, but it still feels right: this old edifice revealing its secrets to you as you proceed.

 

[Baudshaw]

NUMBER 37: Dirtmouth
Game: Hollow Knight

My familiarity: 4/10

Nominated by: @Johnny Unusual (#2) and @Falselogic (#16)

“The insects’ cozy place to rest- it feels almost like a nest!”

Gameplay: This town is originally quite barren, but eventually, you can rescue bugs. By the end of the game, it’s a thriving village!

Story: Dirtmouth was prosperous in the Golden Age, with many pathways to King’s Pass. However, when the Infection spread, all the pathways closed down, except for a single derelict well. Over time, all the bugs killed down the well to find better opportunities, leaving Dirtmouth abandoned.

Does it integrate?: Definitely, and the music is great to boot.

 

[Falselogic]

I know I liked Dirtmouth but is has been so long since I played I'm having trouble remembering why...

 

[Issun]

Hollow Knight is a very good game but I stalled out at the Mantis Lords 6 years ago. I need to go back to it.