Welcome to the Gatehouse
Imagine standing in full plate armor at the entrance to a medieval castle, deciding who gets in and who gets turned away. That is the core idea behind Gate Guard Simulator, a new game that takes the document checking tension of Papers Please and drops it into a gritty low fantasy world that feels a bit like Kingdom Come Deliverance.
Instead of stamping passports, you are the latest recruit in your lord's castle guard. Your job is simple on paper. Stand at the gate, vet everyone who wants to enter, and protect the realm from criminals, disease and contraband. In practice, it quickly becomes a lot more complicated and a lot more interesting.
How Gate Guard Simulator Plays
Each in game day you take your position at the threshold between civilization and the dangerous outside world. A steady stream of visitors arrives at the gate. Monks, minstrels, traders, suspicious travelers and oddballs of all kinds all want access to your lord's domain.
Your main tool is paperwork. Citizens present documents that show things like their identity, family crest and reason for travel. Your task is to inspect these carefully and work out whether they are genuine or forged.
As the days go on the difficulty ramps up. The game promises that no two citizens are alike, so you will constantly be challenged to read people and situations instead of just ticking boxes. You will need to choose the right tools and methods to verify their stories.
On top of this basic loop of checking documents, several extra layers add depth and tension.
- Wanted criminals: You will have posters with faces or descriptions of criminals. As people come through, you must compare them with what you see in front of you and decide whether to raise the alarm.
- Disease control: Some visitors may be carrying signs of illness. Miss the clues and you could accidentally let a plague into the castle, with serious consequences for your lord and the people you are supposed to protect.
- Contraband and smuggling: Not every threat walks on two legs. You will search carts, hay loads and carriages for illegal goods. The examples so far include rabbits and a suspicious number of geese, which seem to play a recurring role in the game.
Every decision has an outcome. Allowing the wrong person in or punishing an innocent one can change the course of your watch. Visitors you deny entry can be turned away peacefully or subjected to more creative medieval justice. The trailer and screenshots hint at options like the pillory or even tossing troublemakers into the moat.
Choices, Ethics and Gear
Like Papers Please, Gate Guard Simulator builds its gameplay around moral choices. You can try to be the perfect loyal servant of the law, or you can put your own interests first. Bribes are very much on the table. Some visitors may offer coins if you quietly ignore a forged crest or let a suspicious cart roll on through.
How you respond shapes your character and your experience. Stick to your duty and you might keep the castle safe but struggle to afford better gear. Take the money and you could enjoy faster progression and shinier equipment, but risk the consequences of corruption.
Money earned from your official wages or from less official side deals can be spent on upgrading your weapons and armor. Better gear can make you more effective at your job and more imposing at the gate. This adds a light role playing feel, giving you a sense of developing your guard over time instead of just repeating the same actions.
All of this is wrapped in a medieval setting that leans into the everyday life of a gate guard rather than constant battlefield heroics. It is about routine, suspicion, observation and the pressure of knowing a bad decision can harm an entire community.
Behind the scenes, Gate Guard Simulator is developed by Redox Interactive, an Austrian studio that has previously worked on the turn based tactical RPG Dromenon. Publishing duties are handled by Forklift Interactive, which has already had some success with quirky simulation titles such as Cash Cleaner Simulator. Gate Guard Simulator is planned to release sometime next year.
Why It Stands Out For PC Gamers
Gate Guard Simulator fits nicely into the growing category of niche simulation and paperwork games that have found a passionate audience on PC. If you enjoy games that challenge your attention to detail and your moral compass rather than just your reflexes, this one should be on your radar.
The blend of document checking, pattern recognition and light role playing systems makes it an interesting option for players who like slower paced but mentally engaging experiences. It also looks like a great fit for laptop and handheld style gaming sessions where you want something thoughtful without needing high end hardware.
With its focus on medieval atmosphere, ethical decisions and the constant question of who goes there, Gate Guard Simulator has the potential to become another cult favorite in the simulation space when it finally steps on duty.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/gate-guard-simulator-is-papers-please-with-fewer-terrorists-more-geese-and-the-chance-to-throw-people-into-a-moat/
