GreedFall Previews

The developers from Spiders, the studio behind Mars: War Logs and The Technomancer, were showcasing their upcoming colonial era meets fantasy action-RPG GreedFall during the recent “Le What’s Next De Focus” French press event, on account of it being published by Focus Home Interactive. As a result, we can check out a couple of early previews that make the game sound quite promising:

PlayStation LifeStyle thinks GreedFall is a title we should keep an eye on:

A Different Time

GreedFall features a setting inspired by Baroque art from 17th century Europe. Settlers have descended upon a mystical island. One that’s protected by numerous species from nimble hominid-like species to massive guardian beasts. The meeting of vastly different cultures results in high tensions, something shown quickly in just a few cinematics. It’s immediately obvious that the world of GreedFall is a colorful one, as we were presented with a lush forest, with bright green hues and iridescent foliage set as the backdrop to violent war. Always nice to see a vibrant palette.

Spiders Games made it clear that they are giving players many choices throughout the adventure in GreedFall. This means that decisions will impact the storyline, also resulting in different endings. As a settler, the player can choose to attempt to conquer the mystical natives, help them keep their sovereignty, or something entirely different.

You Are Not Alone

Taking over or helping the world takes more than just one person, so GreedFall features squad-inspired gameplay. Five companions can join the player on any given adventure. Their loadouts can be changed manually, as well. It wasn’t immediately obvious just how autonomous these companions are during battle, but they did seem to hold their own during the demo that was shown.

Fundamentally, the combat shown resembled a typical brawler, though the dual-wielding of traditional weapons and magical abilities are likely to ensure variety. Animations were a bit stiff, but the game is still in active development. Multiple enemies could be taken on by flicking the right analog stick to target them one at a time. So causing one enemy to stumble back, to give the player room to attack another, is in the realm of possible tactics to use when on the battlefield.

A short, special move also slowed down time for a moment. This was done for the sake of slowing the action if it gets too overwhelming, since combat is designed to be challenging. Attacks will vary in range and damage, though no onscreen damage indicators could be seen in the build shown.

And Daily Star likens it to a BioWare game on a tighter budget:

Spiders also told us that you’ll have the option to pick either a male or female character in the game – the choice won’t affect too much of what you play, but it will limit the romance choices you have once you get a bit further into the title.

That’s right – there’s romance in the game, too.

So to all intents and purposes, this does feel very much like a Bioware game developed on a tighter budget. But with the uncertain fate of Dragon Age and the letdown that was Andromeda, maybe it is time to look elsewhere for our character-driven, action-based RPGs.

Spiders games aren’t bad – they may lack polish, but they’re not bad. And what we’ve seen of Greedfall so far is a promising set of ideas, all brought to life in an intriguing and unique world.

The colonial flavour of the game is the most interesting setting for a fantasy title we’ve seen showcased so far this year, and the Baroque art from the 17th Century the game is modelled on provides endless potential for a fantastical adventure.

More than anything, the game reminded us of Hamilton mashed with Dragon Age – if that’s a game you’ve always wanted to play, you should really keep your eye on this one.