Skip to main content

Review - Gordian Quest... Cards for Days

 

Image courtesy of Mixed Realms & Soft Swag Holdings

Deckbuilders are those kinds of games that have a certain niche fan base that can be hard for some companies to break into. In an attempt to do so with Gordian Quest, Mixed Realms and Soft Swag decided to go for a jumble of different elements that might appeal to a larger fan base.
    Think of it like the Wu-Tang strategy.
    Before the Wu was formed, each one of the rappers had their own fans, but there weren't enough of them to really generate any kind of income for them as individuals. By joining forces to create a rap supergroup, fans of Inspectah Deck could be introduced to the likes of Method Man. Gordian Quest doesn't necessarily have its own RZA, but it does have an amalgam of elements from RPGs, dice-rolling dungeons and dragons themes, roguelike runs, and deckbuilding strategies that all combine to create its gaming experience.
    The problem is that it can be a little convoluted. Not everything flows as well as Wu-Tang on their assorted mics, and Gordian Quest struggles a bit to have all these components mesh together well enough to create something as truly epic as they were going for.

The Good

The art is great. Let's just say that right off the bat. This is especially true in comparison to other deck-builders. The only one that I would say tops Gordian in style is probably Thronebreaker of The Witcher franchise. Mixed Realms and Soft Swag did a great job in creating visually distinct characters that all fit into their distinct archetypes. The same goes for the baddies across the maps too. The background art is there, but not necessarily noticeable, however the layout of the city/caravan that acts as your homebase is pretty cool.
    I like the fact that Gordian tries for a narrative. That's a rarity in deckbuilders, just look at Roguebook's flat attempt, and it's nice to see them go towards keeping everything together. Otherwise these games can feel a bit like... what am I doing this for, again? Just my own sheer boredom? Maybe that's okay for you. Maybe it's not. Either way, Gordian tries to alleviate this by giving us a generic story about cults utilizing ancient magic and artifacts in ways they don't fully comprehend that have cataclysmic results across the world. It's definitely something we've all seen and heard before, but I appreciate that some of the NPCs have more to say than merely tutorial jargon.
    The blend of elements is probably the last bit of good that Gordian has going for it, but it's not fully working all the time. The RPG set-up is great. Rolling dice on certain events is good too. Killed on a run and sent back to camp? Sure. That roguelike stuff is just fine. Decent assortment of cards? You got it. As a matter of fact, the only thing that Gordian's stew of different game types doesn't exactly hit right is in combat.

The Bad

I'm hesitant to fully put combat and gameplay here, but it can't go in The Good. It could for Act I, maybe, but anything beyond that becomes such a slog to get there. Villains with well over 1000 HP while your individuals still just have 50? C'mon. Even when those heavy hitters are only chipping away 5 HP at a time off your heroes, it takes a five minute card battle and drags it out into a battle of attrition. That's not fun anymore, it's just getting through it.
    Music and sound is negligible. It's not really good. Not really bad either. But it had to go somewhere.

Not Exactly a Crit

I really do think it's too bad that Gordian couldn't nail down its combat and gameplay just a bit better. If it did, I would have place it among the best deckbuilders I've ever played. As for now, that role is still filled by Thronebreaker by a wide margin. That said, if you're looking for deckbuilder that will give you hours of combat but isn't in the same setting as Slay the Spire... I still recognize the notion that Gordian Quest might just be for you.

    As for me, my quest has come to an end.

7/10

Good Enough

If you're interested in a sword-swinging story more based in reality, check out my book Leatherneck for free on Kindle Unlimited

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Have a comment? Let me know!

Popular posts from this blog

Review - Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader... All Guts & Glory

Image courtesy of Owlcat Games "The God Emperor protects!" I know what you're thinking, but no, not that one.     Every so often, a game comes around that demands 10 to 15 hours of your time. This isn't one of them. Rogue Trader requires ten times that amount, easily, in order to see the story unfold in all the meaningful directions that it can.     I would like to preface my review by saying that I knew next to nothing about Warhammer 40K when I started up the game. I really only found myself drawn to the title because of my love for Owlcat's previous two entries in the Pathfinder world. That being said, Owlcat once again does a great job of putting the lore of their assigned universe into their work, and after 140 hours of gameplay I feel like I'm decently well-versed in plenty of the God-Emperor's vision of humanity's future. The Good Rogue Trader starts off where your main character is handed over the reins to the titular position by means of a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review - Lost Eidolons... "The poetry is in the pity"

Image courtesy of Ocean Drive Studio, Inc. When I start these reviews I usually have a certain score already in mind. I have a litany of reasons as to why a game scored in a certain category of mine and therefore why it just fell a little short of whatever tier(s) are above that. For Lost Eidolons , I had intended on giving it a 7/10 originally. That's nothing to scoff at in my book, as I literally even label my 7s as "Great" games. However, as I started to think more about it and the different avenues that Ocean Drive took in Lost Eidolons 's creation... I began to question that 7.     For those who have no idea what kind of game this is, Lost Eidolons is a tactical turn-based RPG in a medieval-fantasy setting. You play as Eden, a mercenary of sorts from a podunk fishing village, who gets swept up into a rebellion after a daring rescue turns into a noble's murder. While the initial actions weren't the most honorable, no one in Eden's crew is really all th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review - King Arthur: Knight's Tale... Mordred's Time to Shine

  Image courtesy of Neocore Games Just to clarify, that final component of the title is of my own making. While it would have been an appropriate subtitle given the direction the game takes, Mordred's Time to Shine would probably take away from the overall atmosphere that Neocore was going for.    Every once in a while I come across a little gem in my gaming life that gives me some pause. They can really hit home as an incredible piece of art like Indivisible , or fully let me know why it is that they are found at the bottom of the bargain barrel like Mordheim . If you're into that game... my apologies. But there was no way of knowing that my readers would find such a thrill in something so boring.    King Arthur: Knight's Tale  is a fun romp through medieval Britannia, swinging swords and launching spells, as shown through the perspective of one of Olde English's most infamous literary villains. The Good Where this game excels is in bringing about an ...
Post a Comment
Read more