You Know Those Unpleasant Towns in RPGs? That’s What Gord Feels Like

Gord is a game that combines elements of roleplaying, real-time strategy, and colony simulation. It presents the idea of survival in a dark fantasy world, where people live in constant darkness and monsters roam freely. However, despite its promising premise, Gord falls short in delivering a truly engaging and entertaining experience.

A Tedious Storyline

Gord is set in a dark fantasy world where the sun is dead, monsters lurk everywhere, and people are slowly losing their sanity. While the world itself is intriguing, the actual storyline falls flat. As a representative of the southern king, your task is to establish a relationship with a weak local tribe in the northern wasteland. This involves building outposts, dealing with monsters, and occasionally making difficult choices like sacrificing a child. However, these choices have no long-term consequences, and the overall plot lacks depth and dramatic voice.

Uninspired Gameplay

The gameplay in Gord is uninspired and shallow. Your town is confined to a small space and every building must be placed within the protective walls. Building placement becomes a tedious task of rearranging structures like playing Tetris. The resource management and variety of buildings are limited, making the colony simulation aspect of the game lackluster. The campaign consists of repetitive scenarios, where you repeat the same build order over and over again. There is little room for strategic thinking or decision-making.

Characters and Combat

The characters in Gord lack depth and personalities. They have a few skills and quirks that hardly have any impact on gameplay. Managing their health, sanity, and faith becomes a tedious task of micromanagement. The combat is also lackluster, with battles being mostly rapid slaughters or micromanaging a few unit types. The monsters themselves are not interesting to fight and the enemy behaviors don’t create diverse tactics.

A Missed Opportunity

Gord had the potential to be a compelling survival game, but it falls short. Despite its dark fantasy setting and promising elements of roleplaying, real-time strategy, and colony simulation, Gord fails to deliver a truly engaging and challenging experience. Its lack of depth, repetitive gameplay, and uninspired mechanics make it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable gaming experience.