[Review] Görsd - Nintendo Switch

Developed By: Springloaded
Published By: Springloaded
Category: Action Arena Combat 
Release Date: 09.18.2020
Composer: James Barnard

We have all heard, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Really difficult not to do when you see the cover image for Görsd. At first glance the image isn’t easy to look at, and the in-game graphics aren’t particularly special. That aside, I actually found this title entertaining.

You begin the game being birthed from a “womb-eye”. As you venture out into the odd 2D pixelated world, you are warned to turn away. Slowly igniting runes on the ground, you open the door to a temple that sets the stage for a brand new type of frustration all to learn about what the Görsd is and how it is affecting the world. There are a couple of introductory puzzles, but they do very little to break you in. You get one bullet, and you have to learn how to steer that bullet while also managing to guide your character through the puzzle. It can be used to defeat enemies, but if not caught properly when it returns to you, it kills you; and you start the challenge all over again.

There are multiple game modes that center around two main types of objectives: Control and Combat. Some of the smaller game types are standard, elimination, and time puzzles. The difficulty of the puzzles are gauged mainly on how well you learn to use and control the bullet while simultaneously guiding your character.

It’s a peculiar experience. The difficulty of the game isn’t changeable until you have failed enough times. At that point you are teleported to a basement (seen above) where you are forcibly transformed into a worm. Once the adventure is continued, you are told you are just “a worm” ensuring that you feel unworthy to continue playing the game. After you have successfully completed a few stages you are able to “toggle” the difficulty of each level. If you please the monstrosities watching, you will transition back to your previous form.

Imagine if the design for Falkor, from Neverending Story, was used to create nightmare fuel. The monsters that work to deter your desire to continue are unsettling. Humanoid deity styled forms that scurry across the screen at random moments in the story. When you win or lose they spin around the screen in a kaleidoscope style which serves to make them seem more deranged. The music is nothing relatively special, yet works very well in this fragmented broken world. The soundtrack seems nearly out of place for the setting of the game, but in a curious manner fits very well.

Görsd left an impression. Not in a manner that many other games have, but rather a desire to overcome. It isn’t a boring game, and full of more than exceptional challenges. Two of the best features are the checkpoints in the game and multiplayer. A couch co-op style addition that provides more worth to the game that, in my opinion, wasn’t needed. Multiplayer can be played with up to 4 players, with 8 different game modes.

The inspirations of the games that have come before are easily recognizable. It is almost as if you melded a Legend of Zelda world and Pac-Man into an confrontational strategy arena title. I enjoyed the challenge of the game. The developers have crafted bizarre and off-beat music combined with unpleasant creatures and used them to introduce an interesting title into the fray. Not a perfect storm, but very easily a must own for anyone looking to try something new.

3/5