Gilded

Gilded is a retro-styled, turn-based RPG inspired by classic games from the NES and SNES era. You guide Gregor, Jack and their companions through an open world of exploration, puzzles and combat, while uncovering its history and facing questions about heroism, choice and whether good intentions make an action right.

Story and characters

In an isolated land, legend says that anyone who completes a series of perilous trials can meet the fabled Djinn and have a wish granted. When a mysterious illness called the Epidemic leaves Gregor’s sister bedridden, he sets out with his friend Jack to seek a cure. As they recruit allies, Gregor faces ethical dilemmas that test his character and devotion to his sister. Jack, meanwhile, is haunted by a malevolent narrator who claims that his choices will mean nothing and that he is doomed to fail.

The party travels through the world and its underworld, meeting a varied cast with distinct personalities, abilities and backstories. There are 13 party members, whose traits and skills go beyond familiar archetypes. Their humorous, often sarcastic dialogue can also turn dark, while the world’s lore and history emerge as the story progresses. The journey has multiple endings shaped by the player’s philosophy at a pivotal moment.

Explore and solve puzzles

You explore the open world, tackle challenging puzzles and search for lore and essential items. Careful observation rewards you with discoveries, and more than 20 dungeons put your problem-solving skills to the test. The story offers over 20 hours of gameplay, followed by an extensive postgame with further challenges.

Turn-based combat

Combat is turn-based, with more than 100 unique enemies, including bosses that call for careful planning and tactical use of your party’s abilities. You choose one of three modes, which adjust combat difficulty without changing player or enemy stats:

• Casual: An item lets you win any battle instantly, and equipment that makes fights easier is readily accessible. This mode is designed to let you focus on the story and puzzles.
• Normal: Combat has the usual level of difficulty, and advantageous equipment is harder to obtain. Instant-win items are extremely rare and single-use, so you must rely on tactics to overcome enemies.
• Hardcore: Bosses are tougher, gain new abilities and use less predictable attack patterns. Casual and Normal mode handouts are replaced by equipment that makes the game harder, and this mode includes two exclusive battles. You must plan carefully to survive.

Retro presentation

Gilded uses pixel art and turn-based combat presentation designed to evoke the look and feel of classic JRPGs from the NES and SNES era. Its puzzles and battles call for planning and tactical insight, while its humorous dialogue balances the story’s darker questions about choice and responsibility.