Video games at their best are all about fantasy, and the ability to go beyond one's day-to-day life and escape into a world different and more fantastical than one's own. Video games also travel through time and explore past eras of history. Some games do this really well, getting deep into the nitty-gritty of the time they portray, while some use this backdrop as a theme and focus on other things.
Nevertheless, to the relief of history teachers everywhere, video games do very often go back in time and explore themes of previous centuries. The 16th century in particular has been the focus of a multitude of games, exploring eastern heritage and culture of the time as well as European tidings. In a century of modernization and renaissance, the setting has unsurprisingly led to some very good games.
8 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
Turtles in Time and its remake follow the same premise. Our four favorite amphibians have been warped back in time to the 1500s by Shredder and they need to fight their way out and take the Statue of Liberty back from him.
That’s about the entire plot, but this game is an arcade classic. The gameplay, music, and graphics are all iconic. There are single-player and multiplayer modes, and fans can choose their favorite turtle with their own strengths and characteristics. Turtles in Time is a fun and breezy arcade mainstay.
7 Assassin's Creed Chronicles
The Assassin’s Creed Chronicles trilogy follows three different assassins in different time periods. The first is Shao Jun in 1526 Imperial China and the events surrounding the Ming Dynasty. This 2.5D side-scrolling platformer follows a linear level design with a mixture of stealth, combat, and of course platforming. Jun’s quest is a simple one: assassinate the Templars running the country from the shadows.
The story is a little bland and uninspiring, but the gameplay makes up for it. It’s fluid, slick, and satisfying. The most notable part of this game is the picturesque background and set pieces featuring impressive artwork capturing the essence of 15th-century China. The atmosphere is beautifully captured and gives the game a feeling akin to Chinese paintwork.
6 Soul Caliber 6
Soul Caliber 6 marked the long-awaited return of one of the premium 3D fighting games, and it was definitely worth the wait. Acting as a soft reboot of the franchise, Soul Caliber 6 retells the franchise’s original story with a twist. The game is set between 1583 and 1590 and features two story modes, one a more traditional fighting game narrative focused on Kilik and his quest to destroy the Soul’s Edge and a second more RPG-esque mode.
Soul Caliber 6 is a highly polished, well-made, snappy fighting game and serves as an excellent re-entry to the franchise. It doesn’t focus on its time period too much, sadly, and the story leaves a lot to be desired.
5 Europa Universalis 4
Perhaps the most famous grand strategy game there is, Europa Universalis 4 covers the 13th-19th centuries. Players can control a nation of their choosing and engage in trade, diplomacy, warfare, and much more. The game is extremely rich in content and covers the historical periods accurately, giving a real sense of scope to what global politics were like in that era, and more importantly what they could have been.
It features all the political tools that prevailed in the 16th century including religious policies, feudalism, and alliances through marriage pacts. Europa Universalis 4 is a must-play for any history buff or anyone who wants to explore the time period through a sandbox strategy scope.
4 Nioh 2
The sequel to the hit samurai souls-like game, Nioh 2 is set in the late 1500s and follows the adventures of Hide. The game serves as both a prequel and sequel to Nioh, with the latter parts taking place after the original game’s siege of Osaka. Nioh 2 is full of Japanese history and myth. Hida encounters prominent historical figures such as Nobunaga Oda and Takenaka Hanbei among others. It covers a ton of Japanese myths surrounding ‘Oni’ the Nine-tailed fox and temple spirits. The DLC also features the Genpei War of the 12th century.
Nioh 2 is a difficult, challenging but altogether rewarding game. It leans heavily on its historical Japanese roots and comes off much better for it, featuring striking visuals and breathtaking scenic views.
3 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is the second game in the Ezio trilogy. The game takes place during the Habsburg-Valois wars and extends up to 1509. Players follow Ezio in a third-person open world featuring combat, exploration, and parkour, as well as exploring Rome. Certain quests also find Ezio exploring Naples and Navarre, Spain.
The game details the corruption of the Borgia papacy and Ezio’s clashes with Templars operating through the Vatican. Ezio travels through Rome, destroying Borgia towers and exploring the historical monuments littering the city. Brotherhood is one of the best of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and uses the 16th-century setting expertly.
2 Assassin's Creed Revelations
Assassin's Creed Revelations follows straight from Brotherhood and marks the end of the Ezio saga. Ezio’s journey now takes him to Constantinople, following in the footsteps of the first protagonist Altair. The game explores the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the emergent Ottomans with Ezio interacting with multiple important figures of the time including Suleiman the Magnificent.
While the gameplay and formula stay the same, the story takes a big step. A perfect send-off for both Ezio and Altair, the game caps off this golden era of Assassin's Creed games with a bittersweet goodbye.
1 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Sekiro is the blockbuster game from FromSoftware, the creators of the Dark Souls franchise. The game follows Wolf, a shinobi on his quest to protect his young lord who’s been kidnapped by a Samurai clan. The game takes place in a fictionalized Japan during the 16th century and leans heavily on Japanese mythos, Buddhist mythology, and Japanese folklore. With a large part of the game focusing on ideas relating to loyalty, honor, and ambition. Wolf has to fight through Ashina Castle to rescue his lord and face the demons of his own past.
Sekiro is another beautifully designed game by FromSoftware, featuring fantastical landscapes and traditional Japanese architecture alike. Sekiro is a difficult journey but the player remains gripped throughout owing to the story, the setting, the breathtaking visuals, and of course the combat.