Game: Ord.
Genre: Adventure, Simulation, Strategy, Role-Playing
System: Nintendo Switch
Developer | Publisher: Mujo Games & Stuffed Wombat | Ratalaika Games
Age Rating: EU 3 | US Teen
Price: EU €4,99 | USA $4.99 | UK £4.99
Release Date: November 6th, 2020
Review code used with many thanks to Ratalaika Games
Not Your Ordinary Adventure Game
Ord. is an adventure, role-playing game with a twist…its entirely text-based! The gameplay is very straight-forward. You begin one of five available storylines with a choice to make. This choice then prompts a 3-word description of that choice’s outcome. That outcome will then lead to another decision, furthering the story along. Some decisions cut your quest short while others lead you through dungeons or into run-ins with suspicious characters. Its like the “choose your own adventure” books of my childhood, but simplified. However, I found it to be no less fun!
We’re Off to See a Warlock!
The opening menu includes five storyline options, including dethroning an evil warlock or taking part in a heist! I chose to start a warlock thwarting quest, which went a little like this:
The alarm goes off. I choose to hit “snooze” 3 times as per my norm. Finally, I wake up and have another decision to make, to leave the house or to stay. I go with what I know on this one and stay put. I read the newspaper and discover there is an evil warlock afoot! I then choose to stay in again and eat some breakfast. It’s delicious. I’m finally ready to leave and am surprised to see I’m heading into the forest. I come to a bridge which I can either go over or under. Under sounds fun! But alas, a troll appears and my adventure is done.
Surprisingly Satisfying
I ran through quite a few more times, slightly changing up my decisions from the time before. I managed to fight a raccoon, enter a dungeon, and meet an ogre! It was really fun because I was able to use my imagination to envision the various settings and predicaments. I could also see using the game as a storytelling tool with my young kids before bedtime, because let’s face it, sometimes I’m exhausted after a long day and making up engaging bedtime stories is at the bottom of the list. The stories can be as long or as short as your choices make them!
Conclusion
I was surprised with how addicting Ord. truly is. It would be easy to assume that the simplicity would compromise content, but that is absolutely not the case.
This is a game that can be revisited over and over, with a different outcome each time. My 10-year-old tried it and loved it as well. I love that he’s practicing his reading and comprehension without even knowing it, and having a blast!
I would definitely recommend this game for all ages. Definitely give this one a try!
Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot