Everybody is trying to give their take on dystopian settings, with the latest trend in this genre. From Cyberpunk 2077 To Hunger Games, every story is eager to show what’s unique to them, and in a genre with such wide competition it’s not easy. However, I have to hand it to GKOM’s newest title, Sunday Gold, because a dystopian future mixed with necromantic dog racing for sport is truly a combination I haven’t seen before.
Sunday Gold The story of Frank, Sally,, and Gavin is about three criminals who work together to infiltrate Hogan Industries for what they believe is a job for easy cash. They discover something far more sinister and complex than they anticipated and must confront Kenny Logan. Logan is a psychotic mix of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and they end up looking a lot like Mad Mod from Teen Titans’ TV series. Both the plot and setting are full of intrigue, but it is difficult to fit too much worldbuilding into a short time. The ending also feels like a Deus ex Machina, which isn’t great, but was also not the worst option available to wrap things up. Sunday Gold, the titular Sunday Gold, is a reanimated, cyborg-dog that is used for racing. Kenny Logan owns it and uses it as an example of the worst dystopian problems.
You will get to know the characters. Frank starts off as a degenerate hoodlum who doesn’t pay his bar tab, and while he still doesn’t pay his bar tab by the end of the game, you do get to see behind his bravado and façade of criminal nonchalance, to a person who at least has a heart. Sally, his usual business partner, is rough and tumble, kicks ass, and loves a bit of chaos, though her relationship with Frank gels considerably throughout the course of the game and slowly turns her into someone who you’re glad is on your side, instead of against you. Gavin, a recruit from the dark internet, rounds out the group. He’s absolutely green around the ears and his cowardice at first grates on both the player and Frank, but he toughens up and proves his mettle as the story progresses.
Sunday Gold’s gameplay is the most unique thing about the game, blending the investigative nature of a point-and-click game with a turn-based combat system. Characters are given seven Action Points per turn, and these are used for most actions other than “Examine.” For example, pushing a button, picking a lock, and hacking a computer all use up action points. Once you run out of AP you end your “turn” and the enemy has a turn. You can either decrease or increase your alert level, or be attacked by enemy guards. Your AP can then also be used for moves during battle and can be regenerated while in battle. The AP that you have left after a battle ends will carry over to the investigative section of the game. For example, if each character has 2 AP, they will have 2 AP to explore.
While the link between adventure and combat seems like a good idea, it’s frustratingly easy to get caught in a loop of low AP if you end battles by the skin of your teeth and then immediately need to end your turn to reset your AP, only to be attacked by more enemies. The alert system does not slow down between turns, and the more you are at risk of being attacked, the greater it is. It also interrupts the flow of the investigation and feels at times like you’re constantly fighting enemies in between doing one or two things at a time to move the plot forward.
You will be playing through three mini-games. Gavin hacks systems and Frank picks locks. Sally focuses on her super strength. Although the hacking was easy and Sally’s amazing strength is not difficult to grasp, the lock-picking was quite hard. The goal is to locate the “sweet spot”, a series or rings that change constantly, and then click on the blue bar when it reaches the sweet spot. Although it may sound simple, if any of the rings are wrong, you will be redirected back to the beginning. The blue bar must be in the sweet spot. If there is one side that is not, you can use an additional chunk of action points to attempt another. You could end up spending half an hour trying to pick the lock if you have slow reflexes or are jumpy.
The turn-based combat itself is fairly standard, but the maximum level cap of 10 ends up being a huge pain in the last few battles of the game where you’re heavily outranked by enemies that can fully regenerate their health multiple times. It would be great to be able upgrade skills beyond level 10, even though stats are still limited. I lost a boss fight after spending over two hours. It was a stalemate that could easily have gone on for hours. The combat generally felt uneven and rough around the edges, especially some of the battles earlier in the game before you get Sally’s healing skill up to speed.
Sunday Gold’s art style is a lot of fun, with the combat and investigative portions looking like watercolor that was painted on 3D models, and details character portraits to go along with it. The combat scenes are also modeled after motion comics, which allow for a more action-oriented feel.
Overall, Sunday Gold From start to finish, it was a difficult ride. It was difficult to balance combat and the idea of Action Points being carried over from one section to another was a great concept. However, it felt like you were constantly under attack. While the characters and the story were fascinating, the worldbuilding was too complicated for too little time. This, along with the Deus ex Machina at end made the story feel sloppy. If you’re looking for a specifically dark brand of dystopia to sink your teeth into, or are more into combat than adventure games, you might still like Sunday Gold, but it’s more like Sunday Bronze for most.
