Seeking something truly new, more and more developers are creating hybrids. We’ve collided two genres to create a great Frankenstein’s monster game. Sunday Gold is his one of the strangest and most fun experiments I’ve seen in years. A mashup of Final Fantasy and Broken Sword, this slick-looking comic book crime drama is, oddly enough, a turn-based point-and-click adventure. And so far he’s played three hours and the combination seems to work surprisingly well.
Set in a near-future London where it’s always raining and billionaires are fatter than ever, Sunday Gold follows three criminals trying to take down Kenny Hogan, the corrupt head of a big corporation. operate. The chunk I played was cut from the start, with the group’s objective being to break into Hogan’s office and steal his hard drive full of criminal data.
Exploring that data plays out, at least on the surface, like a fairly classic point-and-click adventure. Similar to Monkey Island and Gabriel Knights, explore different locations to find clues and items to solve puzzles. CCTV needs to be disabled, drains need to be flooded to reveal what’s inside, and secret passwords need to be unearthed from hidden locations. In keeping with the genre’s tradition, Sunday Gold employs a pixel hunt. I spent a lot of time hovering over every item in the room looking for something I could pick up or interact with.
But it’s when those items are found that Sunday Gold rips through the LucasArts rulebook. First, there are his three main characters, each skilled in a different skill. Found a door that won’t open? You need to have Frank apply the lockpicking skill. Need to break through your computer’s security? Then Gavin the hacker is your man. Want to put away your heavy lockers? A bruiser like Trunchbull Sally has muscle. Each of these skills is performed in a unique mini-game. Picking, which rotates the cylinder of the flank, is the most enjoyable tactile experience.
Party fulfills all the demands of a traditional role-playing manual, with each member having bespoke skills, traits, and upgrade trees. But what’s really fascinating is how this RPG layer links to the adventure layer. These ideas are mixed together rather than two separate components. For example, getting Frank to unlock it requires spending action points, just like in the old Fallout games. However, Frank has a limited number of action points available, so when he runs out… he has to end his turn and refresh himself.
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yes. Sunday Gold has turn-based combat encounters, but turns also apply during normal adventures. It also has fantastic devil wrinkles. Moving to a new turn increases the alert level of the security forces inside the building. The turn ends with the trio listening to radio chatter, and the tension builds as they cross their fingers wishing “all clear.” However, if you get a little confused, the guards will start moving and even arrive on the scene.
Its alert system is intertwined with a calming mechanic. Each of his three rebels of yours can have their confidence shaken by the growing fear that they might be caught, and hearing bad news scrapes the meter for each of them. Some people take it worse than others. Frank and Sally are pretty die-hard criminals, while Gavin is a newbie who quickly loses his mind. However, anyone can lose their cool, and all three of his party members have their own debuffs, such as hallucinating enemies that don’t really exist if the meter is too low.
Even if you have it with you, you’ll eventually find yourself in the sights of a real guard or security drone. Combat is where Sunday Gold stays most traditional. If you’ve played games like Persona or Final Fantasy, then you know how familiar turn-based battles are. Each character has a normal attack (ranged or melee, depending on equipment) and a more sophisticated special skill that costs more action points. Some of the more powerful skills, such as Frank’s precision-aimed shots, require a turn to recharge, which adds a little more planning strategy ahead. Beyond the turn-skipping guard system, it’s literally a JRPG fighting playbook. Arguably – but it’s certainly Sunday Gold’s most obscure conventional component, at least during business hours. .
Combat is enlivened by striking art design and feels like an animated “grown-up” graphic novel with painting-like panels. There’s definitely a nod to Persona in the exaggerated special attack animations, but overall the presentation could be just as mentionable as Disco Elysium thanks to the oil-paint-like veneer that covers the entire world. There is. Its character portraits, great font choices, and detailed environments make for what I can only describe as the world of “Ugly Handsome,” and I’m looking forward to exploring and deconstructing it further. The score, which has Kavinsky shades in its big moments, promises to be a little jarring.
If there’s one thing I haven’t been happy with so far, it’s the story. This is certainly a very important factor in both point-and-click and RPGs. Frank, Sally, and Gavin are well-drawn, with dialogue and personalities staying true to London caricatures, but in the opening segment, Sunday he has hooks similar to Gold’s unique system and Fantastic his art hybrid. do not have. But it’s early hours now, and as the trio reveals more about Kenny Hogan and his corrupt practices, there’s a good chance the plot will unfold into an exciting tale of working-class rebellion. The sex appeal and experimental approach to classic adventure made me sign up to play more when Sunday Gold released later this year.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK news and features editor.
