Polish developer Covenant.dev has shared the first gameplay for Gord, their Diablo-like city builder and adventure game coming to PC.

Gord is a mix of city builder and adventure RPG, where you build up a village in dark, twisted world. Your villagers all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and differing levels of experience in things ranging from fighting, mining, and securing food.

As you send out villagers to adventure they can not only get hurt but also start experiencing psychological damage – via the game’s sanity and burden systems. The game will also have a story campaign complete with “hand-crafted” maps, though its quests are AI-generated.

Though Gord has both city building elements and action RPG adventuring, almost all of today’s first 16-minute gameplay block is focused on the adventuring bits. I do love me some gothic action RPGs but I probably love city builders even more – hopefully we’ll get to see more of that soon.

Here’s the new block of gameplay:

Here’s a rundown on the 2021-announced game:

Gord info

Adventure strategy in a dark fantasy setting

Lead the people of the Tribe of the Dawn as they venture deep into forbidden lands. Complete quests that shape their personalities, impact their wellbeing, and decide the fate of their community. Ensure the survival of your populace in a grim fantasy world inspired by Slavic folklore.

A unique city-builder with survival elements

Erect palisades, develop structures, and grow your gord from a humble settlement to a formidable fortress. However, expansion won’t be easy! Your population is constantly at risk from enemy tribes, gruesome monsters, and mysterious powers that lurk in the surrounding woods.

Great variety of AI-driven quests

Venture outside the walls of your settlement with Gord’s AI-driven quest system, ensuring a huge variety of challenges to take on. The Scenario’s main objectives will guide your gameplay, while versatile side quests and random encounters will send you off into the wilderness to hunt down legendary creatures, uncover secrets about the Ancients, or vanquish a nasty scourge. Expect the unexpected.

Custom scenarios with procedural generation

Set the stage by choosing from a wide range of Scenario options, and try to emerge victorious. Take it easy or set an impossible challenge; almost anything can be adjusted! Choose from a variety of primary objectives, select the level size, the intensity of raids, the environment you’ll play in, the types of enemies you’ll face, starting resources, and even the severity of weather. Of course, don’t forget the Horrors.

Impactful sanity and burden systems

A healthy populace is the key to survival in Gord. Every aspect of your settlers’ lives – from illness and hunger to the death of their kin – can impact each subject’s Sanity and Burden levels. Keep a close eye on them, as once they reach a critical point your subject will suffer from a breakdown or even flee your rule.

Unleash powerful incantations

Please the Gods with your prayers and they may give you access to their spellcasting abilities. Incantations vary in nature – some are offensive while others are defensive – but they all help to tip the battlefield in your favor. Conceal areas from your enemies, gain control over threatening beasts, or turn an unholy rage against all who dare to oppose you.

Uncover the world’s mysteries in The Chronicle

The Chronicle explains the history of the Gord universe that blends real-world Slavic mythology with dark fantasy. Pages torn from The Chronicle will be scattered throughout the game’s landscapes, giving dedicated players an additional challenge of discovery. Collecting as many pages as possible will provide insight into the origins of the Gods, ancient factions, and the mystical Whisperers.

Gord is launching for Windows PC (via Steam) sometime in 2022.