Stray, the recent indie game about a cat escaping a cyberpunk city, has gotten stellar reviews and plenty of attention from gamers and non-gamers alike. While its cat protagonist certainly garnered much attention, so has the beautiful dystopian setting of the Walled City. To media connoisseurs and cyberpunk fans, the city may actually seem 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 turned into a densely populated city. In fact, it was the most densely populated city in the world, with over 30 thousand people living in skyscrapers that took up only 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 90s. However, it had a big influence on literature, film, and video games, ensuring that Stray is not the only video game to have been inspired by the city.

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Kowloon's Gate

Screenshot of Kowloon's Gate.

Kowloon's Gate was a PS1 game that never left Japan, but it was a cult hit set in the Kowloon Walled City. It came out in 1997 and was beloved for its overwhelming use of symbolism. 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 have, with good reason, 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 made it so Kowloon's Gate was never sold outside of Japan. The gameplay itself included puzzles, dungeons, and battling various spirits. The director of the game, Nakaji Kimura, was also a writer for Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne.

Shenmue 2

Shenmue 2 characters.

Shenmue 2 was made by Sega for the DreamCast and is a game that sees players spending a lot of time in the Kowloon Walled City. Unlike Kowloon's Gate, the game got localized outside of Japan and later became available on other consoles such as the PS4, Xbox One, Xbox, and Windows. The single-player title was part social and life simulation and part action-adventure.

Shenmue 2 not only goes to the Kowloon Walled City, but it also gets into the crime that the city was famous for. The player has to infiltrate a criminal organization in the city and a rescue happens on the skyscraper rooftops. The rooftops were a big part of Kowloon's culture, as sunlight could not get to the lower levels of the city. Like Kowloon's Gate, Shenmue 2 became a cult classic.

Stranglehold

Man with gun in brown jacket.

Released in 2007, Stranglehold was a third-person shooter that actually was a sequel to the action movie, Hard Boiled. The game focuses on crime syndicates in Hong Kong fighting for territory. Parts of the game take place in Kowloon. Once again, like Shenmue 2, the game focused on the criminal aspect of Kowloon.

Outside its enormous population density, the Kowloon Walled City was famous for its crime. Kowloon's reputation for criminal activity was something most games about Kowloon took inspiration from for their plot elements. Stranglehold came out on the PS3, Windows, and Xbox 360.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops

First person view of Kowloon.

The most well-known game to have the Kowloon Walled City was Call of Duty: Black Ops. It came out in 2010 and got a ton of positive reception, ensuring that to this daythe 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 actual city, the map is filled with tall buildings, so a popular strategy is to camp on the roofs and pick off others with a sniper rifle. Like Stray, the buildings also utilized ziplines as an easy way to get from point A to point B.

Stray is currently available on PC, PS4, and PS5.

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