More fun sandboxy RPG goodness if you liked TOW vanilla. However, it doesn’t improve/expand game components like the weapons system, which I was hoping for in an expansion, and instead really only offers a new map to explore with a new story quest. Gorgon itself is a fairly uninteresting setting in my opinion, although the story adds some fun stuff to the lore. Overall, if you enjoyed TOW, Peril on Gorgon offers more of the same, and if you found it lacking and half-baked, it doesn’t feel like the extra time has resulted in a more polished/deeper experience.

In some ways, the absolute pinnacle of interactive narrative entertainment to date. Especially in its early hours, the band of NPCs you live with feel more naturally characterized and fleshed out than anything else I’ve experienced. The world is so lovingly crafted and beautiful.

The only knocks against it are that A) it considerably overstays its welcome, and B) the fundamental mission structure and basic “map game” open-world construction feel like Rockstar resting on its laurels. A world this subtle, rich, and nuanced deserves—almost demands—a game structure that feels more naturalistic. Arthur’s journal, a painstakingly detailed little filigree, is basically pointless as the GTA-style map and menu interface makes it 100% explicit what missions are available to you and where you can walk to trigger them. It’s a nitpick, but I wish the game preserved a little more mystery. I wish, like classic Elder Scroll entries or something, you had to interpret the journal notes, forcing you to explore more of the nooks and crannies of this expansive world in order to find that person you’re meaning tot all to.

I criticize only because it can take it. Because, apart from dated mechanics, it’s a strong contender for GOAT.