Greedfall Feels Like Someone Finally Gave Spiders a Chance

Spiders is the king of the mid-tier RPG, and I adore mid-tier games. There’s something about ambition exceeding budget that allows real heart to pour through. Greedfall appears to be the fruit of all the labors of the studio, already looking more polished than recent efforts such as Bound By Flame or The Technomancer.

They say that fiction has no original settings left, but I can tell you there’s at least one left unexplored. Imagine the colonialists sailed to the New World in the 17th century, but instead of finding underdeveloped tribes, they found a world of magic and monsters. It immediately kicks imagination in high gear, and seems like a ton of fun.

Forge Your Path

This is a narrative-first game, as all great RPG’s are, and it shows. The world seems alive with possibilities. Differing factions have differing thoughts on how to deal with the world, and your character (fully customizable) is in the middle of it all. There’s the British coming into the new lands, but also different tribes who have been dealing with this world for centuries. A history shines through here, and I can’t wait to explore this world.

As for the other aspects of the game, exploration and combat, they look to be in fine order as well. It’s not open-world per se, but the game is divided into sizable open areas. Even just the one area in the demo is quite large. If it’s any indication of the rest of the game, modern gamers will have the giant worlds to which they’re accustomed.

Combat is real-time and surprisingly action heavy, but in a neat twist can be paused at any time. This allows for varied gameplay approaches. Get in there fast and furious, or take a tactical pause and plan for what you want/need to do next.

There are a lot of little things that go a long way with Greedfall. For instance, an entirely new language has been made up for the game. And while you can never understand it, some companions may, and they may not always translate it the same way. A disease has gripped the nation, and everyone has a different plan for the cure. It’s these things that make everything feel alive. This game should be on any RPG gamer’s radar. There were caveats to be issued recommending past Spiders games, but Greedfall seems like they might finally catch lighting in a bottle.

I speak to a lot more than this on our E3 Day 3 Recap, beginning right at 35:55.