Introduction, impressions, and strategy notes for Gardon's Path (Free SRPG).

I played the full-length simulation RPG, "Gardon's Path."
Among the many simulation RPGs out there, I don't think there's ever been one where the protagonist is a bald old man.
One of the defining features of this work is the large number of distinguished older gentlemen who appear and play active roles.

The protagonist of this story, Gurdon, doesn't save the world like a hero or overthrow a powerful empire.
The requests I receive are simply about eliminating bandits and thieves who are tormenting the people.

Helping people who are suffering from the effects of theft is a painstaking job, but it's something someone absolutely has to do.
I think this film, "Gurdon's Way," depicts a different kind of "hero" than the typical glamorous hero.

The completion time was approximately 23 hours.
I didn't find the difficulty level to be very high.

Game Overview

Synopsis

Warrior Gurdon arrives in the country of Sezbel by sea and discovers that the country's security situation has deteriorated drastically due to bandits.

Upon seeing the enormous number of monster hunting requests, Gardon decides to accept them as an adventurer.
At the guild, they meet Hermy, another adventurer who is also looking to take on a quest, and the two end up forming a party.
Working together with various adventurers, Gardon's long journey begins as he sets out to eradicate the bandits of the Kingdom of Sezbel.

Characteristics of the artwork

This game is a simulation RPG, but it has several distinctive features.

First, let's talk about your own units.
Basically, the main unit only consists of four members, so you'll be fine if you focus on developing these four characters.

One of the joys of SRPGs is deciding who to raise, but in this game, there is no choice.
In the sense that it eliminates the need to get lost, I think it's a bold game design.

Incidentally, although you don't really need to be aware of it, the story of this work is divided into larger sections called "chapters" and smaller sections called "stories."

Each request is assigned a "story," and each "story" contains roughly the content of three to four maps.

In fulfilling the request, many guest units will appear, including fellow adventurers who cooperate with you and the Kingdom Army who happen to be heading out to hunt bandits at the same time.
Generally, each segment is concluded with a "story," so when the story changes, the guest often changes as well.

Even if a guest unit's level increases, when it reappears later, it will be reset to a new level.
Therefore, giving experience points to guest units doesn't really make much sense.
However, the main units will naturally grow and develop in a balanced way, so there's no need to go to the trouble of deliberately having the main units deliver the final blow.

Guest units often possess powerful weapons.
Even if you use up all your weapons and break them, they will reappear when you reappear, so there's no need to conserve them.
Let them make full use of their exclusive weapons.

Another characteristic is that the number of enemies is generally large.
There are quite a few reinforcements, and the further you progress in the game, the more time it will take to clear each map.

However, enemies other than bosses aren't that strong, and you don't need to be too afraid unless you get surrounded.
Basically, you can defeat enemies quickly, so it's satisfying to watch the number of enemies decrease rapidly.
Our units rarely lose in one-on-one fights, but they are in danger if surrounded by a group of enemies.

In that sense, I think this game really shows how terrifying bandits can be when they're in a group.
Since the enemy is not an organized army, they often swarm in haphazardly.
Therefore, the interesting aspect of this game is how you cleverly use formations and tactics to overcome a numerical disadvantage.

On maps with many units, processing may be slow depending on your PC's performance.
Be careful when skipping, as it can sometimes cause the screen to appear to freeze.
In my case, the window briefly displayed "Not Responding," but if I didn't touch it too much, it started working properly.
The game has never stalled or stopped progressing.

Review (contains spoilers)

For the first time in a while, I sat down and played a full-fledged simulation RPG.
The story, which doesn't involve defeating demon lords or evil dragons, but rather focuses on relentlessly taking down bandits, may not be flashy, but it felt refreshing.

While we can speculate on some fragments of Gurdon's past, much of it remains a mystery.
The ending sets up a sequel, so if there is a next installment, it might be explained there.

While Gurdon is generally a quiet and gentlemanly man, when he does show anger, he exudes a terrifying presence.
While mercenary groups are one thing, bandits are generally refreshingly evil, so it was quite satisfying to see them.

Each character's epilogue is rather brief, but since adventurers are constantly experiencing encounters and partings, I felt that they were able to accept that aspect of the story.

Since the guests often change with each request, I think I was able to play with a fresh feeling because the faces kept changing.
The party you team up with also changes as the story progresses, with members leaving and joining, which was great because it sparked my imagination about the backgrounds of other parties.
To give an example, it's like Will's story in "SaGa Frontier 2"—the basic cast remains the same, but the characters change little by little.
It made me realize that the other adventurers are also working hard at their own various jobs.

I don't think the game's difficulty level is particularly high.
There are plenty of guest units, and until the mercenary group appears, our units have superior individual abilities, so it was very satisfying to be able to easily dominate the battlefield.

From the middle of the game onward, even we will start to struggle if we don't think things through.

In the second half of the game, as the number of controllable units and NPCs increases, the number of enemies also increases dramatically.
In that situation, operating the unit became difficult and sometimes cumbersome.

However, there are many NPCs, and they are quite reliable, so even if you leave them alone, they will significantly reduce the number of enemies on their own.
In that sense, the fact that you can complete the game even if you proceed a bit haphazardly is, in a way, a good thing.
With this number of units, a precise advance would have made clearing a single map take far too long, so I was relieved about that.

Below, I'll write freely about the guest units that left a particularly strong impression on me.

Konoki

I think maybe she got that name because her hairstyle looks like a mushroom.
It's not a particularly strong unit, but it appears from quite early in the game until the very end, so I grew strangely attached to it.
Since he kept showing up every time we went to defeat the bandits, I initially suspected that the royal army and the bandits were connected, but that wasn't the case.
Because I have a villainous face, it seems they misunderstood me.

OOO

Characters who appear early in the story tend to leave a stronger impression.
While they aren't particularly powerful units, they remain in my memory as leading veteran adventurers.
The occasional skill that ignores defense proved effective against the tougher enemies in the later stages of the game.

Natalie

One of the few beautiful women in this film.
My fighting style prioritized speed, and the occasional combo attacks were very welcome.

Yolasby

In this bleak world, he's a veteran adventurer who has managed to survive until the age of 70.
With its dwarf-like appearance, powerful attacks using its specialized warhammer, and tough stats, it's a formidable opponent.
Like OOO, his defense-ignoring skill is effective against tough enemies when activated, making him quite useful even in the later stages of the game.

Forza

He has the appearance of a composer from the Baroque era,He's probably the strongest unit among all allied units.
Perhaps because of his talent, he strangely comes across as cool, which is what's interesting.
Both its offensive and defensive capabilities were excellent, and I don't recall ever being in a tight spot.

Nora

This is a magic-type unit that appears alongside Glenn.
This is a highly capable unit, capable of using valuable long-range magic with a range of 5, powerful close-range magic, and even healing with a staff.
Its only weakness is its low durability, but there's always something it can do, so it's very busy.

·mirror

Although he doesn't appear very often, he's memorable as a guest character in the Kingdom Army who can use a bow.
While their attack power isn't particularly high, having units with long range is useful in many situations.

・Cells

This character has a backstory similar to Grim Reaper Sanders, where his squad is always wiped out.
Being a mounted unit and wielding a very powerful lance, it was a unit as reliable as Gordon.

・Reshelis

At first, their gender was unclear, and I thought they might be an older woman, but judging from their manner of speaking, I think they're probably a man (though I have no proof).
Like Sels, he was an excellent attacker with high offensive power and mobility, and was a reliable asset.
Its main drawback is that it's somewhat vulnerable to gunfire.

・Marvey

They're not a particularly strong unit, just average, but they often struggle, which made me empathize with them quite a bit, and they're a unit that left a lasting impression on me.

At first, we were surrounded by enemies and in a tight spot, but by traveling with Gurdon, we eventually earned a reward.
I felt like I could have died at some point, so I'm glad I managed to survive.

Strategy Notes (Spoiler Warning)

This work is not particularly difficult.
There are basically no maps with turn limits, so you can take your time and plan your strategy however you like.
I think we'll be fine as long as we keep pace with our allies and avoid being surrounded by a large number of enemies.

Regarding the number of maps
This game has a very large number of maps.
I've compiled a list of chapters and stories, so please use it as a guide to track your progress in the game.
I counted them while looking at the save data, so there might be some omissions.

- About exclusive weapons
Each unit comes equipped with its own unique weapon from the start, and all of them are quite powerful.
You'll gradually acquire items that restore your stamina, so I think it's a good idea to use them without hesitation.

in particular,The timing is such that you can defeat the enemy with just a few more attacks.In that case, let's use it actively.
Even if you use it all up, it will remain in your possession as a broken weapon.

Furthermore, the "high-quality" series weapons that can be purchased towards the end of the game are quite powerful.
Even if you run out of your special weapons early on, it won't mean you're stuck, so feel free to use them.

Chapter 9, Episode 11-6 (The stage just before the finale)
This is the stage before the final map.
This map was the only one I found truly challenging out of all the maps.

If an allied unit enters the area enclosed by this white circle, a large number of reinforcements will appear from the side.
If the NPC is not one you can control, their intrusion will not trigger the reinforcement switch.
Therefore,Let's gather our allies and regroup right before entering this area, and then we'll all head straight for the boss.

More reinforcements will appear as you climb the stairs, but don't worry about them; just head straight for the boss and defeat them.

It would be incredibly difficult to defeat every single enemy as you progress, and the NPCs will also run out of weapons.
If you can clear this, the next map will be much easier as it involves battles between smaller groups.