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Review: GORDY

Sometimes, in the business of critiquing games, there comes a moment where you have to ask yourself if your expectations of the creators behind projects are too high. Are you holding people, and their work, to too great a standard? Would you be strong enough, focused enough, bold enough to make the choices that lead to this game existing in the first place? Can you really say that, in their position, you’d do better than they ever could? I think about all of that, and then games like GORDY fall into my lap to remind me that having standards is important too. Sometimes, games are hollow, ambling, and slapdash in their construction - being able to acknowledge those failings and examine them in detail helps us understand and celebrate how other games prevail where this particular experience fell short. And if there’s one thing to be said in GORDY ’s favour, it’s that it isn't lacking for teachable moments, however much I may wish it did. Developed and published by MyGrandfather Games...
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2020 Games That Seem Most Promising


Yes, I'm doing this again, running down the games set to release in a given year that are (from my perspective) the most immediately compelling based on their marketing and thus have me convinced that they could turn out well.

Yes, I recognize that some of the following games don't have firm release dates, just general windows for release like "Q1" or "Q3" or "sometime in 2020".

Still, we're doing this because I have some thoughts, this has proven the best format for expressing said thoughts, and it's January March, what else have you got going on? So, without further ado...

9) Carrion, by Phobia Game Studio (??? 2020)

An entire game whose premise seemed to have emerged from watching 1982's The Thing and thinking "This is cool... but what if we let you be the monster?"

I'd already be onboard with the concept and its apparent embrace of lurid, pixelated brutality, but Devolver Digital's been on a tear this past decade as a publisher of damn fine mid-to-low budget titles. I got a good feeling about this one.

8) System Shock, by Nightdive Studios (Q1 2020)

It's been a rough road for this project to remake the 1994 action-RPG of the same name, and not only because of the inherent expectations that come with revitalizing a game so significant to the development of the immersive sim subgenre. Feature creep, a change in game engines, even a start from scratch have befallen System Shock's production.

Still, the prospect is enticing and folks like Chris Avellone showing up to deal with the rougher edges lend some hope to proceedings.

7) Get in the Car, Loser! by Love Conquers All Games (Early 2020)

Christine Love's been an interesting developer and storyteller to watch grow. Her various works have used the tried-and-true foundation of visual novels to explore matters such as expressions of identity and sexuality, the connections between humanity and technology, AI sentience and so forth.

Yet with the bluntly titled Get in the Car, Loser!, it appears Love is primed to break even further from expectations by delivering a pastel-coloured, unabashedly queer pixel-art RPG, mechanically rooted in the design of mid-90s Squaresoft titles. Fittingly, it also seems to promise a somewhat irreverent, yet still potentially engrossing take on the usual world-in-peril narratives of your Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests.

6) Doom: Eternal, by id Software (March 20th)

I went into 2016's Doom not knowing if it'd turn out even half-decently, and came out the other end utterly enamored with the damned thing. It knew the right balance of slick modern visuals and classic shooter philosophy, it delivered on relentless action, and it mostly didn't overstay its welcome.

This appears to be more of the same, but with more Doom II in the concoction and some intriguing new prospects (Grappling Hook! Two-versus-One Deathmatch Mode!).

5) Spiritfarer, by Thunder Lotus Games (??? 2020)

Well, now this looks utterly delightful.

Pitched as a kind of management sim where the property is a gorgeous houseboat and the tenants an assortment of animal souls in transit to the afterlife, Spiritfarer manages to be eyecatching even beyond the obvious appeal of its animated aesthetic. If it's as heartrending and engrossing as the promotional material implies, this is a real gem in the making.

4) Maneater, by Tripwire Interactive (May 22nd)

This'll be, what, the second game on the list where the rationale is based on my desire to play as a copyright-friendly approximation of a movie monster. Maneater comes out closer to the top on the grounds that it looks like it'll deliver a good blend of human-devouring fun and intriguing monster-enhancing systems.

3) Resident Evil 3, by Capcom (April 3rd)

Of the PlayStation-era games, Resident Evil 3 probably remains my favourite - it's got the tightest pacing, I like its heavier action focus and Nemesis is an all-time great monster. Thus, the game receiving a similar treatment as last year's Resident Evil 2 remake - bringing it more in line with the post-Resident Evil 4 games while retaining the original release's overall feel - sounds like a good time.

2) Empire of Sin, by Romero Games (Q2 2020)

The Romeros are cool people, through and through. So when I hear that their next big project is a tactical-RPG set in Chicago during Prohibition, there's no question of if I'm excited. Bring it on.

1) Psychonauts 2, by Double Fine Productions (??? 2020)

Psychonauts, the first, really was a spectacular expression of ideas about trauma, human consciousness and personal growth filtered through the lens of a deeply creative and playful 3D platformer. That the trailers for the sequel have indicated it'll expand upon and intensify elements from the original, while seeming to go a fair bit weirder and wilder, is a good sign in my book.

~FIN~

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