Italy’s picturesque landscapes and vibrant cities have inspired countless artists and storytellers throughout history, and video game developers are no exception. Games set in Italy cover a range of genres, from cozy life-sims to psychological thrillers. The unifying theme among these games is that they draw on Italian heritage, culture, and history to offer players immersive and captivating experiences. If visiting the Bel Paese is your dream, take a trip with these ten games set in Italy.
Assassin’s Creed II & Brotherhood
The Assassin’s Creed franchise is well-known for taking inspiration from real-life locations, and Italy is no exception. The series’ most popular protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, takes players through multiple Italian cities and landscapes over the course of two games.
In Assassin’s Creed II, Ezio’s journey begins in his hometown of Florence (Firenze). Players can visit multiple famous locations, including Santa Maria del Fiore. You will also visit Monteriggioni and San Gimignano in Tuscany as the story progresses. Other locations featured include the Appennine Mountains, Forli in Emilia-Romagna, Venice, and the Vatican.
The second installment in the Ezio trilogy, Brotherhood, takes place entirely in Rome. All the major landmarks of the Eternal City are present in the game, including the Pantheon and Colosseum. In both games, the developers faithfully recreated all the locations based on real-world sites so that they resemble the actual locations.
Vampire Survivors
The official itch.io description says the setting of Vampire Survivors is “rural Italy.” While Vampire Survivors may not have recognizable locations like other games set in Italy, it is a distinctly Italian game. Developer Luca Galante (“poncle”) filled his BAFTA-award-winning game with numerous references to Italian culture and language.
The most obvious reference to Italy is the Belpaese family. “Bel paese” means “beautiful country” in Italian and is a common nickname for the country. The name was also a nod to the Belmont family in Castlevania, which Galante cited as inspiration for his game.
Some other notable Italian references in Vampire Survivors:
- Peachone is a bird weapon. When read aloud, this sounds like “piccione,” the Italian word for “pigeon.”
- Pummarola is a passive healing item. This word means “tomato” or “tomato sauce” in the Neopolitan dialect.
- Nduja Fritta gives players fire breath. Nduja is a spicy salami from Calabria in southern Italy (“fritta” means “fried”).
- Suor Clerici is a playable character. The name is a reference to Italian TV host Antonella Clerici (“suor” means “nun”).
On Your Tail
Announced in November 2023 during a Nintendo Indie World Showcase, On Your Tail is a story-driven life sim with investigation elements. The game is set in the seaside town of Borgo Marina. The trailer showed off colorful terraced buildings similar to those found throughout the Cinque Terre region.
On Your Tail is being developed by Memorable Games, a studio based in Turin, Italy. According to the developer, “[Borgo Marina] is a fictional town, but the setting is the Cinque Terre region in Liguria, Italy. Just like Pixar’s Luca. It’s a mash-up [of] fantastic elements of famous towns in that region.”
The sandy beach in the harbor is reminiscent of Vernazza, one of the five towns of the Cinque Terre. Even the game’s interiors evoke a sense of Italian style, with one location resembling a traditional trattoria.
Final Fantasy XV
The Final Fantasy series is known for its impressive cities, and its fifteenth-numbered entry is no exception. Altissia, named one of the “most important places in the game” by director Hajime Tabata, was inspired by Venice. The most prominent feature that Altissia borrowed from Venice is the canal system.
The city featured heavily in the Final Fantasy XV concept art and promotional footage, drawing on its impressive Venetian-inspired visuals. Both Altissia and Venice feature a series of interconnected waterways serviced by gondolas and crisscrossed by pedestrian bridges. In addition to the overall city design, the Altissian cathedral and surrounding piazza share many similarities with Basilica San Marco and Piazza San Marco.
Even Altissia’s nickname, the “City Upon the Water,” is an homage to Venice. The Italian city has many nicknames, including the “City of Water,” the “City of Canals,” and the “Floating City” (just to name a few).
Hitman
Cinque Terre is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Italy. As such, it makes sense that several games set in Italy use this region as their inspiration. The fictional town of Sapienza in the Hitman series is based on Vernazza and features many similarities to its real-world counterpart.
Like Vernazza, Sapienza features a harbor with a small beach next to the town’s church. Villa Caruso is a prominent feature on Sapienza’s map. The villa sits on a cliff overlooking the city, similar to Castello Doria’s location in Vernazza. The stone towers near Villa Caruso also echo the ruins of Doria tower found in Vernazza.
Besides the visuals, Sapienza also takes inspiration from the ambiance of Vernazza. The location is a resort town and popular holiday destination, much like the villages of Cinque Terre.
Super Mario Sunshine
Despite his heritage, there is surprisingly only one Mario game set in Italy. Venice’s official visitor website claims that the famous city of canals was the inspiration for Super Mario Sunshine. However, many cite the Amalfi Coast as the game’s inspiration.
Considering that the primary setting for the game is an island shaped like a dolphin, the Amalfi Coast connection seems the most likely. The Amalfi Coast area is home to an actual dolphin-shaped island called Gallo Lungo. Ironically, this means “long rooster” in Italian.
In Super Mario Sunshine, the main island is called Isle Delfino. “Delfino” means “dolphin” in Italian and is a nod to the island’s shape and the Gamecube’s pre-launch codename, “Project Dolphin.” Many courses in the game feature Italian names, such as Bianco Hills, Gelato Beach, and Pianta Village.
Saturnalia
The setting for Saturnalia is Italy’s second-largest island, Sardinia. The game’s creator, Pietro Righi Riva, told Player.it (Italian) that the decision to set the game in Sardinia was made almost immediately because the area’s abundance of folklore lends itself well to horror. (Saturnalia is a third-person horror adventure game.)
Everything in this game draws inspiration from the developer’s homeland. For example, the title pays homage to an ancient Roman festival of the same name that took place during the winter solstice.
The ritual of Saturnalia is a key component of the game, with Riva even calling it a “protagonist”. He also stressed that while the game takes place in Sardinia, the lore is entirely original. “For us, it was fundamental to not attribute behaviors and meanings to real symbols and traditions.”
Santa Ragione is an Italian developer based in Milan. They have published numerous games set in Italy, including Wheels of Aurelia and Mediterranea Inferno.
100 Days
Italy’s wine is famous worldwide, and the wine-making simulator 100 Days showcases this aspect of culture as opposed to highlighting a specific location. The name is based on the typical life cycle of a vine leaf, which takes a hundred days.
100 Days was developed by Broken Arms Games, an Italian studio co-founded by Yves Hohler, a second generator winemaker. The studio says the game is “loosely built on Yves’ personal experience,” and “the game’s narrative can be considered partially autobiographical”. In the game, players will learn the various aspects of wine-making using tools and machinery modeled after their real-life counterparts.
The studio is based in Piedmont, an area in northern Italy famous for several varieties of wine, including Barolo and Asti spumante. Aside from Hohler’s experience as a winemaker, the game also incorporates “real data provided from local winemaking businesses” to provide players with an immersive experience.
Martha is Dead
Set during World War 2, Martha is Dead takes place in a fictional town in Tuscany. Despite being set in 1944, the locations depicted throughout the game are similar to landscapes in modern-day Tuscany. The estate exemplifies the Tuscan style, featuring typical architectural elements such as terracotta tiles and stucco walls.
Italian studio LKA says Martha is Dead was “the first Indie game to launch using the native Italian language as the default setting.” The game’s Steam page also lists “unashamedly authentic voice acting in Italian” as one of its features. Italian is the recommended language for “full immersion into the story and the characters.” Don’t worry if you don’t speak Italian – the game supports subtitles in twelve other languages.
This game is graphic and contains scenes that some players may find disturbing. Please check the content warnings before playing.
Dark Souls & Dark Souls III
Even though the Dark Souls games take place in fictional kingdoms, several settings in the trilogy have drawn inspiration from real locations, including Italy. Il duomo di Milano (the main cathedral of Milan) served as the inspiration for Anor Londo.
Anor Londo first appeared in the original Dark Souls, and the game’s director wanted it to be a “reward” for players after completing Sen’s Fortress. This city is the seat of the gods in Dark Souls lore, which makes it fitting that the location was based on one of Italy’s most famous religious sites.
The exterior architecture of Anor Londo resembles the main cathedral in Milan. The game’s designer, Masanori Waragai, visited the cathedral in person during the development of Dark Souls. In an interview with Famitsu, he said, “When I visited the cathedral in Milan, I walked beneath the buttresses, and I thought, ‘how fun it would be to walk on them.’”
In Dark Souls, Anor Londo is bathed in golden sunlight, but when the city reappears in Dark Souls III, it is frozen over and lit by moonlight. This subtle change in scenery (plus graphical enhancements) makes the resemblance to il duomo even more evident.
Whether navigating canals based on Venice or scaling architectural wonders inspired by cities like Milan, games set in Italy are a testament to the country’s timeless appeal. What’s your favorite game set in Italy? Let us know below. In the meantime, buon gioco!
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