047PREVIEW
The upshot is an RPG that has the potential to
be your next favourite thing since BioWare dropped
the ball with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Despite its
modest budget there’s an ambition to Greedfall that’s
appealing. Having seen the game in action, the world
and its alt-history setting, layered with political and
religious commentary, is engaging.
Rousseau explains why this world feels so well-
defined: “Each time I create a universe for one of our
games, I’m trying to think about a consistent world.
I’m always thinking into the geography, history
before the game, different factions, nations, magic,
politics, and even the religion of this world.”
Such a rounded approach leans into the drama
of the narrative: settlers, mercenaries, and fortune
hunters from a European-like continent have raced
to a new remote island to plunder its resources.
Some – you – have embarked on the journey to find
a cure for a plague, others for its riches and magical
secrets, both metaphorical and actual.DRAGON AGED
The breadth of this new world is explored through
familiar trends; a mix of real-time combat governed
by stats, exploration across large hub areas that
remind us of Dragon Age: Inquisition, and choice-led
conversations. Choice, in particular, is a factor at play
in almost everything you do in Greedfall,
explains Rousseau. Some of your decisions
are small, some more important, some
occur during dialogue paths, others
by actions you take – who you kill or
befriend will affect the story.
“Some will have an immediate impact
some will change the experience of the
player hours later, and some side-quests
will even influence the main quest
experience,” says Rousseau. “Of course, there
are also multiple endings, but to be honest
I think it’s more rewarding for the player
to see the world and NPCs react to choices
during the game and not only in the end.”
The promise is of a colourful world that’s
constantly evolving based on your character
interactions and decisions. The many factions on the
island will align with you or turn against you.
“As players can make a lot of choices, they can
really decide if their character will be heroic or not,
diplomatic or violent, caring or selfish,” Rousseau
tells us. “The game will react to these decisions, but
there are not necessarily bad choices: the story and
experience will be different, of course, but it won’t
lead to a game over.”
Some of your choices naturally mean customising
your protagonist. Rousseau reveals to us there’ll be
the standard options – choose their sex, face type,
hair style, and skin colour – but also the choice of
combat skills and social abilities. These latter two
can be developed by assigning XP over the course
of the game, with combat offering a mix of pistols,
swords, and magical attacks to bring its melee
skirmishes to life.
Crafting is important too, and means you can
create armour sets, clothes, and weapons to then
customise. These can be used by you or equipped
on your companions. You won’t be playing solo, but
with a cabal of NPCs who will react to your choices
like everyone in the game. Some will turn against
you while others will fall for your charm. Romance...
that BioWare influence won’t go away.FACTRICK
The creatures in the game
are incredible, including the
mountain guardian Nádaig,
and they all have stories.- MONSTER SQUAD
You can change difficulty
settings at any time, but on
Hardcore mode you’ll need
every resource in the game.- PRO RULES
There are no planned ‘fetch
quests’; every mission is
narrative-focused and
affects the main story.- FETCH FAIL
Above The larger creatures that inhabit the island are called the Nádaig, which
means ‘guardians’ in the native language of the islanders.
Above There’s a vast area to explore, including shipwrecks to
plunder for resources and new, hidden quests.
Above The main city on the island will evolve, and your choices
will affect how its inhabitants prosper and treat you.
“I’M ALWAYS THINKING
INTO THE GEOGRAPHY,
NATIONS, POLITICS
AND THE RELIGION
OF THIS WORLD.”