Gorky 17 is a quirky cross-genre game. It's gameplay fits most cleanly into the tactical RPG genre, with it's fixed directional weapons and chess-like mechanics resembling games like fire emblem or shining force, but it borrows many cues from the survival horror genre that work much better than expected.
The game borrows from the "Chernobyl" school of horror, with most enemies being irradiated mutants and unethical experiments made manifest. The low-poly blobs of body horror elicit more chuckles than gasps, but the game keeps the action tense by limiting medical supplies and ammunition, and eschewing a rest mechanic. It doesn't take long to realize every rifle bullet needs to be rationed and used to maximum effect, and positioning is critical to minimizing injuries every round. The "survival" emphasis feels novel in a genre awash with uncontrolled power curves.
This comes at a cost in complexity, however. Gorky 17 is not a deep RPG. Weapon skills increase with use which is nice, and while level-ups are frequent, the stat increases are small and feel inconsequential. There's very little in the way of customization, and you will almost always base your character progression on what you think will increase survival odds the most- feeling more like a puzzle, than a customizable role. Not a bad thing, but notable.
Those chess-like mechanics do break immersion somewhat as well. Most weapons can only be used orthogonally which feels arbitrary, and all creatures block line of sight regardless of size (ankle-biters can and do block brutes the size of a truck)- but these rigid rules make the combat more comprehensible, which is important given how unforgiving it is.
Despite it's grimy atmosphere, I found Gorky 17 to be a refreshing experience. Rarely in RPGs do I think about resource consumption beyond the current fight- but here, there is no rest, and no shop. Encouraging players to consider the longer arc of combat is something other games could learn from.
