You’ve probably heard the pitch for The Good Life. It’s that "debt-repayment RPG" from the chaotic mind of SWERY, where a New York photographer named Naomi Hayward ends up in a rural English village.
People call it the "happiest town in the world."
Then night falls, and everyone turns into a cat or a dog. It's weird. It's janky. Honestly, it’s exactly what you’d expect from the guy who made Deadly Premonition. But there’s a recurring question that pops up in forums and Discord servers: where are all the cities?
If you're looking for a sprawling metropolitan map with multiple urban hubs, I’ve got some news for you. You’re going to be disappointed. Or maybe relieved.
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Rainy Woods: The Only "City" That Matters
Let’s get the big one out of the way. Rainy Woods is the heart and soul of the game. Calling it a city is a massive stretch—it’s a hamlet, really. But in the context of The Good Life, it functions as your primary hub.
You’ll spend 90% of your time here. This is where Naomi’s house is (the one she calls a "goddamn hellhole" every five minutes). It’s got the 1977 Pub, the Grocery & Butcher Shop, and the Post Shop.
The layout is deliberately cramped and cozy. You’ve got the Plaza at the center, which becomes a literal animal house during the full moon. Most of the game's actual "urban" infrastructure is packed into these few cobblestone streets.
Beyond the Rainy Woods Gates
Once you step outside the village, the game shifts. It’s not about finding another city; it’s about navigating the vast, often empty, English countryside.
You’ve got Eccles, which is more of a tiny settlement to the east. You can find a shrine there—specifically the Eccles Shrine located just north of the town. But don't go there expecting skyscrapers. It’s basically a few buildings and a merchant.
The world of The Good Life is more about landmarks than it is about cities.
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- The White Estate: A massive celebrity mansion that basically acts as its own mini-zone.
- Blencarrick Quarry: A rocky, vertical area north of the main village.
- Lake Sutrains: A scenic spot to the southwest that’s great for photography but has zero nightlife.
- Deargshaw Forest: A dense wooded area that requires story progress (Route A) to fully explore.
Basically, if you aren't in Rainy Woods, you're in the wild.
Why the Lack of Cities is Actually the Point
SWERY games aren't about scale. They’re about intimacy. By limiting the "city" aspect to just Rainy Woods, the game forces you to learn the schedules of the NPCs. You start to know when Elizabeth Dickens will be in her wheelchair by the path or when Benedict Macauley is knocking back drinks at the pub.
If there were five different cities, that weird, parasocial bond with the townspeople would vanish. You’d just be another tourist.
Instead, the game focuses on shrine locations. These are your fast-travel points. There are dozens of them, like the North Rainy Woods Shrine or the Deep Woods Shrine. They are the only way to get around without spending hours riding a sheep across the moors.
The Snowy Mountains and the Royal Tomb
When people talk about "other cities," they might be referring to the specialized zones you unlock during the different story routes.
Route B, for instance, takes you toward the Snowy Mountains. It’s a completely different vibe—harsh, white, and difficult to navigate on foot. Then there’s the Royal Tomb area. These aren't cities in the traditional sense, but they are "biomes" that feel like distinct territories.
Each area has its own set of "Hotwords" for Naomi’s photography. If you want to make money (and you need a lot of it to pay off that £30 million debt), you have to treat these wilderness areas like your office.
A Quick Reality Check on the Map
The map is actually surprisingly large, but it’s mostly "green space."
You’ll find yourself tracking smells as a dog or climbing walls as a cat in places like the Witch House Pharmacy (located in the woods) or the Old St. Ardan’s ruins in the northeast.
The "city" experience is really just the village life. It’s the contrast between Naomi’s New York attitude and the slow, baffling pace of Rainy Woods that drives the comedy. If you could just hop over to a nearby London-style city, the isolation—and the mystery—would break.
How to Handle the "Hellhole" Navigation
Since you're stuck with just one main town and a lot of grass, you need to optimize.
First, get a mount. You can eventually ride sheep, which makes the trek to places like John Peel’s Pot or the Arch Shrines much less of a headache.
Second, don't ignore the side quests. A lot of people rush the main story and miss out on the weird sub-stories hidden in the corners of the map. The Behind the Secret of Rainy Woods DLC actually adds about 12 more of these quests, often involving new faces or deeper dives into the existing residents.
Survival in the Wilderness
You have to manage your health and hunger. If you stay out in the "non-city" areas for too long without food, Naomi gets sick.
- Veterinary Clinic: This is your hospital. Since everyone is half-animal anyway, it makes sense.
- Cooking: Use the kitchen in your house. It’s cheaper than eating at the pub every day.
- Mining: If you’re broke, go to the quarry. Selling minerals is way faster than taking pictures of #trashcans for pennies.
The Final Verdict on the "Cities"
There aren't "all the cities" in The Good Life. There is just Rainy Woods and the vast, mysterious, and occasionally frustrating English countryside that surrounds it.
The game isn't Grand Theft Auto. It’s a weird, small-town simulator where the "city" is the people, not the buildings. If you go in expecting a bustling map, you’ll get lost in the weeds. But if you embrace the quiet, foggy isolation of the moors, you’ll find the secrets Naomi was sent to uncover.
Next Steps for Your Journey:
Focus on unlocking the Shrines in the southern half of the map first, specifically those around the three Arches. This will save you more time than any other upgrade in the game. Once you have the fast travel points set, start farming minerals in Blencarrick Quarry to clear your first few debt installments and unlock the better camera lenses.