Sunday Gold blends turn-based combat and point-and-click adventure with London and comics

Sunday Gold, revealed at the Future Games Show tonight, has a lot going on under the hood, so bear with me. In Sunday Gold you play a team of three crims and… well, I can’t explain it better than the steam blurb, which says “experience a unique hybrid of escape room style puzzles, turn-based combat, and RPG mechanics tied together with a dark and cinematic storyline.” So, he, blending a few things, here. Key takeaway is that everyone in this has a faced like a slapped Bulldog’s bum. Nobody is having a fun time.

Sunday Gold does, however, look very cool. The art style is sort of cell shaded (Sunday Gold is taking a lot of inspo from comics) but sort of oil paint? And despite being set in the near-future, the vibe is 70s; a lot of yellow and brown is in play. Your three characters are Sally “The Activist” Wheeler, Gavin “The Disgruntled Ex-Employee” Wheeler, and Frank “The Vengeful Ex-Con” Barber, and if we’re being honest only one of those is going to work as a half -way decent nickname. The gang are on a mission to reveal the dark secrets of a megacorp, presumably one that dun them all wrong somehow.

We don’t get to see much of the game in action but the turn-based combat is almost stop motion in feel, while also throwing in your comic book “THOK!” and “WHAM!” Style action bubbles. Cinematic bits are comics-y too, using appearing panels to move the action on. In between actiony bits you have to explore rooms, which is where the escape room/point and click stuff comes in, and you have to manage your composure in tough situations with consumables and other things. I’m not sure about the consequences for fucking up, but they’re probably bad.

Probably too early to compare this to Disco Elyisum, but there’s a whiff of it in the air. My main fear, if I’m honest, is that this may be one of those games that looks very cool, but is a bit hard to control because you’re never really sure of the depth perception. But that’s a worry for later down the line.

The 90s and 00s was a time when Guy Ritchie was king, when we were all in love with Cockney geezers. And don’t get me wrong, I love the Sopranos and associated memes as much as anyone else, but it’s nice to see London getting a turn again. Now GEDARDAMY PUB!

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