The strategic genre has so far failed to establish itself fully in the console market. Control is no longer an obstacle. This is due to the fact that the consoles are starting to support the mouse and keyboard, but also because the overall gameplay is starting to adapt to the limits of control. Although there are some successful and quality exceptions and actually have always been, really the strategies are still associated with the PC. Currently, Laser Guided Games is trying to change it with its unconventional strategy Golem Gates. They brought it over a year ago on the PC, but now they have decided to reach the console players. How did they get there?
If you haven't heard about the game yet, you have to realize that Golem Gates is not really a common strategy. Nor is it a traditional console-centered strategy where games of this genre have a simplified interface and faster gameplay. Of course it does, but something else makes it unique. This unique feature is a combination of two genres - RTS and card game, respectively card fighting. Maybe it's not weird, but it's not the first game to try to combine and actually these elements fit together.
There are no bases to build, expand and produce units there. This is lengthy and complicated to operate with the gamepad. Instead, you have one basic character who does not fight directly and is not very mobile, but can create units anywhere in the uncovered territory. But you have to protect it, otherwise the game will end very quickly for you. However, you cannot produce units according to your preference, but only on the basis of what you have in your hands. This is what cards are available to you.
Just in Golem Gates it's not called cards, but Glyphy. These represent different units, defensive structures and elements, but also the capabilities and options you can use. As you play, you gradually gain more and more Glyphs and slowly build your deck into battle. It is from this Deck that the game selects the Glyphs to send you into battle with, so you can influence how you want to play. as in many other card games, it is advisable to balance your deck correctly so that you can respond, for example, to your opponent sending you all the hell this game offers.
In addition, you are not limited only by what package you have, but also by what you can “produce” at any given moment. Energy limits you in this respect. Every Glyph has some amount of energy needed to put it into battle. You need to think about what works best for you in the current situation. So whether you put something into the fight now or wait, you get more energy and send a stronger unit to the fight. In doing so, energy replenishes itself over time, and you can help yourself by occupying points on the map that replenish the energy faster. However, it will not be easy, as there are more of them on the map, and not only you, but also your enemy, follow them.
Interesting is also how the authors of the game all these elements and mechanisms linked to a rather interesting, although sometimes a bit messy story. The character is Harbinger, who has been called into battle by a mysterious force, but you are facing someone else even more covered in secrets. You are gradually revealing more about your mission and who you are actually facing and fighting. It could be presented differently, but the story is not the worst and it can address. It will take you to a mysterious, destroyed sci-fi world where ancient power is being fought and you are the reed-scales that decide everything here.
Gameplay Golem Gates is quite straightforward and action thanks to all of the above, it comes to the point, you are trying to quickly capture resources and send your troops to the enemy to destroy him before he can respond to you. In addition, don't forget the defensive, protect your Harbinger with towers and mines, sow some of it on the road and go forward to your destination. Sometimes the task is more complicated and you have to destroy the generators, for example. At other times you resist the attack, whether you are trying to overcome obstacles on the map. All missions are basically designed so that they do not last long and have a really fast gradient.
However, not all aspects have been successfully transferred to the controls and, for example, the selection of units is not so intuitive. So most often you end up sending most of your units at once, which of course is not the best idea. You only need one special attack and most of your troops will end up in flames. Also, working with the camera and the cursor on the console is not ideal. Switch has at least the advantage that you can control the game in handheld mode and touch. You can get used to it all, but even so, I think the controls could be customized even better and more intuitive for playing on consoles.
The Golem Gates campaign is divided into a prologue and three chapters, with a total of 15 missions awaiting you, increasingly learning about your enemies, with an increasingly powerful opponent and increasingly complex task. It is livened up by side missions for which you receive more rewards. Gradually, you also go through different environments and it takes a couple of hours. If you happen to be dreaming, there are a few other modes, and you still have the option to play online up to four.
There is a challenge mode that is more challenging than campaign missions and confronts you with specific tasks that really test your skills. In total, there are more than 30 challenges like this, giving you more hours of play. There's also a Survival mode that you can play on your own, or create an online room and join another player while trying to stay together for as long as possible. There are 6 different maps. Online mode offers the possibility of fast play, create your own, find one according to your preferences and also matches against AI. The problem, however, is that I haven't been able to find a single online game so far, so the Golem Gates online crew is probably really scarce.
It is definitely not the worst graphically, but the color palette used is a bit drab. On the one hand, you like the game, on the other hand, this feeling does not last longer, which is perhaps a pity. It would like a more variable environment and more varied. In graphics, however, the biggest problem is that with larger armies and multiple effects on the screen at the same time running out of breath and snapping down. On the contrary, the sound side is great, whether it is effects, unique dubbing (here and there it resembles the original Unicron), or especially great retro synthwave music, which is behind Dalvin Kang.
Golem Gates offers an interesting gaming experience, consisting of fast action and straightforward matches, complemented by the management of your deck. You decide what is most important to you - whether the widest package, but with more mixing of the Glyphs, which prevents you from playing for a while, or a narrow package, but with less variability. The game can entertain, even on consoles. However, it did not avoid mistakes. Certainly not just ideal control, which often complicates the situation. You will not be delighted by technical problems as well as long loading and other shortcomings. So if you try after Golem Gates, try the PC version.
