Ord. Review

I am somewhat an older gamer, but I’m not quite old enough to remember the days of the text adventure. What stood out as mind-blowing tech at the time may look primitive now, but that’s not to say that it’s not worth revisiting. Ord takes the text adventure and boils it down to its most basic elements, managing to be ultra-simple yet also surprisingly captivating at once.

There are no flashy visuals or lengthy discussions to be had here. Instead we’re presented with five scenarios to play through, each beginning with a simple word, such as Alarm. Underneath are two options: Awake, or Snooze. Select one and a three word outcome will display (selecting Awake might bring up Breakfast: Leave, or Stay) before a new word will appear, again with two options underneath. And so on and so forth.

Each scenario differs in its ‘goal’, with one playing out a more traditional adventure to get to the end of and defeat a monster, while another simply tasks us with getting through the motions of another day, over and over. Each option selected branches the path we take, occasionally looping us around to previous options, but more often bringing up randomised and somehow easy to visualise settings. As with all good adventures it’s possible to pick the wrong path, coming to our demise after slipping down a ravine, or eating something poisonous. Restarts are instant though, and we’re better armed with new knowledge to try again. I couldn’t help but get wrapped up in proceedings despite only being told what was happening in three word chunks so much so that I’d audibly groan when I died yet again. I’m genuinely surprised at how much I got invested in Ord.

The three word limit seems to force us to fill in the blanks even more than a full blown story, with something as simple as “Flower: Pick/Smell”  giving us pause for thought as somewhat innocuous options can lead to game over should we pick the wrong one. It’s a very interesting way to deliver an adventure and, even though it appears simple, is deceptively clever.

As each word appears on screen there is a musical tone that helps liven up the mood, and often enhances the choices; a difficult choice might be accompanied by a more foreboding tone, while greeting a bard might have a chirpy, light feel to the audio. Much in the way of the paired back interaction, the audio cues are excellently implemented while not being overbearing.

Conclusion

Ord might not last you long, with each scenario ranging from a few minutes to a dozen or so to see most of, but while it lasts it’s a bizarrely enjoyable time, and proof that we don’t always need the best of the best in presentation to effectively convey an entertaining adventure.

This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox One console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.