Review: Sunday Gold is a Stylistic Joy

Always a sucker for a good puzzle game, Sunday Gold managed to catch my attention by doing something that I’d personally not experienced. In what it was trying to achieve by melding two distinct genres together it’s created a wholy unique experience to behold. There’s the half of Sunday Gold that represents itself as a point-and-click crime adventure and the other half that plays as a turn-based RPG that allows you to take things to the next level.

After having had quite a bit of time to put into it, I can say that this is a title that the player base of either genre shouldn’t miss. This is a title that elevates itself as a turn-based point-and-click but doesn’t get too high off of its own supply. And the story, it’s one that’s sure to keep you entertained throughout your time with it. Let’s dive into it!

Sunday Gold Review Big Takeaways

• Sunday Gold is one of the most stylish games available.
• The characters and world feel fully realized.
• It’s a bag that mixes genres, creating an experience worth exploring.
• Sunday Gold finds a good balance of giving players a lot to do though doesn’t over-encumber them.
• There’s always a reason to come back for more.

Final Score: 7

Two Games in One

Sunday Gold masterfully marries two distinct genres together, creating a cohesive game that actually makes sense in the grand scheme of things. You have the main portion of the game, the point-and-click aspects of it that make up the bulk of what you’ll do.

You’ll look around environments, moving each of the 3 characters you play from area to area as you uncover items, characters, and clues that have to do with the progression of the story. Each person has their own set of skills that will limit you to using them in specific instances. This aspect also allows you to take a short break from skulking around rooms and play quick minigames unique to each one.

You’ll also come across many pieces of equipment such as health items and buffs to keep at your disposal until you need to fight enemies. While most things can be investigated with no worry, you’ll oftentimes need to use these sorts of energy points to do integral things. Once you’ve exhausted your set amount of points, 7 or so, you’ll have to end your turn. This is where the turn-based aspect comes in.

Typically, once your energy is depleted and you end your turn, enemies have a chance of making their way to you, forcing you to combat them and win in order to return to your investigation. Though, all of that is easier said than done.

Related: Review: No Place for Bravery is a Great Sekirolike for Newcomers of the Subgenre

One Step at a Time

When it comes to the turn-based aspects of Sunday Gold, this is where there’s a bit more depth, as there are three characters at your disposal, you’re going to need to master using each one in battle in order to succeed. Each character has their own specific attacks, special moves, and roles entirely, so to make sure you’re calculating your attacks and even defenses can be quite a tall order.

Each character also has their own skill tree of things to unlock such as improvements or new moves entirely. Using these characters in either battle or just throughout investigating areas is what’s going to level them up and thus earn more skill points to trade.

You’ll also be able to heal each character either independently or from one to the other, but only the inventory of the character currently in control is ready for use at that moment. This adds yet another layer to the strategy that you have to use as a player to succeed.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Sunday Gold’s story is actually quite an attractive one with characters and a world of grim bliss, feeling similar to a Guy Ritchie film like Snatch. Everyone in this world is seemingly bad, though there’s always definitely someone worse than our “heroes”, making them the ideal candidates to follow. It’s a bit more like Robinhood but if he and his band of merry men were depicted in a more realistic, criminally-charged way.

The goal of our heroes is that of fortune, as they’re just here for another heist. But along the way, things become a bit more extensive, and the stakes a bit higher for them, the deeper into the rabbit hole they go. It’s incredibly enticing and was a highlight to keep playing. Though the gameplay is great in each facet, it’s the characters and story that keep you playing as it’s just a fun ride from start to finish to meet and learn more about everything.

If that’s not enough for you, its cell-shaded art style is gorgeously done and the dialogue is handled in beautifully illustrated segments that allow the characters to show a lot of facial emotion. The soundtrack is also fantastic at setting the tone and the characters are fully-voiced, meaning, you won’t have to spend the entire game reading paragraph after paragraph of dialogue.

Overall, Sunday Gold is an experience more than anything else, creating something that you’ll want to keep coming back to time after time. I love how stylish the game is the whole way through, and I think it’s going to be one of those games that ages gracefully, being something players will talk about years from now.

All Work and No Play Makes Frank a Dull Boy

I think that one of the things that work best for this game is that it doesn’t feel too overwhelming in any one area. From the story to the point-and-click and turn-based gameplay, it’s the kind of game that you can take at your own pace.

It’s also a great ride for those of us who like a good crime story, as you get a chance to really envelope yourself in that world while not losing yourself in it. These main characters, while flawed, are not the worst people in this story. And that’s what helps to sell the thing overall.

Because of the versatility of Sunday Gold, I think that there are a great many players similar to me that would enjoy this game a lot. Though it isn’t some grandiose title, it’s a fun one that will make you enjoy your time with it due to the style and grace with which it executes its ideas.

Sunday Gold is available on October 13 for PC via Steam.

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