Gatewalkers

Gatewalkers is a cooperative action RPG/hack'n'slash with an isometric view, procedurally generated lands and elements characteristic of survival. The game was developed by Polish independent studio A Square Softworks (A2 Softworks), which also created Drill Deal strategy and specializes in prototyping various productions and designing computer networks for existing titles. Gatewalkers is the first such large project for this team, so it was initially published in Early Access on the Steam platform.

Plot

The game tells the story of the titular Gatewalkers, who are able to use teleports to reach various mysterious lands, each of which differs in the atmosphere (maintained in fantasy convention) and elements of the environment (the result of a procedurally generated world). Gatewalkers does not place too much emphasis on the story, and the tasks assigned by the Guild to the four daredevils are quite simple. They consist mainly of fighting against a large group of enemies, surviving in difficult conditions, and finally saving their land.

Mechanics

Gatewalkers is a cooperative action RPG, and thus the gameplay is primarily about exploring a randomly generated world (they differ in terrain, type of vegetation or monsters) and surviving, fighting with difficult weather conditions and various kinds of creatures. The clashes take place in real-time, but there is no automatic aiming in the game, so Gatewalkers sometimes requires thinking, skillful positioning of the characters and precise use of the abilities.

Cooperation between players is very important during the game. It is required not only during battles but also for using the characters' unique abilities to survive in unfavorable conditions such as a toxic atmosphere, lack of water or oxygen, ubiquitous darkness or piercing cold. Every land is a different obstacle to overcome, so the heroes have to adapt to the new circumstances and share their duties among themselves (e.g. lighting a bonfire, finding food or putting up a tent).

To survive, you need to make good use of your character's skills (not only during combat), choose the right equipment and create new, useful items via the crafting system, recipes and resources found during the exploration. In Gatewalkers, there are no pre-defined classes, so the game provides a lot of freedom in creating characters - there are no limitations typical for most fantasy RPGs. Therefore, a healer can easily wear heavy armor.

Game modes

Gatewalkers was created for multiplayer mode. So, the cooperation for up to four players takes place in network mode only - we can't play on a single computer. However, the creators also prepared a single-player mode.

Technical aspects

Gatewalkers uses the Unity and Photon engines (for network gaming) and offers decent visuals, especially for a small indie studio. Thanks to the randomly generated environment and changing climate, the title offers a diverse visual experience.

Last updated on 19 July 2023