History CrapsaccharineWorld / VideoGames

** Downplayed in its SpiritualSuccessor, ''{{VideoGame/Xenoblade}}'', but still present. Bionis might be a beautiful place, but that doesn't change the fact that it's full of hostile monsters. It doesn't help that the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Homs]] are on their last legs thanks to repeated invasions by a race of nearly invincible killer robots, the [[OurElvesAreBetter High Entia]] practice eugenics and are openly racist towards [[HalfHumanHybrid half-breeds]], and there's a criminal syndicate run by a brutal drug lord who ends up getting away with his crimes unless you [[GuideDangIt complete a specific chain of sidequests before reaching a certain point in the game]]. [[spoiler:And that's not even getting into the fact that all life on Bionis was created as a backup energy source for a MadGod.]]

* ''Videogame/SunlessSkies:'' Worlebury-juxta-Mare, the most requested holiday resort in all four star systems of the game. The lines are absurdly long, for all in the Albion side of the empire want to have some fun in the sun. [[WeirdSun So to speak]]. Yet, due to the fact replicating an Earth beach among the lawless, sometimes eldritch reaches of the High Wilderness is a bizarre prospect at best that needs [[StarfishAliens strange patrons]], and the sheer unrelenting desire of the locals to actually have something to call a beach, everything is... off. The lanes of shops, attented by the Lanes, hawk bizarre, sometimes frightening products and never stop smiling like predators. The beach is a strip of strange glassy particulates and the ocean is a roil of corrosive mists with unspeakable fauna and something very ''big'' constantly hiding within. And the donkeys... [[BodyHorror whatever the innard-spewing, carrion-eating hell they are, they aren't donkeys]]. Most of your stay until you figure out [[DarkWorld the Off-Season side of it]] will consist of you desperately pretending everything is totally fine to try and get some fun and relaxation out of the ordeal. [[spoiler:Truth is, the Bureau of Entertainments is trying to work with [[AnimalisticAbomination a gigantic Fluke]] to try and get something resembling a beach, and the Fluke, [[BlueAndOrangeMorality as is usual for anything familiar with Axile natives interacting with humanity]], has ''no idea what the hell it's doing'']].

* Gensokyo, the setting of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', is explicitly a "paradise", a FantasticNatureReserve for an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces immense variety]] of weird and wonderful {{Cute Monster Girl}}s. But there are still humans left, and they're continually at the mercy of the youkai that outpower and outnumber them. While [[ToServeMan youkai eating humans]] isn't as prevalent as it once was, it still happens. The youkai themselves experience frequent FantasticRacism against and between themselves, to the point that there's a massive FantasticGhetto filled with youkai others considered undesirable. And the closest thing there is to law enforcement is a single lazy, ignorant {{miko}} who's in the habit of attacking youkai for being youkai. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And]] [[CloudCuckoolander Kotohime]]. In ''[[Music/TouhouZUNsMusicCollection Dolls in Pseudo Paradise]]'', one character repeatedly refers to it as a paradise all while running in fear from whatever is killing her comrades.\\\

* On the surface, ''VideoGame/TheBattleCats'' appears to be a [[BadassAdorable fun and lighthearted]], if [[WidgetSeries quirky]], romp through the world starring [[CuteKitten adorable Cats of all shapes and sizes]]... who eventually [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the entire world]], [[KillEmAll have a take-no-prisoners attitude towards enemies]], are shown to [[ImAHumanitarian eat their enemies in seveal instances]], [[HiveMind can work in perfect unison]], [[AlienInvasion can fight aliens and zombies with no trouble]], eventually [[TimeTravel conquer the past and future]]...

* Short indie platforming game ''[[http://jayisgames.com/games/appy-1000mg/ Appy 1000mg.]]'' To say more would be to spoil it.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' series takes place in Inkopolis, a bright and shiny {{Americasia}}-flavored city inhabited by colorful BadassAdorable squid and octopus people, a plethora of wacky anthropomorphic sea creatures, and two cats. The most popular form of sport is all but harmless and involves nothing more than covering as much of the field as possible with ink using your FamilyFriendlyFirearms. Sounds light and fluffy, right? Well... the franchise is set in an AfterTheEnd version of Japan where a climate change-induced rise in sea levels drove almost all land creatures to extinction and left the species that evolved to fill the niche humans left behind in a near-constant dispute over what land remains. As cute as they are, Inklings and Octarians are just as petty as humans, and [[FantasticRacism racism]] is still a major issue. Homelessness remains a problem, and energy crises run rampant. An unknown amount of land outside Inkopolis is an inhospitable wasteland filled with polluted water and the twisted ruins of human civilization, now inhabited only by bloodthirsty salmon-like creatures who are harvested for their eggs by a shady organization for unknown reasons. Oh, and the ''entire planet'' came dangerously close to an unambiguous genocide at the hands of a [[AIIsACrapshoot rogue AI]].

* The ‘’VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}’’ series takes place in Inkopolis, a bright and shiny {{Americasia}}-flavored city inhabited by colorful BadassAdorable squid and octopus people, a plethora of wacky anthropomorphic sea creatures, and two cats. The most popular form of sport is all but harmless and involves nothing more than covering as much of the field as possible with ink using your FamilyFriendlyFirearms. Sounds light and fluffy, right? Well... the franchise is set in an AfterTheEnd version of Japan where a climate change-induced rise in sea levels drove almost all land creatures to extinction and left the species that evolved to fill the niche humans left behind in a near-constant dispute over what land remains. As cute as they are, Inklings and Octarians are just as petty as humans, and [[FantasticRacism racism]] is still a major issue. Homelessness remains a problem, and energy crises run rampant. An unknown amount of land outside Inkopolis is an inhospitable wasteland filled with polluted water and the twisted ruins of human civilization, now inhabited only by bloodthirsty salmon-like creatures who are harvested for their eggs by a shady organization for unknown reasons. Oh, and the ‘’entire planet’’ came dangerously close to an unambiguous genocide at the hands of a [[AIIsACrapshoot rogue AI]].

* Pretty much any city in the entire ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise qualifies, as the protagonists live in [[ShiningCity over-the-top, wacky cities]] mainly to hang out with tons of GangBangers, {{Dirty Cop}}s, Corrupt [[CorruptPolitician Politicians]]/[[CorruptCorporateExecutives Corporate Executives]]/[[MorallyBankruptBanker Bankers]], pedestrian {{Jerkass}}es, or even AcmeProducts for ComedicSociopathy, in TheThemeParkVersion of any American-styled city. To sum up, 90% of the population are morally-bankrupt under the facade of colorful personalities.

* Pretty much any city in the entire ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise qualifies, as the protagonists live in [[ShiningCity over-the-top, wacky cities]] mainly to hang out with tons of GangBangers, {{Dirty Cop}}s, pedestrian {{Jerkass}}es, or even AcmeProducts for ComedicSociopathy.

* The Creator/TelltaleGames sequel to ''VideoGame/BackToTheFuture'' has one in Hill Valley in an alternate version of 1986. The city is publicised as one of the cleanest, safest most law-abiding cities in the United States. This is because its ruler (or rather, his wife pulling the strings) is an insane MoralGuardian, who has banned everything from alcohol and cigarettes to public displays of affection, and ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ScienceFiction novels. By 1986 surveillance cameras and bugs are everywhere and Edna is resorting to [[Literature/AClockworkOrange brainwashing]] to keep people like Biff rehabilitated.

** There is Paradiso, the shining [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine gold and marble]] {{Heaven}}-{{Expy}}. In fact, in the mythos of ''Bayonetta'' it's even referred to as the 'World of Light' (as opposed to the {{Hell}}-expy Inferno as the 'World of Darkness', and the human world known as the 'World of Chaos') but LightIsNotGood is in full effect here. The [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] are actually monstrosities that look more like [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] just under their gold and pearly shells, and outright despise humanity wanting nothing more than to wage a war on the Trinity of Realities so that they can wipe out both the Infernal Demons and all of humanity, so that only Paradiso remains.

* In ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', Hillys seems nice, even though the Domz are invading it. The great alpha sections protect the poor citizens and defend the cities. [[spoiler:Only that the Alpha Sections ARE Domz, abduct citizens to turn then into more Domz, the ones who know it are portrayed as rebels, and the protagonist being the Domz' power source.]]

** ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' is not an example, since the player is LateToTheTragedy and only sees the city as a gutted urban battlefield, but supplementary material and the later ''Burial at Sea'' DLC that show Rapture in its prime fit this. The underwater city is a gorgeous monument to art deco design, and an Objectivist paradise where entrepeneurs can flourish without business restrictions and artists can create without censorship. But look a little closer and you can see the signs of Rapture's approaching downfall: an increasingly-tyrannical Andrew Ryan clamping down on anything that threatens control of "his" city. A MadArtist electrocuting dancers who offended his muse. Growing discontent from all those who played the game of ruthless capitalism and lost, now trapped in an UnderwaterCity they aren't allowed to leave. [[CreepyChild Little Sisters]], orphans (or not) converted into living [[PsychoSerum ADAM]] factories to sate the addiction of a spliced-up population...

* Although it's not quite perfect, the world presented in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare'' is mostly under the watchful eye of the Atlas Corporation, who provides a [[NGOSuperpower non-governmental solution]] for [[PrivateMilitaryContractors military combat, global security]], and relief aid for war-torn regions. Their widespread influence and success rate (which by the time of the game can be said to be better than even government-fielded armies) has catapulted them into global recognition, to the point that CEO Jonathan Irons is able to take a seat at the UN Security Council. [[spoiler:The dark reality is that they are in fact working to build a future where Irons and Atlas Corporation become the sole global superpower and Irons is able to enact his doctrine around the world without challenge]].

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' brings us the magical Kingdom of Zeal from 12,000 B.C. -- warning sign number one right there, nobody from later on the timeline has ever heard of it. At first glance, it is presented as an idyllic world where everyone's needs are taken care of, free time is devoted to the study of science, magic, philosophy and sleep, and the worst thing to worry about is overly pretentious navel-gazing. [[TownWithADarkSecret It's]] [[TheMagocracy all]] [[EvilIsNotAToy downhill]] from [[TheCaligula there]]. Oh, and the "idyllic" floating sky-castles? Those are off-limits to the humans who can't use magic, who are confined to dirty caves on the surface, which is locked in an ice age.
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''' expansion ''Going Rogue'' took place in an alternate dimension called Praetoria, a gleaming silver and gold utopian empire where everyone is satisfied and [[EvilCounterpart Emperor Cole]] rules humanity with compassion, justice, and honor. The player quickly learns, however, that the utopia of Praetoria is held together by a ruthlessly totalitarian government that uses multiple supernatural methods to keep the population complacent. The city's water supply? Spiked with a potent chemical that suppresses negative and combative emotions. The advanced robotic servants, seen everywhere maintaining, cleaning, and building the city? They are equipped with laser guns and Tesla cannons and can, at a moment's notice, be used turned into super-intelligent killing machines by the creator. The psychics on every street corner, scanning the city for crimes in progress? They also scan the minds of everyone passing by, looking for "dangerous" thoughts, like hostility or dislike toward Cole. The Praetorian Police Department are loyal only to their Emperor and will banish anyone deemed a problem into the deadly wasteland outside the city. The police department and the government as a whole are also horribly corrupt, with members routinely abusing their power just to punish those they dislike.
** Under the city is little better. There is a CyberPunk-styled Resistance based out of the city's {{Absurdly Spacious Sewer}}s, but it has its own internal problems. Its leadership is split between the Wardens, who want to take down Cole, but leave the structure of Praetoria largely intact, and the Crusaders, who just want to burn it all to the ground, claiming the city is far to corrupt and oppressive to be saved. The sewers are also teaming with Ghouls, zombie-like creatures that are the result of horrific experiments performed by Cole and his Praetors.
** Much later, in the ruins of Old Praetoria, the players learned it was far worse than even that. Most of humanity is dead, with [[EldritchAbomination Hamidon]] and his [[GaiasVengeance Devouring Earth]] controlling most of the planet. Praetoria was just a carefully-negotiated region where humanity is allowed to live, as long as the truce between Cole and Hamidon holds. (Had the game continued, Issue 24 would have shown the dire consequences of defeating Cole, as the shining city would have become a ruined wasteland covered in monsters trying to slaughter or convert the last humans in the world into more of Hamidon's minions.)
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' is just as bright colourfull and cheery as ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie.'' Then the swearing and excessive violence appear, and it's clear this game isn't ''Banjo.''

* While most of the setting of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is a straight up CrapsackWorld, Anor Londo hides it a little better. On the surface, it's a shiny city that is one of the few places resisting the darkness ruled by a beautiful goddess. It's all an illusion, courtesy of Gwyndolin. The sunlight, the beautiful goddess, everything.

* ''VideoGame/DreamingMary'' is about an adorable little girl's dream and the games she plays with the TalkingAnimal inhabitants of her sugary-pink dream world who just want her to be happy and have fun. The first big hint that something might be a little off is the book in the library that tells the tale of "Literature/SleepingBeauty"[[spoiler:...or more specifically, the version where she gets raped in her sleep by the king]]. Then you get to the part where [[spoiler:Mary enters a nightmarish parallel to her dream world where a hulking shadow figure wants to get her...]]

* Jylland, the setting of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' mostly comes off as a happy renaissance-ish fantasy land. Then you find out that it's essentially ruled by a crime syndicate. And start noticing that there's there's no law outside of the cities, little in them, and everything is handled by hiring mercenaries...
** Similarly, Ivalice from [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance the previous game]] is presented as a similarly happy fantasy world... torn apart by clan warfare and under threat by monsters.

* The world of ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' seems like the standard fantasy setting. But the game's plot makes you wonder if the FailureIsTheOnlyOption. Either the world is slowly decaying to nothing, or [[TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed the world is in constant danger of destruction by outside forces]]. Choose one or the other but there is no in between, to say nothing of good old fashion war and conquest, which never really goes away.
** Morgal, the newly-established nation of brightly-colored furries and skillful musicians... the "newly-established" part involves [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized a violent and gruesome revolution]] from FantasticRacism and enslavement, the (recently-orphaned, new) king is being manipulated by treacherous advisors from a nation whose hat is apparently total war, and peace among the beastfolk is maintained by a monthly festival that includes food, drink, and music for the beastfolk, and [[CruelAndUnusualDeath death by boiling]] for any human prisoners, be they criminal or innocent (one such prisoner ''[[WouldHurtAChild is a child]]'').

* Pretty much any city in the entire ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise qualify, as the protagonists live in [[ShiningCity over-the-top, wacky cities]] mainly to hang out with tons of GangBangers, {{Dirty Cop}}s, pedestrian {{Jerkass}}es or even AcmeProducts for ComedicSociopathy, but the colorful-looking [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]] takes a slice of the cake for being [[TropeNamer a namer of]] [[ViceCity that trope]].
** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', after the dark and gloomy ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', has given us the best looking setting so far in the entire series, with colorful forests, sky-high mountains, and a bustling metropolis. That doesn't make it any less worse than the previous game. Smog covers the city of Los Santos, the drug trade is huge up north in San Andreas, barrels of nuclear waste are dumped into the ocean, and corruption is on every level of the totem pole. The people are either vapid, vain, self-entitled assholes under the facade of being friendly or destitute, hateful assholes who will do anything for a quick buck, usually illegal activities.

** To the average human civilian, mankind is rapidly colonizing across the galaxy under the command of the United Nations Space Command, technology is advancing at a tremendous pace, almost everyone is being taken care of by a futurist government, and despite conflicts against the Insurrection and the alien Covenant, human has been able to hold its own. In reality, even before the Covenant showed up, almost all projections showed the UNSC being torn into warring factions by the Insurrection. Then the Covenant showed up, and twenty-seven years of war almost undid all the centuries of progress in space humanity ever made, as the Covies systematically destroyed every human world they would find. For most of the war, the average civilian did not even know about how badly humanity was losing because of government censorship in the attempt to prevent widespread panic. The post-war UNSC has been up to the same tricks, presenting itself as much more united and powerful than it truly is. Meanwhile, its Office of Naval Intelligence has been actively working to sweep its skeletons under the closet (particularly regarding [[ChildSoldiers the true origins]] of the SPARTAN-II program), and have enacted pseudo-Orwellian security measures on UNSC core worlds.

** ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect1 Mass Effect]]'' is on the whole a relatively upbeat game; you spend most of the time wandering around in nice bright shiny places and [[BlackAndWhiteMorality fighting pretty clearly evil monsters while most everyone else was on your side]]. Then ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' comes along and gives us insight into all sorts of BodyHorror and MindRape associated with [[EldritchAbomination the Reapers]], [[ObstructiveBureaucrat the politicians]] have all decided you are a fearmonger and not worth listening to or supporting, and the Reapers are on their way. Your companions are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores thieves, mercenaries, thugs,]] [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits assassins, vigilantes,]] [[MadScientist mad scientists]], [[OptionalPartyMember serial killers]], [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and]] [[TheWoobie Tali]], and your only support while preparing for what is likely a SuicideMission comes from a notorious [[FantasticRacism human-supremacist]] terrorist group. Good luck.
** The first game ''did'' provide a pretty blatant example, though: the Citadel is a beautiful space station of extraordinary technologies and breathtaking architecture, home of intergalactic politics and justice. Unfortunately, there's also a great deal of political infighting and bureaucracy going on here, meaning that almost nothing can be done through official channels, even when there's a crime syndicate having citizens attacked in broad daylight. Also, nobody is sure how the place even works, because the mysterious Keepers who maintain the station have a nasty habit of self-destructing if anyone tries to stop them. Finally, the very end of the game reveals that the Citadel itself [[spoiler: is just one big back-door entrance for the Reapers.]]
** The Mass Relay Network, the wondrous technology that made galactic civilization possible [[spoiler:is nothing more than the Reapers' means of sowing and corralling organic life across the galaxy that allows them to harvest it at their leisure. It's Cowslip's Warren from ''Literature/WatershipDown'' on a galactic scale, and the Mass Relays are the Shining Wires.]]
** Illium from the second game is a definite example. It looks like a beautiful, high-class world in keeping with asari stylings and culture; in actuality, it's like every nightmare vision of anarcho-capitalism, where anything (including drugs with known side effects that include neural scarring) can be sold with the proper license and executives can hire mercs to kill their own employees. Tela Vasir sums it up, "Illium is just [[WretchedHive Omega]] with fancy shoes."

* Speaking about ''VideoGame/MetalSlug''... Tribespeople living in historical ruins? Check. Animals living in peaceful nature? Check. Tourist attractions around the world? Check. When General Morden's Rebel Army starts their rising...

--> '''Guard:''' "No officer is allowed to assault a civilian, [[{{PoliceBrutality}} ''unless'' ordered by their superior.]]"
--> Or '''Citizen:''' "My brother [[{{ForeShadowing}} was sentenced to 10 years in prison]], for disobeying a curfew."
--> And the most chilling '''Citizen:''' "Oh, I don't need that gift anymore. My daughter just joined the resistance, so I had to disown her. Haha"
** It's eventually revealed that Seido is a PoliceState that values their own philosophy above the lives of its people. AllCrimesAreEqual, and you can be kept in holding for '''DECADES''' before you are even given a trial. They are also in brutal war with their Chaos Realm counterparts (Who are NotSoDifferent.) and a civil war with the equally ruthless LaResistance, whose tactics include, inciting riots and framing guards for murder, so they'll be forced to change sides. The citizens are so thoroughly brainwashed with propaganda, they've become {{stepford smiler}}s that can casually talk about disowning their own children if they join the resistance, and don't seem to care about life and death. Oh and finally, the elite warriors patrolling the streets will side with anyone, regardless of whether they're good or evil, as long as they are LawfulGood or LawfulEvil.
* Dear ''God'', the ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER|1}}'' [[VideoGame/EarthBound trilogy]], especially [[VideoGame/{{Mother3}} the last one]]. After a long, winding game with a story so vague it's almost taunting you, it comes right out and slaps you in the face with [[spoiler:Leder]]'s speech, in which you learn [[spoiler:the small island you live on is the only inhabitable place left on earth, and prior to Porky's time travel abuse, there were only a small handful of survivors left in the world, completely oblivious and susceptible to being wiped out by any disaster. Hurricane? Minor fire? Disease? There goes the human race.]] And then, you know what happens in this colorful and kid-friendly game? [[spoiler:Your long-lost brother deliberately electrocutes himself to death and you ''blow up the island''. Yes, all of the main characters and [=NPCs=] live through it, but you don't ACTUALLY find out what happened to them after the end of the game.]]
** The second game, ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', isn't much better, what with corrupt police, gang violence, an alien invasion, ''a cult that makes human sacrifices,'' and a plethora of brainwashed citizens that want nothing more than to beat the main characters senseless. Fortunately, things get better once the BigBad is defeated.
* Santa Destroy in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', honestly, doesn't look like to much of a bad place to live. Good pizza, law abiding drivers, and people who generally mind their own business. They don't even require guards at the border. But then you find out that some organization is promoting a bunch of hitmen (many of whom are ''very'' mentally disturbed) to fight each other to the death. Also, business men are even more corrupt than normal. [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle It becomes a crapsack world when it all goes public though]]. At that point you better watch your back.
* The world of ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'' is a wondrous technological utopia... that has a devastating RobotWar in its backstory, lingering FantasticRacism due to said war, a MegaCorp that isn't above blowing up business rivals (which was apparently the standard, no thanks to a problem [[InherentInTheSystem inherent in the legal system]]: people who encourages manipulating the honest workers and corporations), a mysterious HumongousMecha that repeatedly attacks a country for no apparent reason, and crime and terrorism are still serious problems, to the point that one continent is rendered a nuclear wasteland. It's becoming increasingly clear that the disbanded Overwatch is still very much needed.

** While ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' is the most upbeat and optimistic game in the series. It's still a murder mystery revolving around the party confronting people's inner demons, and the town the game takes place in turns more nightmarish near the end [[spoiler: and the Protagonist's 8-year-old cousin is kidnapped and ''killed'' (fortunately, she [[BackFromTheDead can get better.]])]]
** ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'' brings this trope to a new height. The fourth labyrinth appears as an overly cheerful musical setting that is so colorful that it TastesLikeDiabetes, but at the same time, it is also quite creepy and its lyrics are basically summing up as LossOfIdentity, complete with a forlorn Hikari standing in the middle, surrounded by the dancing, cheerful fairytale characters and her past copies, then sinking back into depression. Everyone watching the trailer is creeped out and [[spoiler: the worst thing that this movie is actually Hikari's biopic mixed with her [[PsychologicalTormentZone Palace]], where all of her SuppressedMemories are literally out to ''torture and destroy her''. The colorful and cheery landscape facade ends at the final floor, where it becomes into a monochrome flowerbed with the flowers ''having hollow eyes and dripping blood from them.'' To make things worse, judging from the contents of the labyrinth, this frightening landscape is her '''ACTUAL MINDSET.''']]
* The planet of Motavia in ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarI'' was a hostile desert world crawling with monsters. By ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarII'', however, it was transformed during the 1000 year lapse of time into an idyllic world of lush green forests and plentiful harvests, where everyone's needs are met and the average citizen has no need to work. Unfortunately, everyone lives under the oppressive thumb of the Mother Brain, the supercomputer that helped make life on Motavia ideal. [[spoiler:The ending reveals Mother Brain to be the creation of aliens from the planet [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Earth]], who destroyed their own planet through war and pollution and sought to conquer Motavia after terraforming it and rendering the inhabitants too weak to fight back.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'', the options menu includes one item titled "Cheerful Facade." You have to play through the first half of the game without it, and the facade has a tendency to slip even after it gets implemented.

* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'', but [[AdaptationDisplacement given its origins]], it should not come as a big surprise. The City of Lighthanzel has 3 layers of this. At first it looks like a good place to live in, bright, colorful, etc., then you learn about the slums and the class segregation but it's still not that bad. Then you learn people in the slums tend to go "missing", and there's a secret Bio Laboratory below the City.

* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' features this in spades when players visit the Fear Nothing Foundation's headquarters in Kaidan: a brightly-coloured social club and counselling centre, it offers therapy for people who want to overcome the fears they believe have defined their lives. More specifically, it provides troubled children with sympathetic carers, isolated outcasts with friends, and concerned parents with a place where their kids can be educated in a supportive atmosphere. For good measure, there's movie nights and free Bingo Cola whenever you want it. Unfortunately, the Fear Nothing Foundation is actually an ApocalypseCult with a heavy emphasis on the destruction of individuality: anyone enrolled there is going to be brainwashed into dismantling their own personalities and devoting the rest of their lives to serving [[spoiler: the [[EldritchAbomination Dreaming Ones]].]] Worst of all, by the time you pay their headquarters a visit [[spoiler: the cult have all committed mass-suicide to consecrate their victory of having a [[FantasticNuke Filth-bomb]] detonated on the Tokyo subways.]]
* The world of ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'' is often bright and colorful, full of [[WorldOfBuxom busty]] and [[WorldOfBadass badass]] girls training to become true Shinobi, with battles usually involve [[{{Fanservice}} lots and lots of]] ClothingDamage. [[MoodWhiplash On the other hand]], said training is often [[TrainingFromHell straight out of hell]] and they essentially become ChildSoldiers by participating. Death also walks with the Shinobi: most of them have lost at least one loved one and they accept that their fights are a NoHoldsBarredContest where they both actively try to kill each-other. Failure during a mission can also lead to death, while desertion can lead to them being branded as renegades and hunted down by the other Shinobi. And on top of all of that, there's the Youma...
* In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', Sweet Mountain is a small planetoid made out of gigantic cakes, gingerbread men, peppermint candies, and tree-like lollipops. It's also been rebuilt into a munitions factory by Dr. Eggman. He does try to disguise his sites by keeping most of his own structures sweets-themed (such as jelly bean missiles, doughnut holding tanks, and toxic waste that looks like syrup), though.

--> "We seem to be losing pressure on level seventeen. Please hold your breath against the harsh vacuum of space until you pass out from oxygen starvation. After that you won't care. [[MoodWhiplash Enjoy the ride!]]"
* Taris in ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' was shown to be one. Sure, the upper levels looked nice and shiny, but they were generally reserved for the snobby rich folk. The most people had to put up with gang-wars in the [[WretchedHive Lower City]], but that was nothing compared to the filthy, mutant-ridden squalor of Undercity. [[CrapsackWorld Things didn't improve]] [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic 300 years later.]]
* ''VideoGame/SteambotChronicles'' appears to be rather optimistic for a steampunk game...at least at first blush. Beyond the story of a young man trying to recover his memories, however, is a setting that shows the deep flaws of rapid industrialization: deep divides in social classes abound, job cuts are rampant as machines take jobs, and many of the sidequests you undertake have depressing epilogues. [[spoiler:All this before going into the fact that one of the lead characters' younger brother died in an auto accident, and the apathetic nature of the observers drove him to terrorism.]]

* The Pyro in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' turns out [[AmbiguousGender they]] sees the world as an extreme colorful world of sunshine and happiness, and the Pyro brings rainbows and joy to the baby versions of the other classes. In reality... [[KillitWithFire not so much]].

** Unless you install elaborate quarantine measures before defeating the Wall of Flesh, your entire world is doomed to become a mixture of two different Crapsack Worlds in hardmode: the Corruption[=/=]Crimson is still there and made harder, and then there's also "[[LightIsNotGood The Hallow]]" which plays CrapsaccharineWorld much more straight.

** To be more precise, The Hallow is a biome filled with pearly sands and stones, pretty cyan grass, trees in all colours of the rainbow, constant actual rainbow in the background, populated with pixies and unicorns who will ''murder you with extreme prejudice''.
* Gensokyo, the setting of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', is explicitly a "paradise", a FantasticNatureReserve for an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces immense variety]] of weird and wonderful {{Cute Monster Girl}}s. But there are still humans left, and they're continually at the mercy of the youkai that outpower and outnumber them. While [[ToServeMan youkai eating humans]] isn't as prevalent as it once was, it still happens. The youkai themselves experience frequent FantasticRacism against and between themselves, to the point that there's a massive FantasticGhetto filled with youkai others considered undesirable. And the closest thing there is to law enforcement is a single lazy, ignorant {{miko}} who's in the habit of attacking youkai for being youkai. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And]] [[CloudCuckoolander Kotohime]].
** The interesting thing about Gensoukyou is that it goes both ways -- yes, it's a place built for youkai to flourish, but it's one of the last places they ''can'' exist. If they prey on the local humans too much they face retribution, and the youkai and deities are dependent on Gensoukyou's humans since they're [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly some of the last people who believe in the supernatural]]. Plus, the aforementioned shrine maiden is a BarrierMaiden whose death would cause Gensoukyou to collapse, forcing everyone to engage in nonlethal {{Danmaku}} duels to settle disputes, because otherwise she could abuse her privileged status. A final kicker is that a lot of the resident youkai and deities are used to ruling their own kingdoms and domains, but are now rubbing shoulders in an isolated valley, leading to {{Gambit Pileup}}s and other friction.
** And some supplementary materials don't exactly dispel the notion of Gensokyo being a Crapsaccharine World with the most blatant example being ''[[Music/TouhouZUNsMusicCollection Dolls in Pseudo Paradise]]'' with one character repeatedly referring to it as a paradise all while running in fear from whatever is killing her comrades.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'': Want your beautiful tropical island to be a tourist hotspot? No problem! Just build loads of bars, nightclubs, attractions and hotels for your affluent guests. Just keep them well away from the dirty industry and the cripplingly poor, miserable and uneducated citizens.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: Rites of War'' is set on an Eldar maiden world, that is, a planet terraformed to be a paradise, and the scenery is appropriately gorgeous. Being that this is 40K, that just means that this is the most beautiful setting imaginable for a colossal war, but it's not as bad as you think...it's much worse: just wait until you find out who the real enemy is.
* Wellington Wells in ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'' is a shiny, colorful utopia, where everybody is happy all the time and spends all day playing, laughing and having fun. Except it's actually a post-apocalyptic hellhole so emotionally devastated after [[NoodleIncident "The Very Bad Thing"]] that happened when Germany conquered Britain that they began consuming a euphoria-inducing hallucinogenic drug called "Joy", to the extent that all the food and water in the city is contaminated with the stuff. Which is contributing the steady collapse of their civilization, as everyone is too drug-addled to do their work right; buildings are collapsing, and people are starving to the point that butchers are scavenging human corpses for meat. Oh, and Joy also induces violent psychosis in those under its effects which, combined with the propaganda being fed to the drug-addled masses by the city's leaders, causes the "Wellies" to violently attack and attempt to murder anyone who isn't on Joy.

* Quel'thalas, homeland of the Blood Elves, is very much this in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', particularly its capital of Silvermoon. At first glance it's a scenic, calming area, filled with wonderful magic -- slightly marred by the massive scar of undead blight through the centre, but beautiful all the same -- but exploring in more depth quickly reveals unsettling details such as drunks passed out in the street, an anti-establishment rally quashed by mind control, and a hidden sweatshop under the tailoring trainer's building.
** The entire continent of Pandaria is this. Sure it's inhabited by the jolly Panderan, but it has plenty of dangers in the form of the Mogu and the Mantid. The fact that [[spoiler: there's a dead ''Old God'' underneath the continent]] that literally feeds on negative emotions doesn't help. Things don't get much better when the Zandalari trolls resurrect the long-dead Mogu leader Lei Shen [[spoiler: or when Garrosh Hellscream absorbs the power of the Old God Y'Sharaaj]].

* The Earth under ADVENT and the Elders in ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' is this. To the average citizen, the Elders seemed to be a benevolent alien who uplifted humanity through technological progress and the ADVENT were nothing more than soldiers keeping the order. It was revealed off the bat that the ADVENT soldiers were not as they seem though. Furthermore, character dialogues reveal that the ADVENT was run as police state and were riddled with mysteries such as civilians disappearing after entering one of the ADVENT gene therapy clinics. The first half of the game involved the titular organization trying to unearth the skeleton in the Elders' closet known as the Avatar Project.
* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' starts off in [[DoomedHometown Lahan]], a bucolic little village full of friendly people and good times. Everyone is happy and a major celebration is about to commence. Once you are booted out into the wider world, it becomes very quickly apparent that Lahan was probably the only bright spot in a world otherwise rife with [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking misery, poverty and war and giant robots]]. Which gets worse. This trope presents itself to the player over and over again throughout the game. If you see a place in ''Xenogears'' which looks like a nice place to live, you simply don't know enough about it yet.
** Downplayed in its SpiritualSuccessor, ''{{VideoGame/Xenoblade}},'' but still present. Bionis might be a beautiful place, but that doesn't change the fact that it's full of hostile monsters. It doesn't help that the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Homs]] are on their last legs thanks to repeated invasions by a race of nearly invincible killer robots, the [[OurElvesAreBetter High Entia]] practice eugenics and are openly racist towards [[HalfHumanHybrid half-breeds]], and there's a criminal syndicate run by a brutal drug lord who ends up getting away with his crimes unless you [[GuideDangIt complete a specific chain of sidequests before reaching a certain point in the game.]] [[spoiler:And that's not even getting into the fact that all life on Bionis was created as a backup energy source for a MadGod.]]
** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' is a bit more overt about the crapsack nature of the world. Sure, Mira is full of gorgeous views, but Earth has been destroyed, humanity is on the brink of extinction on a planet filled with hostile monsters, and some of same aliens who destroyed the earth in the first place have come to finish the job. It's most noticeable with the citizens of New Los Angeles: when you first arrive, everyone seems friendly, cooperative, hopeful, and disagreements are minor. It's only later in the game that the ugliness of humanity begins to come out, as you encounter humans engaged in "[[FantasticRacism ethnic cleansing]]", murder, terrorism, and even ''human trafficking''.

* The game ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' takes place in an {{Animesque}} setting that wouldn't look too out of place in a DatingSim, and happily indulges in the tropes associated with the HaremGenre. However, you play as a murderous stalker who will do anything, up to and including murder, to make sure that her object of affection is single. The game's backstory also features delightful things like [[spoiler:the protagonist's mother also being a {{Yandere}} who murdered, manipulated, and kidnapped for love,]] and some of the characters having a DarkAndTroubledPast you can exploit. WordOfGod says the game's design is meant to resemble a {{Yandere}} in appearance; while it looks like an innocent, pleasant game at first glance, its nature as a horror game becomes apparent once you get into the gameplay. This is further emphasized by the [[DynamicDifficulty "School Atmosphere"]] mechanic, in which the game and its [=NPC=]s start looking gloomy if people start to realize there's a SerialKiller at their school.

* From ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', we have Night City: beautiful and pristine on the surface, [[CityOfAdventure the go-to place if you're looking for opportunity]], and a hotbed of poverty and violence.

** To be more precise, The Hallow is a biome filled with pearly sands and stones, pretty cyan grass, trees in all colours of the rainbow, constant actual rainbow in the background, populated with pixies and unicorns who will ''murder you with extreme prejudice''.* Gensokyo, the setting of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', is explicitly a "paradise", a FantasticNatureReserve for an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces immense variety]] of weird and wonderful {{Cute Monster Girl}}s. But there are still humans left, and they're continually at the mercy of the youkai that outpower and outnumber them. While [[ToServeMan youkai eating humans]] isn't as prevalent as it once was, it still happens. The youkai themselves experience frequent FantasticRacism against and between themselves, to the point that there's a massive FantasticGhetto filled with youkai others considered undesirable. And the closest thing there is to law enforcement is a single lazy, ignorant {{miko}} who's in the habit of attacking youkai for being youkai. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And]] [[CloudCuckoolander Kotohime]].

** ''VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth'' brings this trope to a new height. The fourth labyrinth appears as an overly cheerful musical setting that almost looks sickenly colorful, but at the same time, it also looks incredibly creepy and its lyrics are basically summing up as LossOfIdentity, complete with a forlorn Hikari standing in the middle of her past copies and surrounded by the cheerful-looking fairytale characters, then sinking back into depression. Everyone watching the trailer is creeped out and [[spoiler: the worst thing that this movie is actually Hikari's biopic mixed with her [[PsychologicalTormentZone Palace]], where all of her SuppressedMemories are literally out to ''torture and destroy her''. The colorful and cheery landscape facade ends at the final floor, where it becomes into a monochrome flowerbed with the flowers ''having hollow eyes and dripping blood from them.'' To make things worse, judging from the contents of the labyrinth, this frightening landscape is her '''ACTUAL MINDSET.''']]

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' starts off in [[DoomedHometown Lahan]], a bucolic little village full of friendly people and good times. Everyone is happy and a major celebration is about to commence. Once you are booted out into the wider world, it becomes very quickly apparent that Lahan was probably the only bright spot in a world otherwise rife with [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking misery, poverty and war and giant robots]]. Which gets worse. This trope presents itself to the player over and over again throughout the game. If you see a place in ''Xenogears'' which looks like a nice place to live, you simply don't know enough about it yet.
** Downplayed in its SpiritualSuccessor, ''{{VideoGame/Xenoblade}},'' but still present. Bionis might be a beautiful place, but that doesn't change the fact that it's full of hostile monsters. It doesn't help that the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Homs]] are on their last legs thanks to repeated invasions by a race of nearly invincible killer robots, the [[OurElvesAreBetter High Entia]] practice eugenics and are openly racist towards [[HalfHumanHybrid half-breeds]], and there's a criminal syndicate run by a brutal drug lord who ends up getting away with his crimes unless you [[GuideDangIt complete a specific chain of sidequests before reaching a certain point in the game.]] [[spoiler:And that's not even getting into the fact that all life on Bionis was created as a backup energy source for a MadGod.]]
** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' is a bit more overt about the crapsack nature of the world. Sure, Mira is full of gorgeous views, but Earth has been destroyed, humanity is on the brink of extinction on a planet filled with hostile monsters, and some of same aliens who destroyed the earth in the first place have come to finish the job. It's most noticeable with the citizens of New Los Angeles: when you first arrive, everyone seems friendly, cooperative, hopeful, and disagreements are minor. It's only later in the game that the ugliness of humanity begins to come out, as you encounter humans engaged in "[[FantasticRacism ethnic cleansing]]", murder, terrorism, and even ''human trafficking''.
** In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', Rex makes it clear even from the introduction that even though Alrest is beautiful, it's [[JustBeforeTheEnd in dire straits:]] the Titans that form most of the world's landmasses are dying off with no new ones to replace them, resources are scarce, the global economy is in shambles, and the larger nations are on the brink of war with each other over what's left. Rex's goal of reaching Elysium is driven just as much to [[FightingForAHomeland find a paradise for humanity]] to end the fighting as it is to help Pyra return home.
* The bright, sunny, 1950's America of ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans''. Looks all hunky dory on the surface, until you start reading people's minds.
* Dear ''God'', the ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER|1}}'' [[VideoGame/EarthBound trilogy]], especially [[VideoGame/{{Mother3}} the last one]]. After a long, winding game with a story so vague it's almost taunting you, it comes right out and slaps you in the face with [[spoiler:Leder]]'s speech, in which you learn [[spoiler:the small island you live on is the only inhabitable place left on earth, and prior to Porky's time travel abuse, there were only a small handful of survivors left in the world, completely oblivious and susceptible to being wiped out by any disaster. Hurricane? Minor fire? Disease? There goes the human race.]] And then, you know what happens in this colorful and kid-friendly game? [[spoiler:Your long-lost brother deliberately electrocutes himself to death and you ''blow up the island''. Yes, all of the main characters and [=NPCs=] live through it, but you don't ACTUALLY find out what happened to them after the end of the game.]]
** The second game, ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', isn't much better, what with corrupt police, gang violence, an alien invasion, ''a cult that makes human sacrifices,'' and a plethora of brainwashed citizens that want nothing more than to beat the main characters senseless. Fortunately, things get better once the BigBad is defeated.
* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' brings us the magical Kingdom of Zeal from 12,000 B.C. -- warning sign number one right there, nobody from later on the timeline has ever heard of it. At first glance, it is presented as an idyllic world where everyone's needs are taken care of, free time is devoted to the study of science, magic, philosophy and sleep, and the worst thing to worry about is overly pretentious navel-gazing. [[TownWithADarkSecret It's]] [[TheMagocracy all]] [[EvilIsNotAToy downhill]] from [[TheCaligula there]]. Oh, and the "idyllic" floating sky-castles? Those are off-limits to the humans who can't use magic, who are confined to dirty caves on the surface, which is locked in an ice age.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** ''[[VideoGame/MassEffect1 Mass Effect]]'' is on the whole a relatively upbeat game; you spend most of the time wandering around in nice bright shiny places and [[BlackAndWhiteMorality fighting pretty clearly evil monsters while most everyone else was on your side]]. Then ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' comes along and gives us insight into all sorts of BodyHorror and MindRape associated with [[EldritchAbomination the Reapers]], [[ObstructiveBureaucrat the politicians]] have all decided you are a fearmonger and not worth listening to or supporting, and the Reapers are on their way. Your companions are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores thieves, mercenaries, thugs,]] [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits assassins, vigilantes,]] [[MadScientist mad scientists]], [[OptionalPartyMember serial killers]], [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and]] [[TheWoobie Tali]], and your only support while preparing for what is likely a SuicideMission comes from a notorious [[FantasticRacism human-supremacist]] terrorist group. Good luck.
** The first game ''did'' provide a pretty blatant example, though: the Citadel is a beautiful space station of extraordinary technologies and breathtaking architecture, home of intergalactic politics and justice. Unfortunately, there's also a great deal of political infighting and bureaucracy going on here, meaning that almost nothing can be done through official channels, even when there's a crime syndicate having citizens attacked in broad daylight. Also, nobody is sure how the place even works, because the mysterious Keepers who maintain the station have a nasty habit of self-destructing if anyone tries to stop them. Finally, the very end of the game reveals that the Citadel itself [[spoiler: is just one big back-door entrance for the Reapers.]]
** The Mass Relay Network, the wondrous technology that made galactic civilization possible [[spoiler:is nothing more than the Reapers' means of sowing and corralling organic life across the galaxy that allows them to harvest it at their leisure. It's Cowslip's Warren from ''Literature/WatershipDown'' on a galactic scale, and the Mass Relays are the Shining Wires.]]
** Illium from the second game is a definite example. It looks like a beautiful, high-class world in keeping with asari stylings and culture; in actuality, it's like every nightmare vision of anarcho-capitalism, where anything (including drugs with known side effects that include neural scarring) can be sold with the proper license and executives can hire mercs to kill their own employees. Tela Vasir sums it up, "Illium is just [[WretchedHive Omega]] with fancy shoes."

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** To the average human civilian, mankind is rapidly colonizing across the galaxy under the command of the United Nations Space Command, technology is advancing at a tremendous pace, almost everyone is being taken care of by a futurist government, and despite conflicts against the Insurrection and the alien Covenant, human has been able to hold its own. In reality, even before the Covenant showed up, almost all projections showed the UNSC being torn into warring factions by the Insurrection. Then the Covenant showed up, and twenty-seven years of war almost undid all the centuries of progress in space humanity ever made, as the Covies systematically destroyed every human world they would find. For most of the war, the average civilian did not even know about how badly humanity was losing because of government censorship in the attempt to prevent widespread panic. The post-war UNSC has been up to the same tricks, presenting itself as much more united and powerful than it truly is. Meanwhile, its Office of Naval Intelligence has been actively working to sweep its skeletons under the closet (particularly regarding [[ChildSoldiers the true origins]] of the SPARTAN-II program), and have enacted pseudo-Orwellian security measures on UNSC core worlds.
** The Forerunners were initially presented as PerfectPacifistPeople who created a high-tech utopia where they looked out for the galaxy's lesser species under their "Mantle of Responsibility". However, ''Literature/TheForerunnerSaga'' reveals that their Ecumene was actually an increasingly corrupt imperialist empire which was downright nasty to those species it saw as foes.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', Gloria's Theater has two different settings, which can be shifted by changing the lighting. The first is a TastesLikeDiabetes {{sugarbowl}}, and the other is a DarkerAndEdgier version of the same world where the formerly cute kids in flower and puppy costumes [[EverythingTryingToKillYou start attacking]]. [[spoiler:After finding out more about Gloria's past, it seems the second setting is more accurate to her life.]]
* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' is in general a huge fan of the TownWithADarkSecret, but only one city can be considered crapsack: Folsense from ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox''. This thriving town owed its massive prosperity to a gold mine owned by the Herzen family, but recently the miners found something else. They thought they could refine it into something valuable, except soon the residents started dropping like flies. People started leaving the city in droves, calling it "cursed" and attributing it to this mysterious new mineral.
* ''VideoGame/RagnarokOnline'', but [[AdaptationDisplacement given its origins]], it should not come as a big surprise. The City of Lighthanzel has 3 layers of this. At first it looks like a good place to live in, bright, colorful, etc., then you learn about the slums and the class segregation but it's still not that bad. Then you learn people in the slums tend to go "missing", and there's a secret Bio Laboratory below the City.
* Taris in ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' was shown to be one. Sure, the upper levels looked nice and shiny, but they were generally reserved for the snobby rich folk. The most people had to put up with gang-wars in the [[WretchedHive Lower City]], but that was nothing compared to the filthy, mutant-ridden squalor of Undercity. [[CrapsackWorld Things didn't improve]] [[VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic 300 years later.]]
* ''VideoGame/SteambotChronicles'' appears to be rather optimistic for a steampunk game...at least at first blush. Beyond the story of a young man trying to recover his memories, however, is a setting that shows the deep flaws of rapid industrialization: deep divides in social classes abound, job cuts are rampant as machines take jobs, and many of the sidequests you undertake have depressing epilogues. [[spoiler:All this before going into the fact that one of the lead characters' younger brother died in an auto accident, and the apathetic nature of the observers drove him to terrorism.]]

* Santa Destroy in ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', honestly, doesn't look like to much of a bad place to live. Good pizza, law abiding drivers, and people who generally mind their own business. They don't even require guards at the border. But then you find out that some organization is promoting a bunch of hitmen (many of whom are ''very'' mentally disturbed) to fight each other to the death. Also, business men are even more corrupt than normal. [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle It becomes a crapsack world when it all goes public though]]. At that point you better watch your back.
* From ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'', we have Night City: beautiful and pristine on the surface, [[CityOfAdventure the go-to place if you're looking for opportunity]], and a hotbed of poverty and violence.

* The Creator/TelltaleGames sequel to ''VideoGame/BackToTheFuture'' has one in Hill Valley in an alternate version of 1986. The city is publicised as one of the cleanest, safest most law-abiding cities in the United States. This is because its ruler (or rather, his wife pulling the strings) is an insane MoralGuardian, who has banned everything from alcohol and cigarettes to public displays of affection, and ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ScienceFiction novels. By 1986 surveillance cameras and bugs are everywhere and Edna is resorting to [[Literature/AClockworkOrange brainwashing]] to keep people like Biff rehabilitated.
* Short indie platforming game ''[[http://jayisgames.com/games/appy-1000mg/ Appy 1000mg.]]'' To say more would be to spoil it.
* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' features Camoran's Paradise. The top layer is a [[SceneryPorn beautiful]], flower-covered woodland meadow, that happens to be teeming with vicious Daedra. The bottom layer is a [[FireAndBrimstoneHell burning]] [[{{Mordor}} wasteland]] of [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] and [[AndIMustScream imprisonment]]. In Camoran's Paradise, you get to live forever. The downside of that? It means that Camoran can torture you forever.

* In ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'', Hillys seems nice, even though the Domz are invading it. The great alpha sections protect the poor citizens and defend the cities. [[spoiler:Only that the Alpha Sections ARE Domz, abduct citizens to turn then into more Domz, the ones who know it are portrayed as rebels, and the protagonist being the Domz' power source.]]

* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''' expansion ''Going Rogue'' took place in an alternate dimension called Praetoria, a gleaming silver and gold utopian empire where everyone is satisfied and [[EvilCounterpart Emperor Cole]] rules humanity with compassion, justice, and honor. The player quickly learns, however, that the utopia of Praetoria is held together by a ruthlessly totalitarian government that uses multiple supernatural methods to keep the population complacent. The city's water supply? Spiked with a potent chemical that suppresses negative and combative emotions. The advanced robotic servants, seen everywhere maintaining, cleaning, and building the city? They are equipped with laser guns and Tesla cannons and can, at a moment's notice, be used turned into super-intelligent killing machines by the creator. The psychics on every street corner, scanning the city for crimes in progress? They also scan the minds of everyone passing by, looking for "dangerous" thoughts, like hostility or dislike toward Cole. The Praetorian Police Department are loyal only to their Emperor and will banish anyone deemed a problem into the deadly wasteland outside the city. The police department and the government as a whole are also horribly corrupt, with members routinely abusing their power just to punish those they dislike.
** Under the city is little better. There is a CyberPunk-styled Resistance based out of the city's {{Absurdly Spacious Sewer}}s, but it has its own internal problems. Its leadership is split between the Wardens, who want to take down Cole, but leave the structure of Praetoria largely intact, and the Crusaders, who just want to burn it all to the ground, claiming the city is far to corrupt and oppressive to be saved. The sewers are also teaming with Ghouls, zombie-like creatures that are the result of horrific experiments performed by Cole and his Praetors.
** Much later, in the ruins of Old Praetoria, the players learned it was far worse than even that. Most of humanity is dead, with [[EldritchAbomination Hamidon]] and his [[GaiasVengeance Devouring Earth]] controlling most of the planet. Praetoria was just a carefully-negotiated region where humanity is allowed to live, as long as the truce between Cole and Hamidon holds. (Had the game continued, Issue 24 would have shown the dire consequences of defeating Cole, as the shining city would have become a ruined wasteland covered in monsters trying to slaughter or convert the last humans in the world into more of Hamidon's minions.)
* While most of the setting of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' is a straight up CrapsackWorld, Anor Londo hides it a little better. On the surface, it's a shiny city that is one of the few places resisting the darkness ruled by a beautiful goddess. It's all an illusion, courtesy of Gwyndolin. The sunlight, the beautiful goddess, everything.
* Jylland, the setting of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' mostly comes off as a happy renaissance-ish fantasy land. Then you find out that it's essentially ruled by a crime syndicate. And start noticing that there's there's no law outside of the cities, little in them, and everything is handled by hiring mercenaries...
** Similarly, Ivalice from [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsAdvance the previous game]] is presented as a similarly happy fantasy world... torn apart by clan warfare and under threat by monsters.
* The Pyro in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' turns out [[AmbiguousGender they]] sees the world as an extreme colorful world of sunshine and happiness, and the Pyro brings rainbows and joy to the baby versions of the other classes. In reality... [[KillitWithFire not so much]].
* In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', Sweet Mountain is a small planetoid made out of gigantic cakes, gingerbread men, peppermint candies, and tree-like lollipops. It's also been rebuilt into a munitions factory by Dr. Eggman. He does try to disguise his sites by keeping most of his own structures sweets-themed (such as jelly bean missiles, doughnut holding tanks, and toxic waste that looks like syrup), though.
** There's also the case of Planet Wisp, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the home planet of the cute wisps]]. Upon entering the level, you are treated to lush landscapes with plenty of flowers and happy wisps. Travel further into the stage, and you'll see the foundation for Eggman's factories starting to crop up. Eventually, the majority of the lovely green environment you were introduced to is replaced with oceans of oil and [[NightmarishFactory numerous huge factories filled with missiles, saw blades and imprisoned wisps]].
** Eggman's Interstellar Amusement Park in general counts as this. Sonic himself admits how nice it looks, but listening to some of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvS7ewAkwEA Eggman's PA announcemets]] should give you an idea of how [[Main/BlackComedy hilariously unsafe]] it is even if you ''don't'' count the numerous death traps set out for Sonic.
--> "We seem to be losing pressure on level seventeen. Please hold your breath against the harsh vacuum of space until you pass out from oxygen starvation. After that you won't care. [[MoodWhiplash Enjoy the ride!]]"
* Zanarkand of 1000 years ago in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''. Seymour describes it as "the great and wondrous machina city" and the player is dazzled by the bright lights and technology. There's blitzball all the time and plenty of parties. However the city was at war with Bevelle and sent young summoners to the front line to fight for them and had a huge robotic weapon hidden under the city to use as a trump card. And what's more is that the city was destroyed [[spoiler: but Yu Yevon has created an illusion of it fuelled by the power of thousands of dreaming people]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}: Rites of War'' is set on an Eldar maiden world, that is, a planet terraformed to be a paradise, and the scenery is appropriately gorgeous. Being that this is 40K, that just means that this is the most beautiful setting imaginable for a colossal war, but it's not as bad as you think...it's much worse: just wait until you find out who the real enemy is.
* Compared to its [[Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei much darker parent series]], the Persona series is an absolute paradise. Although that's not saying much, since TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed. Humanity seems to have a knack for drawing the attention of some truly nasty beings from the collective unconscious through their desires, who also set off some disaster or series of disasters as part of a test or game, usually deciding to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt by the end. Of course, there's also always a group of Persona-users ready, willing, and able to fight back.
** While ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' is the most upbeat and optimistic game in the series. It's still a murder mystery revolving around the party confronting people's inner demons, and the town the game takes place in turns more nightmarish near the end [[spoiler: and the Protagonist's 8-year-old cousin is kidnapped and ''killed'' (fortunately, she [[BackFromTheDead can get better.]])]]

* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' is just as bright colourfull and cheery as ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie.'' Then the swearing and excessive violence appear, and it's clear this game isn't ''Banjo.''
* Speaking about ''VideoGame/MetalSlug''... Tribespeople living in historical ruins? Check. Animals living in peaceful nature? Check. Tourist attractions around the world? Check. When General Morden's Rebel Army starts their rising...
* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 3'' opens on the glamorous world of upper-class Sao Paolo before gradually revealing the grimy, violent underclass HiddenInPlainSight.
* ''VideoGame/BrokenAge'' gives us two examples for the price on one. Vella's story opens on Sugar Bunting, a picturesque pastoral village comprised of bakers; who sacrifice young maidens every 14 years to a monster (and in fact all the beautiful areas in Vella's story do the same thing). Shay's story however takes place in a wonderful ship that is designed to care and entertain children which gradually becomes a living hell as the child matures.
* Gensoukyou, the setting of ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'', is explicitly a "paradise", a FantasticNatureReserve for an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfRaces immense variety]] of weird and wonderful {{Cute Monster Girl}}s. But there are still humans left, and they're continually at the mercy of the youkai that outpower and outnumber them. While [[ToServeMan youkai eating humans]] isn't as prevalent as it once was, it still happens. The youkai themselves experience frequent FantasticRacism against and between themselves, to the point that there's a massive FantasticGhetto filled with youkai others considered undesirable. And the closest thing there is to law enforcement is a single lazy, ignorant {{miko}} who's in the habit of attacking youkai for being youkai. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And]] [[CloudCuckoolander Kotohime]].

** And some supplementary materials don't exactly dispel the notion of Gensokyou being a Crapsaccharine World with the most blatant example being ''[[Music/TouhouZUNsMusicCollection Dolls in Pseudo Paradise]]'' with one character repeatedly referring to it as a paradise all while running in fear from whatever is killing her comrades.

* ''VideoGame/DreamingMary'' is about an adorable little girl's dream and the games she plays with the TalkingAnimal inhabitants of her sugary-pink dream world who just want her to be happy and have fun. The first big hint that something might be a little off is the book in the library that tells the tale of "Literature/SleepingBeauty"[[spoiler:...or more specifically, the version where she gets raped in her sleep by the king]]. Then you get to the part where [[spoiler:Mary enters a nightmarish parallel to her dream world where a hulking shadow figure wants to get her...]]
* ''VideoGame/FlightRising'':
** [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids A cute, harmless game in which you breed colorful dragons...]] who are constantly at war with each other over limited land and resources, and the more adorable something is [[FridgeHorror the more likely it is to be a food item]]. A lot of the darker elements of the game aren't immediately apparent.
** This is taken UpToEleven with the Arcane Flight, whose [[ColorCodedElements element colour]] is [[PinkMeansFeminine pink]] and whose themes include crystals, dreams and stars, and who also happen to be accidentally [[RealityWarper warping the world around them]]. Arcane-themed things tend to be both pretty and/or cute and rather foreboding, if not [[UncannyValley downright creepy]], such as the [[ExtraEyes many-eyed]] bird familiars or [[ILoveNuclearPower Irradiated Astronomers]], or the world map flavor text for the [[EldritchLocation Starfall Isles]], all of which have a distinctly [[AdorableAbomination Lovecraftian]] writing style. If you gather items from Arcane you have an equal chance of turning up tooth-rottingly sweet foods (like Sugary Prickleleaves and Nebula Floaters) and unsettling or grotesque things that you could also find in Plague or Shadow (like the see-through Glass Minnows or weird-sound-making Dark Creepers).
* The Colossus resort in 2025 is a large floating paradise for the wealthy in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII''. But from the facial recognition ads to the crass, excessive consumerism on display, you can't help but feel at least a bit unnerved. No wonder then that Menendez was able to get many followers, as the whole place is pretty much the poster child for everything Cordis Die is fighting against. [[spoiler: This is also where Salazar makes some peculiar comments hinting at his status as TheMole to Menendez later on.]]
* Most of the entries in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' are animated in a very cutesy way, and the worlds themselves seem to be flawed, but generally good places to live (at least, one side of the world when there's two worlds). What do the games feature? Traitors galore, FamilyUnfriendlyDeath, FantasticRacism, HumanResources, PoweredByAForsakenChild, ParentalAbandonment or flat out AbusiveParents, villains who are almost always bent on carrying out a FinalSolution, and often {{Eldritch Abomination}}s.
* Although it's not quite perfect, the world presented in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare'' is mostly under the watchful eye of the Atlas Corporation, who provides a [[NGOSuperpower non-governmental solution]] for [[PrivateMilitaryContractors military combat, global security]], and relief aid for war-torn regions. Their widespread influence and success rate (which by the time of the game can be said to be better than even government-fielded armies) has catapulted them into global recognition, to the point that CEO Jonathan Irons is able to take a seat at the UN Security Council. [[spoiler:The dark reality is that they are in fact working to build a future where Irons and Atlas Corporation become the sole global superpower and Irons is able to enact his doctrine around the world without challenge]].
* ''VideoGame/MonsterBag'' is about a living monster bag that wants to return to its owner, sneaking past cute, colourful people in the process. Along the way, various people die as a result of your actions, leading to an apocalyptic scenario.

* ''VideoGame/MortalKombat'': Seido, or the Orderrealm. At first, it looks like a place of absolute beauty; a peaceful floating city with architecture, like something out of an Utopian society, connected by an intricate network of bridges, rivers that flow out of no where, a well organized police force patrolling the streets, and gems and gold so common, the friendly people will hand them to you for free. But then, you start hearing things like:
--> '''Guard:''' "No officer is allowed to assault a civilian, [[{{PoliceBrutality}} ''unless'' ordered by their superior.]]"
--> Or '''Citizen:''' "My brother [[{{ForeShadowing}} was sentenced to 10 years in prison]], for disobeying a curfew."
--> And the most chilling '''Citizen:''' "Oh, I don't need that gift anymore. My daughter just joined the resistance, so I had to disown her. Haha"
** It's eventually revealed that Seido is a PoliceState that values their own philosophy above the lives of its people. AllCrimesAreEqual, and you can be kept in holding for '''DECADES''' before you are even given a trial. They are also in brutal war with their Chaos Realm counterparts (Who are NotSoDifferent.) and a civil war with the equally ruthless LaResistance, whose tactics include, inciting riots and framing guards for murder, so they'll be forced to change sides. The citizens are so thoroughly brainwashed with propaganda, they've become {{stepford smiler}}s that can casually talk about disowning their own children if they join the resistance, and don't seem to care about life and death. Oh and finally, the elite warriors patrolling the streets will side with anyone, regardless of whether they're good or evil, as long as they are LawfulGood or LawfulEvil.
* ''{{VideoGame/Bayonetta}}'':
** There is Paradiso, the shining [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine gold and marble]] {{Heaven}}-{{Expy}}. In fact, in the mythos of ''Bayonetta'' it's even referred to as the 'World of Light' (as opposed to the {{Hell}}-expy Inferno as the 'World of Darkness', and the human world known as the 'World of Chaos') but LightIsNotGood is in full effect here. The [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]] are actually monstrosities that look more like [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] just under their gold and pearly shells, and outright despise humanity wanting nothing more than to wage a war on the Trinity of Realities so that they can wipe out both the Infernal Demons and all of humanity, so that only Paradiso remains.
** In the first game there's Vigrid, a well-protected and secretive old world European city financed and owned by the Ithavoll Group, which is stationed on a tiny metropolitan man-made island called the Isla Del Sol. Just a few minutes in the city and Bayonetta already notices the guards in Vigrid are carrying assault rifles, and it's later discovered that [[spoiler:the CEO of the Ithavoll Group is [[BigBad Father Balder]], last of the Lumen Sages who plans on resurrecting the Creator-God Jubileus in order to unmake the world to recreate it as something "better"]]. [[AllThereInTheManual The artbook]] goes into further detail, where it turns out all the poor and homeless of Vigrid used to be middle or upper class, but found out about the corruption or [[spoiler:Balder's plan]] and protested against it.
* ''Wonder Project J2'' is this combined with ArtStyleDissonance. The game's two islands seem like quiet, idyllic places, and the gorgeous, Studio Ghibli-esque pixel art emphasizes this. But when you start exploring them, the first thing you'll notice is that there are soldiers. Lots and lots of soldiers, armed with submachine guns, patrolling almost every part of the game world. Many places are actually locked out at the beginning of the game by soldiers who aggressively get you to leave. There's even one cutscene that occurs when you visit a certain place for the first time [[spoiler:which shows some [[LaResistance revolutionaries]] getting ''executed via firing squad''. Worst of all, the scene is shown ''from the perspective of the revolutionaries''!]] Pretty dark for a game where your main objective is raising a cute robot girl. Oh, and the girl gets to see the aftermath of the aforementioned execution, though thankfully the player doesn't since the soldiers block the view. It only gets worse from there.
* ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarLostParadise'' has the city of Eden. Compared to other settlements trying to scrape by, Eden is the closest thing to civilization in the post-apocalyptic wastes; with plentiful food, clean drinking water, and even electricity, those who live within Eden's walls want for nothing. Unfortunately, Eden is run by some rather corrupt individuals (their official leader, a compassionate woman, is little more than a figure head) who are very picky about who they allow into the city. Anyone turned away is left with little choice but to continue wandering the wastes.
* The game ''VideoGame/YandereSimulator'' takes place in an {{Animesque}} setting that wouldn't look too out of place in a DatingSim, and happily indulges in the tropes associated with the HaremGenre. However, you play as a murderous stalker who will do anything, up to and including murder, to make sure that her object of affection is single. The game's backstory also features delightful things like [[spoiler:the protagonist's mother also being a {{Yandere}} who murdered, manipulated, and kidnapped for love,]] and some of the characters having a DarkAndTroubledPast you can exploit. WordOfGod says the game's design is meant to resemble a {{Yandere}} in appearance; while it looks like an innocent, pleasant game at first glance, its nature as a horror game becomes apparent once you get into the gameplay. This is further emphasized by the [[DynamicDifficulty "School Atmosphere"]] mechanic, in which the game and its [=NPC=]s start looking gloomy if people start to realize there's a SerialKiller at their school.
* The world of ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'' is a wondrous technological utopia... that has a devastating RobotWar in its backstory, lingering FantasticRacism due to said war, a MegaCorp that isn't above blowing up business rivals (which was apparently the standard, no thanks to a problem [[InherentInTheSystem inherent in the legal system]]: people who encourages manipulating the honest workers and corporations), a mysterious HumongousMecha that repeatedly attacks a country for no apparent reason, and crime and terrorism are still serious problems, to the point that one continent is rendered a nuclear wasteland. It's becoming increasingly clear that the disbanded Overwatch is still very much needed.
* ''VideoGame/EndRoll'' is set in Russell's Happy Dream, a bright, cheerful place filled with smiling faces who welcome him into their community... but not only is it a literal DreamWorld, it's part of an experimental rehabilitation project. A world tailored to try and induce guilt and remorse, and the effectiveness of its facade holding up depends upon his mental state.
* In ''VideoGame/PonyIsland'', the options menu includes one item titled "Cheerful Facade." You have to play through the first half of the game without it, and the facade has a tendency to slip even after it gets implemented.

* On the surface, ''VideoGame/TheBattleCats'' appears to be a [[BadassAdorable fun and lighthearted]], if [[WidgetSeries quirky]], romp through the world starring [[CuteKitten adorable Cats of all shapes and sizes]]... who eventually [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the entire world]], [[KillEmAll have a take-no-prisoners attitude towards enemies]], are shown to [[ImAHumanitarian eat their enemies in seveal instances]], [[HiveMind can work in perfect unison]], [[AlienInvasion can fight aliens and zombies with no trouble]], eventually [[TimeTravel conquer the past and future]]...
* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'':
** Terraria ''looks'' friendly and cheery, but you will quickly learn otherwise. Undead roam the land at night and are constantly active underground, and a land disease called the Corruption is filled with many an EldritchAbomination as it slowly consumes all in its path. And this is to say nothing of the bosses, ''[[UpToEleven especially]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Wall of Flesh]].''
** The Corruption's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute, the Crimson, is even worse. See BloodyBowelsOfHell above.
** Unless you install elaborate quarantine measures before defeating the Wall of Flesh, your entire world is doomed to become a mixture of two different Crapsack Worlds in hardmode: the Corruption[=/=]Crimson is still there and made harder, and then there's also "[[LightIsNotGood The Hallow]]" which plays CrapsaccharineWorld much more straight.
** To be more precise, The Hallow is a biome filled with pearly sands and stones, pretty cyan grass, trees in all colours of the rainbow, constant actual rainbow in the background, populated with pixies and unicorns who will ''murder you with extreme prejudice''.
* ''VideoGame/TinkerQuarry'': A life-sized dollhouse inhabited by LivingToys sounds like a great place, but unfortunately, it is controlled by Staya, a psychotic toy AngryGuardDog, and also home to some other dangerous toys, as well as equally vicious rats. The Dollhouse is completely surrounded by a seemingly endless mass of darkness referred to as the Void, meaning that as far as the characters know, it's not even possible to ''leave''. Fortunately, there are quite a few toys who are friendly and heroic, but most of them are trapped by, or hiding from, Staya and the other enemies.
* ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' features this in spades when players visit the Fear Nothing Foundation's headquarters in Kaidan: a brightly-coloured social club and counselling centre, it offers therapy for people who want to overcome the fears they believe have defined their lives. More specifically, it provides troubled children with sympathetic carers, isolated outcasts with friends, and concerned parents with a place where their kids can be educated in a supportive atmosphere. For good measure, there's movie nights and free Bingo Cola whenever you want it. Unfortunately, the Fear Nothing Foundation is actually an ApocalypseCult with a heavy emphasis on the destruction of individuality: anyone enrolled there is going to be brainwashed into dismantling their own personalities and devoting the rest of their lives to serving [[spoiler: the [[EldritchAbomination Dreaming Ones]].]] Worst of all, by the time you pay their headquarters a visit [[spoiler: the cult have all committed mass-suicide to consecrate their victory of having a [[FantasticNuke Filth-bomb]] detonated on the Tokyo subways.]]
* While the land of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''[='s=] Eorzea is effectively a WorldHalfFull as it heals from The Calamity brought about from the end of 1.0, it seems that the Twelveswood is the better off of the bunch compared to the rampant corruption of Ul'dah and the rampant piracy of Limsa Lominsa -- low crime, few beastmen problems, plentiful resources... until you dig deeper and realize that's only because the Gridanians have to be at the beck and call of The Elements, who take ObstructiveBureaucrat to an art form as they act in such a way that it's baffling to normal people -- the Gridanians have to uphold a certain set of laws (which includes the death penalty for any kind of poaching) and healers have to ask permission to ''heal'' people -- one mission has you trying to save an Ala Mhigan who was wounded. You approach a doctor from the same place, who refuses because she didn't want to upset the Elements and when you approach a healer from the town you're in, her response is essentially "They don't like them, they never like them, too bad, so sad."
* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'' has a moment in Roswell, New Mexico, a charming and bright town similar to so many others from 1960's Americana. But there are Nazi soldiers everywhere, Swastika banners hang from every building, and Klansmen walk around in full costume and talk positively about the purging of undesirables and the next slave auction while people in the street are scared shitless of them.
* ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours'': The Islands look wonderful compared to how grimy much of Miami is, with greenery and sea and sand everywhere, and then you realise criminals are equally omnipresent. Here, Tony can't even wipe them out for good, whereas in most of Miami he can permanently put down gangs.
* Wellington Wells in ''VideoGame/WeHappyFew'' is a shiny, colorful utopia, where everybody is happy all the time and spends all day playing, laughing and having fun. Except it's actually a post-apocalyptic hellhole so emotionally devastated after [[NoodleIncident "The Very Bad Thing"]] that happened when Germany conquered Britain that they began consuming a euphoria-inducing hallucinogenic drug called "Joy", to the extent that all the food and water in the city is contaminated with the stuff. Which is contributing the steady collapse of their civilization, as everyone is too drug-addled to do their work right; buildings are collapsing, and people are starving to the point that butchers are scavenging human corpses for meat. Oh, and Joy also induces violent psychosis in those under its effects which, combined with the propaganda being fed to the drug-addled masses by the city's leaders, causes the "Wellies" to violently attack and attempt to murder anyone who isn't on Joy.

* Pretty much any city in the entire ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise qualify, as the protagonists live in [[ShiningCity over-the-top, wacky cities]] mainly to hang out with tons of GangBangers, {{Dirty Cop}}s, pedestrian {{Jerkass}}es or even ACompanyMakesEverything for ComedicSociopathy, but the colorful-looking [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]] takes a slice of the cake for being [[TropeNamer a namer of]] [[ViceCity that trope]].

* Pretty much any city in the entire ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise qualify, but the clean-looking [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity Vice City]] takes a slice of the cake.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'', after the dark and gloomy ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', has given us the best looking setting so far in the entire series, with colorful forests, sky-high mountains, and a bustling metropolis. That doesn't make it any less worse than the previous game. Smog covers the city of Los Santos, the drug trade is huge up north in San Andreas, barrels of nuclear waste are dumped into the ocean, and corruption is on every level of the totem pole. The people are either vapid, vain, self-entitled assholes under the facade of being friendly or destitute, hateful assholes who will do anything for a quick buck, usually illegal activities.