Gordian Quest

This game dares to be a challenging dungeon crawler, an engaging deck-builder, and a tabletop game all in one. Incredibly, Gordian Quest succeeds in a major way, with its only blemish being that it appears far more complicated at first than it actually is, which may scare off new players. But after the first few hours, the game truly shows what it's capable of. Gordian Quest has something for RPG (role-playing game) lovers of all sorts – it can be a punishing rogue-like for players who want a less forgiving, more strategic game where the slightest error results in the death of your characters and the end of a fruitful run. It can also be light and easygoing, allowing room for error and experimentation with the various classes and decks. There are many nuances and variations to each class, and the game makes it easy for players to try different sub-classes if they want. You not only have to consider one character's skills and abilities, but also how you can best optimize a character's deck against another's, because there are endless combinations to play with and try out. Additionally, you'll have to contend with swarms of enemies with various elements, strengths, and weaknesses, ensuring that players have to think of the next best move. In many ways, Gordian Quest is like a more elaborate game of chess. Where your characters are on the grid in the heat of battle matters. How quickly you do some quests (since the world around you frequently changes) matters. What you want to do as a player matters most of all. There's no "wrong" way to play, and you're always encouraged to adopt whatever playstyle is the most fun or interesting for you.

If you think all you're going to be doing is fighting in grids and throwing out cards, you'd be entirely wrong. Players can also encounter "events," turning the game into a classic D&D-style tabletop game as you read through mini-scenarios and make crucial decisions with the hope of receiving loot or other goodies. Many events are decided by a roll of the dice, and if you roll poorly, you could suffer horrible consequences. Luckily, there are ways you can influence how lucky you are in these tense situations by using characters with the appropriate stats – or by cashing in cards and risking penalties during your next battle. You may even come across exploration spots, where you'll move markers on an actual map, collecting loot and avoiding enemies as other map icons move around alongside you. Many beloved RPG elements are thrown in a pot and mixed together here, something that easily could've backfired if even one of those elements was undercooked. Fortunately, Gordian Quest had the care and effort put into it to create a satisfying, undeniably fun experience that'll delight gamers for countless hours.