AN UNEXPECTED JOY.

Earlier this year this site took a look at the Spiders developed Bound By Flame, an early PS4, late 360/PS3 RPG in the vein of BioWare’s RPGs as part of the Phoenix Down podcast. Drew, Matt, and myself decided that it was definitely better than most critics made it out to be, but I was a little less enthusiastic about it than Drew and Matt. Spiders has a sort of mixed track record for game quality, with nothing being considered truly awful but nothing being praised as great.

I think GreedFall changes that.

PLATFORMS: XB1, PS4, PC
MSRP: $49.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $49.99

GreedFall has the player assuming the role of a young noble on their journey to new lands to find a cure for the malichor, a new plague that has threatened the people of your land. It’s a fantasy take on colonization, where the player is put between the nobles and the natives with the player deciding who to align themselves with throughout. This is not a choice between good and bad, but rather who one thinks is more correct, which is a nuance I appreciate. This political intrigue all happens while horrible monsters roam the land and bandits try to beat up the player when night falls in the city. Life is about balance, and GreedFall captures this balance in both plot and gameplay, by both talking out one’s problems and then punching it in the face.

The more intriguing stories come from the side quests however. I ended up spending my time doing anything but finding a cure (looks like everyone is going to die). The writing is so good and the voice acting delivers the lines so well. A story about a young soldier recruit’s death was so interesting as I had a Coinguard captain and a Naut (sort of a pirate) captain with me, and the two would talk and start to bond throughout my investigation because they have both felt the same loss and because they are both captains. Had I chose to have a different character as my third party member, that would have been a different experience.

The only time voice acting seems off is with the natives, because the developers are clearly trying to make them sound foreign without really leaning into any stereotype, which is a noble thing to do. They sound foreign to me the player and maybe they should, because this new land isn’t a real place.

The game plays from a third person perspective. Exploration is a large portion of time spent in game, be it looking for an NPC to talk to or a chest to loot. From large open plains to the tight alleyways of a city, the game tucks things away so well that it rewards the most curious of players, and with money being tight at times I found it worth my while to check everywhere. The rewards for pilfering were generally better than combat’s earnings.
Combat feels good. I had my doubts during the tutorial as I was very bad, but when those lessons had to be put to the test it felt very natural. Maybe it was that I had a party member helping me. Maybe it was the fact I stacked up my health potions. I would like to believe it was my sudden grasp of using my gun to stagger enemies and my competent use of the parry button. Combat is more than just hacking and slashing at enemies; running in and being dumb is a guaranteed way to die. Luckily the autosaves are generous, meaning I usually didn’t have far to go before getting to retry a battle. Unlike Bound By Flame, I found no way to cheese combat either, so I really had to be smart and circle enemies, stagger them at appropriate times, and make sure my equipment is as powerful as possible.

All of the aforementioned content is experienced in a visually appealing world. Going from their work at the beginning of the console generation to now, it is a huge visual upgrade. At times I felt like this game could be presented as part of the Assassin’s Creed franchise and I wouldn’t know any better (that is a compliment). Whatever has happened over the last five years, Spiders has really stepped up their quality.

I think GreedFall may be the sleeper hit of the year. It’s an RPG that captures the best parts of BioWare’s works while adding in their own gameplay elements and a unique setting. The side stories are given just as much importance as the main quests. The world is large despite not being one large open world experience. Combat is the perfect blend of real time action and turn based decision making. After playing Bound by Flame earlier this year I had little expectation for GreedFall. I am happy I was wrong to doubt Spiders, because it is one of my favorite games of the year.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.