Visions of Paris’ Notre Dame: The iconic French cathedral in games
The Notre Dame cathedral in “Assasin’s Creed Unity”. Image: Screengrab from Youtube/Ubisoft
Though the Notre Dame Cathedral is closed for now after being severely damaged in a fire this April, the famous Paris cathedral’s roof remains atop its nave in these five visions of the iconic French monument, from the meticulous recreation of action-adventure “Assassin’s Creed Unity” to the 19th century satirical art of bird-lawyering mystery “Aviary Attorney”.
“Assassin’s Creed Unity” For PlayStation 4, Xbox One, personal computer (PC)Set in late 1700s Paris and its surrounds at the time when the revolution was sweeping through the city, a version of Notre Dame de Paris was recreated in meticulous detail inside and out. The Cathedral itself was the site of protest against the old ways of life — then rededicated for new religions worshipping reason and then a non-specific supreme being.
“Eagle Flight”
For PlayStation virtual reality (VR) and VR on PC
From the same publisher and studio network as “Assassin’s Creed”, “Eagle Flight” reimagined Paris without humans, tremendously overgrown and home to all sorts of creatures, including giraffes, zebras and other zoo escapees.
“Overwatch”
For PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC
Added as part of a February 2019 update, blending traditional architecture, sci-fi motifs and a future-deco aesthetic throughout, the Paris map for team action game “Overwatch” features several working pianos throughout while the Notre Dame Cathedral, like the game’s extended Eiffel Tower, appears just beyond the bounds of play.
“Kingdom Hearts 3D”
For PlayStation 4, Nintendo DS
It was Victor Hugo’s story of Esmerelda and Quasimodo, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, that helped persuade the 19th-century audience of Notre Dame’s architectural merits, in turn driving tourists and restorationists to the building. Disney’s retelling of the classic tale in turn becomes part of this action adventure, available for Nintendo DS as “Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance” and within the “Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8” collection on PlayStation 4.
“Aviary Attorney”
For Mac and Windows PC
Meeting a wolfish friar within the confines of 1840s Notre Dame then too in need of repairs is just one of the bizarre pleasures of this evidence-gathering jaunt among the high and mighty of historical, anthropomorphic Paris. “Aviary Attorney” was derived from the work of French caricaturist Jean-Jacques Grandville. CE/JB
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