This on its own isn’t groundbreaking, but Horizon’s Gate offers a neat twist on this by allowing you to sell this information to brokers throughout the world. Everything you examine will reward you with a few lines of text about that item or piece of the environment. Early on you are introduced to the examine function – simply take your magnifying glass and click it on different bits and pieces of the world. The best example of this discovery loop is a mechanic I now want all games to adopt – the examine system. ![]() One early game area puts you in a space with what looks like a hedge maze, but wait – what’s that over there? An amulet just laying on the ground, but there’s no possible way to it? If only I could set this stuff on fire… Thanks in part to its mechanical depth, you might spend dozens of hours not even realising something was possible before the game gives you a prompt to experiment. The world of Horizon’s Gate feels incredibly expansive, not just in size, but in possibility. I barely touched the sea battles for most of my time with the game, for example, instead focusing on land combat and trading back and forth between a few towns, with bouts of exploration when the mood hit. Each of these systems are strangely both discrete and interconnected – you don’t have to engage with the ones you don’t want to, yet they all feed into each other and your own goals, always providing that feeling of forward momentum. On offer is a smorgasbord of interlocking RPG systems, from trading goods for profit across towns and cities, dungeon diving for treasure and secrets, and earning a reputation with different factions through any means necessary in exchange for help and favours. Naval conflicts offer yet another layer of tactical planning, with a variety of ships, cannons and boarding options rounding out your fleet.Īnd that’s just the combat. There are dozens of classes with hundreds more skills and abilities to equip, play around with and synergize strategies around. When not wandering about the world in search of fame and fortune, battles that play out on land with your five chosen fighters in classic grid and turn-based forays. A clear love of class customisation and tactical decision making is built into the very core of this game, pulling on such inspirations as the fabled Final Fantasy Tactics. ![]() Some games bring to mind a singular descriptive word, and for Horizon’s Gate that word is crunchy. Just maybe don’t expect there to be much in the way of a story along the way. Horizon’s Gate offers up a wealth of systems, should you be in the mood for a swashbuckling adventure. Living your best life as a pirate on the open seas, a trader amassing a personal fortune, an explorer out to search the four corners of the world or a scorned officer in search of revenge are all not only possible in Horizon’s Gate, but extremely enjoyable. The first hour is filled with colourful characters, mystery and betrayal, before letting you loose on the world to do… anything you like. You’re a newly minted Commodore, out on your first voyage – before getting taken out by seemingly innocuous pirates. ![]() So please, come with us on this trip through wonderful worlds, heartfelt tales and mysteries simply begging to be solved. ![]() Every week for 12 weeks, we will be highlighting and reviewing one standout indie game that was released in 2020 that you’re likely to have missed.
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