History Main / FirstTown

* Midgar in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. Also notable for also being the ''largest'' city, in both literal and gameplay terms.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' could be seen to play with this a little, as it also has Nibelheim which fits the classic form of the trope much better (it's the sleepy hometown of TheHero), but is only seen in flashbacks, and thus has fully lived up to its DoomedHometown status before the start of the game. [[spoiler: What is left of Nibelheim is [[TrumanShowPlot inhabited by actors]] placed there by Shinra.]]
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', Balamb Garden is simultaneously the first town, the DoomedHometown, two dungeons, a sidequest initiator, and your GlobalAirship for the first half of the game.
* Rabanastre in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''. Not the [[HubCity largest town in the game]] (though when you get there, you only get to travel through part of the town). However, you get to know Rabanastre quite well inside and out, including the sewer system and [[UrbanSegregation lower-class area]].
* Narshe in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI''. Its proximity to the mines and the cliff where the frozen Esper is found make it a key location throughout the game.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' has [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Pallet Town]], [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver New Bark Town]], [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Littleroot Town]], [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Twinleaf Town]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Nuvema Town]].
** The general design for the ''Pokémon'' variant of the First Town is Hero's home, Rival's home, Pokémon Lab, and Professor's home (sometimes the same as the Rival's). Typically, the other towns will have at least five buildings. Also, for some reason, the First Towns each have a resident fat guy who raves about [[TechnologyMarchesOn technology]].

* The planet Taris in the video game ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' is essentially a [[{{Planetville}} big version]] of this trope.
* The Citadel in ''Franchise/MassEffect'' is used as a First Town right after the initial mission to Eden Prime. It remains relevant throughout the story, right up to the final battle. [[spoiler: In ''Mass Effect 3''.]]
* Lothering in VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins. After the battle, it is the very first place you travel and is has a couple vendors, two companions, and a cluster of relatively simple side quests within the town. It is a useful stop but cannot be returned to as it becomes overrun with darkspawn, killing everyone left in the village and burning it to the ground. Denerim succeeds it as the hub after that.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant'' features several First Towns, depending on whether the player starts a new game or imports from the previous game, including Nyctalinth, Ukpyr, and Dionyceus. However, New City arguably fits this trope best, as it contains more stationary friendly NPC's than the rest of the world combined.
* Ordon Village in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''.
** Clock Town in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' which doubles as TheHub
** Skyloft in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword''. It also acts as a sort of HubLevel, because it is right in the center of the map and can be teleported back to anytime you need.
** Kokiri Forest in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' which is also a HiddenElfVillage
* Scuttle Town in ''{{Shantae}}'' is the same size as other towns, but during the game's opening, it's not only a hub, but a level.
* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' and ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' games take place almost entirely in the first town.
* If you can count ''Animal Crossing'', then ''VideoGame/MySims'' is another example. The town proper is where you start, and where you spend a lot of time, given that your workshop is there, and the only way to the other sections ([[spoiler:the forest and the desert]]).

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout|1}}'' had Shady Sands.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' starts you off in your home village of Arroyo before getting referred to the town of Klamath.
* Megaton in VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}} - not the ''first'' settlement, but the first major one after you GetOnTheBoat. In a twist, you can nuke the place twenty minutes into the game, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential taking many major quest NPCs with it,]] in which case its "central hub" status is delegated to Rivet City and/or Tenpenny Tower.
* Goodsprings in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. The town is based off a real town with the same name.

* This happens in about half the Infinity Engine games. In ''PlanescapeTorment'', Sigil is not just the First Town but also where you find the portal to the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, despite traipsing all over the planes since starting, and is easily the largest area in the game. ''IcewindDale II'' features the walled city of Targos, which you defend from an attack, and then venture from, and then return to; it makes up at least the first third of the game. ''VideoGame/BaldursGate II'' has Athkatla, a big city that for as much as half the game will serve as your base of operations.
** More specifically in Sigil the Hive serves as the First Town, while in ''Baldur's Gate'' the town of Beregost is likely to be this: It has some of the best stores early on, and more quests than any other early area until you get to the titular metropolis. Alternatively, Candlekeep also qualifies.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/MyWorldMyWay''. The big castle the princess lives in is actually ''named'' "First Town", but you don't get to do any sort of interaction there (other than traveling between lands and the occasional cutscene wherein the princess ''doesn't'' get her way). The actual First Town that fits the trope is called "Grass Town".
* Averted in ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamWorksAndMagickObscura''. Shrouded Hills is the first settlement you come across, but it's tiny compared to virtually every other town in the game.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' the "First Town" is a village on the outskirts of the character's destination city; it's cursed, corrupt, fraught with more danger than the city, and it's left in ruins by the player character. The sleepy pastoral village comes later halfway through the game.
* The village of Tenuto in ''EternalSonata''. Talk about sleepy pastoral villages! The narrator in one of the opening [[CutScene cutscenes]] informs us that it's also called "The Village of Flowers". Although gameplay doesn't start there, it ''does'' start on the path to Tenuto. You leave it fairly early and don't return for a while, though.
* Mimiga Village in ''VideoGame/CaveStory'', which contains the PlayerHeadquarters and has most of the important [=NPCs=] [[spoiler:before they get kidnapped]].
* Jirinaar in ''{{Albion}}'' is pretty much your starting town in Albion, if we ignore the prologue. It's also the most iconic place in the game, due to its unique architecture and friendly locals.
* ''VideoGame/FableI'' has the Hero's Guild, ''VideoGame/FableII'' has Bowerstone and ''VideoGame/{{Fable III}}'' foregoes this trope and instead chooses to have the Sanctuary serve this purpose, though it's actually meant to be the pause screen.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', there's the First Town for each race (some quests, class trainers, an inn, etc.) and then there's the capital for each race, which is meant to be the hub.
* The First Town in ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'', Tristram, was in fact the only town in the game. ''[[VideoGame/{{Diablo}} Diablo II]]'' had a more conventional starting town in the Rogues' Encampment, with many other towns later after you GetOnTheBoat. ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' starts you off in Tristram again (New Tristram, to be precise, though you do get to explore the old town during the early parts of the first act) before you GetOnTheBoat.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Faria}}'', the player begins in Ehdo, "the biggest town in the Kingdom of Faria."
* Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', where the first town you visit is actually called "That First Town."

* Colony 9 in ''[[{{VideoGame/Xenoblade}} Xenoblade Chronicles]]'', with a few caveats: it's a bustling metropolis instead of a sleepy town, there's overarching sidequests that will keep you coming back for half the game to turn them in, there are level 30+ monsters in the area that will effortlessly tear your rookie party a new one if you go too far off the beaten track, and despite being [[DoomedHometown raided by Mechon]] early on, the colony [[DefiedTrope only takes a beating and pulls itself together during a brief timeskip]].
* Coralcola in ''VideoGame/StarTropics''.
* Star City in ''VideoGame/MonsterRacers.'' Despite being a globetrotting adventure, this town is the one you always return to--presumably because it's the only one that deals in all the monster racing equipment you need, and also because it's where your home monster racing headquarters are.
* Tokione in ''VideoGame/{{Opoona}}.'' Although every single city in the game is ''gigantic,'' Tokione is explicitly recognized as the biggest, and you return to it several times throughout the game because of the various functions it offers. Interestingly, the second city, Lifeborn, becomes more of your "home base," though Tokione fits the other criteria better (as well as actually being first).
* Harmondale in ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VII''. Most of the other settlements are larger, but it does have a convenient number of amenities closely bunched together, it is the first town after [[NoobCave 'Noob Island']], it is your home base, it is most important in the first half of the game, and it is larger relative to the implied ''actual'' size than most of the other settlements.
* Kamiki Village in VideoGame/{{Okami}}.

* Lumbridge in ''RuneScape''.

* ''VideoGame/TaskMaker'' and ''Tomb of the [=TaskMaker=]'' both have Castle Hall, which is loaded with friendly [=NPCs=], shops for just about everything you will need on your journey, and treasures. Almost all of the monsters are hidden in catacombs that are (mostly) inaccessible until the final task.
* Firstep Village in ''[[VideoGame/{{Something}} Something Else]]''. Luigi will meet with friendly [=NPCs=] and mooks of the Evil Guy while he explores this level.
* Stage 1 of ''VideoGame/MadStalkerFullMetalForce'' takes place in a city during a crisis. You can see the city folk running from the scene as you punch giant mechas in the face.

* Harmondale in ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic''. Most of the other settlements are larger, but it does have a convenient number of amenities closely bunched together, it is the first town after [[NoobCave 'Noob Island']], it is your home base, it is most important in the first half of the game, and it is larger relative to the implied ''actual'' size than most of the other settlements.

* Ehdo in ''Faria''.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'', Crysta is the only town in the first chapter. You then get cut off from it and don't get to return there until much later.

If the hero lives there, this town is [[DoomedHometown a lot more dangerous]].

Often fulfils a similar role to the HubLevel in {{Platformer}}s.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' subverts this: for the first time ever, the starting town, Aspertia City, will actually be a ''city'', and quite a large one at that. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Oh, and it actually has a Pokémon Center.]] It's also the first starting town with a Gym.

** Vaniville Town in ''PokemonXAndY'' is more like the earlier ones.

** ''AdventureQuest'' and ''AdventureQuestWorlds'': Battleon.
** ''DragonFable'': Oaklore, although it's actually a castle rather than a town.
** ''MechQuest'': Soluna City, which is also the HubCity.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series has Minea (''Ys I''), Lance Village (''Ys II''), Redmont (''Ys III''/''The Oath in Felghana''), Promarock (both versions of ''Ys IV'', though ''Dawn of Ys'' precedes it with a sequence in Minea which is more like a glorified prologue), Xandria Port (''Ys V''), Rehdan Village (''Ys VI''), Altago City (''VideoGame/YsSeven'').

* If you can count ''Animal Crossing'', then ''MySims'' is another example. The town proper is where you start, and where you spend a lot of time, given that your workshop is there, and the only way to the other sections ([[spoiler:the forest and the desert]]).

* {{Fallout}} had Shady Sands.

* In certain games in the ''SaGa'' series, such as ''RomancingSaga'' and ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier'', the first town often depends on [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent which hero or heroine you choose to play as]].

* The ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series has Minea (''Ys I''), Lance Village (''Ys II''), Redmont (''Ys III''/''The Oath in Felghana''), Promarock (both versions of ''Ys IV'', though ''Dawn of Ys'' precedes it with a sequence in Minea which is more like a glorified prologue), Xandria Port (''Ys V''), Rehdan Village (''Ys VI''), Altago City (''Ys Seven'').

* The Citadel in ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' is used as a First Town right after the initial mission to Eden Prime. It remains relevant throughout the story, right up to the final battle. [[spoiler: In Mass Effect 3.]]

** ''AdventureQuest'': Battleon.

* Mimiga Village in ''VideoGame/CaveStory''.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' averts the idyllic utopia somewhat when you find out its law enforcement is corrupt and prone to executing people without trial...[[though this is later revealed to be the work of a monster out for revenge against your party, and it's ultimately unclear if the kingdom was at all like this without his influence]].

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' averts the idyllic utopia somewhat when you find out its law enforcement is corrupt and prone to executing people without trial...

* The Citadel in ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' is used as a First Town right after the initial mission to Eden Prime. It remains relevant throughout the game, right up to [[spoiler: the final battle to stop Sovereign from using it to wipe out all life in the galaxy]].