Whenever you are roaming around an RPG, there is always a tingle that goes up your spine when you come across a forest. The woods always hold a sense of magic and mystery to them, and for this reason, they are often some of the most enchanting, whimsical, or foreboding locations in an RPG.
Given the genre’s strong ties to fantasy storytelling, forest levels in RPGs are often imaginative playgrounds used by the developers for both gameplay and narrative purposes. Forest levels leave a strong impression in general and when done truly superbly, these wooden wonders can provide some of the best memories in hours-long RPGs.
10Mistwald Forest – The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky
Mystery In The Mistwald
Mistwald Forest plays an important role in the first two Trails in the Sky games. In the First Chapter, it’s the place where Estelle and Joshua encounter the Sky Bandits, setting into motion events that will impact the rest of the game.
In the Second Chapter, Mistwald is the setting for a mysterious fog that is causing people to fall into comas in the nearby town of Rolent. The forest now takes on a more sinister atmosphere, confronting the party with uncomfortable illusions about their own past.
The Cloakwood Forest comprises five separate areas in the originalBaldur’s Gate, each standing out for a different reason. Whether it’s the cult of zealous Shadow Druids in the Third Cloakwood or the Spider colony in the Second Cloakwood, there is always something interesting to discover when you slip amongst these trees.
Perhaps the most fascinating finds in the Cloakwood Forest are the different companions you can come across. From an Elf to a Dwarf to even a neutral-evil Bard, these are some Baldur’s Gate companions who will make your trip to the forest worth it.
8The Hekswood – Dragon Quest 11
White Witches And Winter Woods
While many RPG forest levels highlight the beauty of nature through their rich green trees and sprawling grassy clearings, the Hekswood from Dragon Quest 11 is anything but. This icy forest is cold, bleak, and eerily off-putting — likely because it is home to the snow witch Krystalinda.
Still, just because the Hekswood doesn’t present the warmest of welcomes, doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to explore. Sliding across the ice bridges and embracing the area’s sombre atmosphere sets the Hekswood apart from other forests in Dragon Quest 11, and other RPGs in general.
7Golden Grove – Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
Going For Gold
One of the most alluring aspects of forest levels in RPGs is how pretty they can be. And if you’re judging these areas on pure aesthetics, then it’s hard to look past the absolutely gorgeous Golden Grove in Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
The Ghibli-inspired visuals mixed with rich autumnal colours makes for an area that will likely still look spectacular in a hundred years' time. Thankfully, actually exploring the Golden Grove is just as interesting to explore as it is to look at, making for a memorable dungeon in the first Ni no Kuni game.
WhileThe Witcher 3’s world is sprawling with memorable forest locations, the Deadwight Wood stands out for its sinister atmosphere and dark mysteries. It truly feels like stepping into a gloomy forest from an old fairy tale, as you encounter leshen, wolves, and more.
Dig a little deeper, and you come across the Arnskrone Castle Ruins, the abandoned home of the Romilly family that now contains the hidden truths of a past long forgotten. The Deadwight Wood is the definition of eerie, and leaves behind a strong impact even amongst the other fantastic locations in The Witcher 3.
5Forest Maze – Super Mario RPG
A Maze Of Mushrooms And Music
Let’s be honest, a big reason why the Forest Maze inSuper Mario RPGis one of the best RPG forest levels isbecause of the music. The level’s soundtrack is so whimsical and upbeat that it’s impossible not to smile while listening to it.
Thankfully, the gameplay of the Forest Maze is also a really good time. As its name suggests, there are parts of this level that are intentionally disorientating if you don’t know where to go — albeit never to a frustrating degree. And if you do get lost, at least you’ll have one ofgaming’s greatest songsto keep you company.
4Phantom Forest – Final Fantasy 6
Entering The Forest Of The Dead
Final Fantasygames have had some great forest levels, but none quite live up to the haunting experience of going through the Phantom Forest in Final Fantasy 6. This gloomy wooded area immediately puts you on edge with its muted colours and atmospheric music.
But after getting through the initial forest, you come across the Phantom Train, which literally transports the souls of the dead to their final destinations. As both an evocative forest and train level, it’s clear why the Phantom Forest has stayed in the minds of Final Fantasy players after all these years.
The Forest Zone inNier: Automataexcels at both gameplay and narrative. Exploring this large, forested location is a pure joy, with sweeping vistas to take in, exciting enemies to battle, and useful items to discover and collect.
But within the Forest Zone is a community of machines who have claimed a nearby castle and established their own kingdom within the region. Navigating through this kingdom presents an interesting challenge for 2B, resulting in one of the game’s most memorable areas.
Withso many iconic locationsinDark Souls, it takes a lot for Darkroot Garden to stand out from the crowd. Luckily, this ominous forest has a lot going for it, most of which is desperately trying to kill you.
From the Moonlight Butterfly to the Great Grey Wolf to the literal trees themselves, the Darkroot Garden is no simple stroll through the woods. But the ever-present sense of dread and the imaginative selection of nightmarish creatures is exactly what makes this forest level so appealing.
Makna Forest is one of themost beautiful locations in Xenoblade Chronicles, which is definitely saying something. This area brilliantly merges together a large jungle, towering cliffs, majestic waterfalls, and so much more to create a forest level that goes above and beyond the rest.
Some of the games' most mountainous creatures can be found wandering through the trees of Makna Forest, adding to this area’s sense of awe and wonder. When you also factor in that the enchanting Frontier Village is discovered at the heart of this forest, then it’s easy to see why Makna reigns supreme amongst RPG forest levels.
