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Top 50 Hub Worlds: What's all the Hubbub?
- Thread starter Baudshaw
- Start date
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- Tags
- bub? hubba hubba
lol, very out of the loop, yes-- Sigil's been around since AD&D in the mid-90s!
Anyway, this was literally the first thing I thought of when making my list, and one of my few non-gaming votes (yes, Torment exists, but it's not what I had in mind when I voted for it). It's immediately evident why it's a cool setting (torus at the nexus of all reality ruled over by a mean lady covered in knives who can send you to an extra-dimensional maze prison for all eternity with but a thought), and it just gets cooler the deeper you dig, with all sorts of cool people and places and ideas and factions and philosophy and politics-- there's a whole lot of content there to dig into.
ETA: Oh, also:
Sigil is what I was referring to when I posted this back in August. The physical construction of the Citadel is pretty clearly inspired by Sigil.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I have a huge pile but I got to play the Paper Mario games some day.
I wish I could experience Sigil in an actual DND game. But, I content myself with Torment which is my only experience of it. Which is still very cool.
I was in the D&D* loop enough to know about Sigil but I completely forgot about it when I made my list. I think if I had remembered then I might have added it. It's a good pick and I'm glad it made the list without my unreliable help.
*Technically AD&D 2nd Edition, which is mostly what I played.
Nominated by: @Aurelia (3), @Violentvixen (18), @RT-55J (8), @Dr. Nerd (8)
When Sonic moved into 3D it gave Sega the opportunity to ask "what if Sonic was real?" What if he was a real boy, who lived in a city? What if he rode the train, ate at restaurants, trespassed at a hotel pool, and gambled?
Here's something startling:
~
Nominated by: @JBear (10), @WildcatJF (2), @Violentvixen (6), @Baudshaw (5)
If Sonic Adventure used its hub to ask what if Sonic were real, Three Houses uses its to ask what if Fire Emblem was about having a job? You play as Bleygithe, a sexy teen whose suddenly made professor over a class of other sexy teens. Shenanigans ensue. The setting for all the hot action is Garreg Mach, a sprawling cathedral/military academy where all the rich snobs send their snooty kids to learn how to wage war. It also happens to be the spiritual and political center of the continent. Sounds like a powder keg of a hub just waiting to pop off, and yet you spend most of your time here picking flowers, drinking tea, and fishing. Excuse me, Professor Blathygth, shouldn't you be grading term papers?
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Nah, when you turn into Super Sonic they're all cheering from the rooftops. Everyone's just fine I'm sure. Cartoon physics, right?
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
I have never played this game but I love this.
I've just realized that I've had the name of that last place wrong in my head since the game (which I haven't played) came out - I always thought it was "Garreg March" with march in the meaning of a border region or defensive boundary, which would kind of make sense in a war game context. But apparently no, it's just random fantasy words (unless "mach" also has al alternate derivation I'm unaware of).
I love Garreg Mach (and Three Houses in general, haha). It's such a strong hub for the game, with so much interaction and "life". It works so well for building relationships and providing a break from the tactical gameplay...it's little wonder I adore this game so much when I think about it, haha.
Maybe it's in a language other than English? I checked on Wiktionary (https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/mach) but didn't really see anything.
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
In retrospect, I kind of wish I picked the table from Tabletop Simulator.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Pffffft
I was really surprised there was no comment on Station Square literally existing within Angel Island, but maybe it was just news to me.
Nominated by: @Daikaiju (4), @Kalista (2), @Torzelbaum (6), @Issun (4),
The Bastian is the safehaven you go to when in trouble. This means its a scrap of island floating in the scattered wreckage of the world, of course. It's got a library and a pub though so fair enough, I want to go there too. Even better, there's a friendly old guy who tells a long rambling story about everything you say or do. It's like being in the coziest parasocial relationship you can imagine. This is another hub you build up as you go. The fun twist is that each stage rewards you with a macguff you can use to purchase one of two upgrades. You'll eventually get them all but the order is up to you, which gives the hub a nice light strategic component and sense of ownership.
~
Nominated by: @Kirin (20), @JBear (16), @Violentvixen (19), @Lokii (9), @spines (7)
Ah, Myst, the surrealistic island that will become your world. Everyone knows Myst! It's got a clocktower and a planetarium. There's a giant tree that grows when you light a fire why not? Myst is a compact lil' place but at the time it felt massive and real. For a space to exist in three-dimensions like this, one you could walk around and inhabit, was the fulfillment of a dream for computers ever since a caveman first soldered a transistor to a slab of silicon. What's more, the island was honeycombed with hidden passages containing unfathomable devices and secret codes. And once you started to solve its mysteries and found that Myst was just the launching point for whole other _worlds_ omg forgetaboutit. Truly, a revolutionary and iconic hub earning a well-deserved place as we enter the top 10.
Nominated by: @Daikaiju (4), @Kalista (2), @Torzelbaum (6), @Issun (4),
The Bastian is the safehaven you go to when in trouble. This means its a scrap of island floating in the scattered wreckage of the world, of course. It's got a library and a pub though so fair enough, I want to go there too. Even better, there's a friendly old guy who tells a long rambling story about everything you say or do. It's like being in the coziest parasocial relationship you can imagine. This is another hub you build up as you go. The fun twist is that each stage rewards you with a macguff you can use to purchase one of two upgrades. You'll eventually get them all but the order is up to you, which gives the hub a nice light strategic component and sense of ownership.
~
Nominated by: @Kirin (20), @JBear (16), @Violentvixen (19), @Lokii (9), @spines (7)
Ah, Myst, the surrealistic island that will become your world. Everyone knows Myst! It's got a clocktower and a planetarium. There's a giant tree that grows when you light a fire why not? Myst is a compact lil' place but at the time it felt massive and real. For a space to exist in three-dimensions like this, one you could walk around and inhabit, was the fulfillment of a dream for computers ever since a caveman first soldered a transistor to a slab of silicon. What's more, the island was honeycombed with hidden passages containing unfathomable devices and secret codes. And once you started to solve its mysteries and found that Myst was just the launching point for whole other _worlds_ omg forgetaboutit. Truly, a revolutionary and iconic hub earning a well-deserved place as we enter the top 10.
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tbh i was too dumbstruck to offer any comment
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I swear there was a cutscene in the game that pointed this out? I forget honestly.
Nice, glad one of my votes hit the top 10.
i didn't think of garreg mach as a hub world bc the game isn't structured in a way where you really have multiple possible destinations to leave to (there are all the side maps, but that feels like a pretty minor choice to me, haha). it's a good choice though, even if i find 3h a bit long for what it is the ritual of returning home each time is something i really like. hunter's dream and majula are also great, there was room on my list for them, but i feel like i kind of similarly ruled them out
...but then i did vote for tristram, which i can't say avoids the same problem, i guess i just thought it was too cool. that and myst were in my top 10 (at 8 and 7 respectively). myst is one of the first games i ever played (it was in a store demo at a local bookstore for a very long time?), and even though i obviously didn't figure that much out, it made a pretty ridiculous impact on my little brain. that tantalizing mix of surreal space, gadget-y puzzles, and the connections to the other worlds...it's so cool. i'm guessing this means i voted for 4 of the top 10 which has gotta be a new record for me. lmao
...but then i did vote for tristram, which i can't say avoids the same problem, i guess i just thought it was too cool. that and myst were in my top 10 (at 8 and 7 respectively). myst is one of the first games i ever played (it was in a store demo at a local bookstore for a very long time?), and even though i obviously didn't figure that much out, it made a pretty ridiculous impact on my little brain. that tantalizing mix of surreal space, gadget-y puzzles, and the connections to the other worlds...it's so cool. i'm guessing this means i voted for 4 of the top 10 which has gotta be a new record for me. lmao
I chuckled. I thought of Myst. But, I never enjoyed the island, or the game, enough to put it on my list.
Oh, just found out about this. Guess I'm too late to submit. Guess I'll check back, see if my other suggestions make it in...
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Keep an eye out for nomination threads, that's how these all start.
Nominated by: @Torzelbaum (14), @Issun (15), @Patrick (2), @Violentvixen (16), @RT-55J (3)
Mimigas are the Hulk if he was a cute anime rabbit with a flower allergy. Their village lies at the center of a cave and the center of a story about the cave that makes up the Cave Story. Cave Story invented indie games so it should come as no surprise that it's a metroidvania. In true hub fashion the village branches out to several areas, is lightly scattered with secrets, and gives you a platforming playground to get in tune with the game's mechanics. It even has a surprise boss battle. Classic stuff. It also features great music and pixel art all made by one guy because, again, this is the first indie game.
~
Nominated by: @Kalista (8), @Issun (6), @Falselogic (20), @Aurelia (13), @Patrick (3)
The iconic From hub, you knew it was going to show up. Despite being pretty desolate this place has everything you'd want from a hub: a crestfallen warrior, a well that looks like it must hide a secret but is a simple deathtrap, a smooth-talking snake to feed your dung pies to, a skeleton fracas, etc. What I like best about this place is how its positioned almost exactly halfway between the top and bottom of Dark Soul's vertical map. From Firelink you can see all the way up to the ramparts surrounding Andor Londo and all the way down to the swap at the bottom of Blighttown, not that you'd ever recognize them on your first visit. You can even see the Great Hollow off the the distance. Firelink might have a claim for "most integrated" of all the hubs on our list.
Mimiga Village is a good one. I totally forgot about it when I was making my list.
Same on all counts.
I *didn't* forget Firelink, but there are other Fromsoft hubs that I like better.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
A good reason to do a replay of it, I might do that.