GreedFall is an action role-playing game developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. The game is set in an early 18th century-styled fantasy setting and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 10, 2019,[1] and subsequently in a graphically uplifted and performance enhanced version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 30, 2021.[2]
GreedFall | |
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Developer(s) | Spiders |
Publisher(s) | Focus Home Interactive |
Designer(s) | Romain Meyer |
Programmer(s) | Wilfried Mallet |
Artist(s) | Cyril Tahmassebi |
Writer(s) | Jehanne Rousseau |
Composer(s) | Olivier Deriviere |
Platform(s) | |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
GreedFall was met with a mixed, but generally positive critical reception. A prequel, titled GreedFall 2: The Dying World, is in development.
Gameplay
editThe player, alongside other settlers, mercenaries, and treasure hunters, explores a remote island where the locals, who are fighting off invading settlers, are protected by supernatural beings. The game includes combat, diplomacy, and stealth. The player's decisions influence and affect the game's story, as well as the relationship between the different factions established on the island.[3] The game also supports enhanced graphical capabilities on the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X.[4]
Synopsis
editSetting
editAn island paradise has been discovered by colonial forces from several distinct nations from fictional lands, but with magic and monsters.[5] Players assume the role of De Sardet, a neutral Human who recently arrived at the island, able to ally with either the natives who inhabit the land, or any of the foreign nations competing to conquer and colonize the "new" land, while also trying to find a cure to a mysterious illness that plagues De Sardet and their homeland.[6]
Plot
editDe Sardet, a noble of the Merchant Congregation, prepares to travel to the newly-settled island of Teer Fradee to serve as Legate to Prince Constantin d'Orsay, De Sardet's cousin and the newly-appointed governor of New Serene, the Congregation's capital on the island. The Congregation hopes that the exotic environment of Teer Fradee will yield a cure for the malichor, a deadly plague spreading on the continent.
The group arrives on Teer Fradee and De Sardet is quickly dispatched to establish diplomatic relations with the island natives and two neighboring countries with a presence on the island. De Sardet gains several new allies and learns of the doneigada, native islanders with a supernatural bond to the earth that grants them mystical abilities. De Sardet's investigations into the malichor reveal that the natives worship a being known as "en on mil frichtimen" which has a connection to the island. De Sardet believes en on mil frichtimen to be real, and capable of curing the malichor with its power, and begins seeking a way to speak with it.
Constantin's health begins to decline and he soon learns he is infected with the malichor. After thwarting an attempted coup by the Congregation's mercenary guards, De Sardet contacts a native healer named Catasach to relieve Constantin's pain while the search for a cure continues. De Sardet learns that en on mil frichtimen's sanctuary can only be opened by the high king of the natives, Vinbarr, who has been missing for months. Upon returning to New Serene, De Sardet learns that Catasach and Constantin are missing. De Sardet finds Catasach dead and learns that Constantin has been taken by Vinbarr into the mountains. De Sardet tracks Vinbarr to his lair and kills him before bringing Constantin back to New Serene.
Three days later, Constantin's sickness is cured, but his physical appearance has changed, becoming similar to that of the natives. He reveals that Catasach took him to perform a ritual to turn him into a doneigad, making him resistant to the malichor. With Vinbarr dead, De Sardet intervenes in the native's election of the new high king and gets the winning candidate to promise entry into en on mil frichtimen's sanctuary. De Sardet is allowed to enter and speaks to the being, who reveals that the malichor is not a disease, but a poison generated by the continent in response to its exploitation by its people. It promises to help cure the malichor, but warns that Constantin's actions are weakening it.
Confused and horrified by the warning, De Sardet discovers that Constantin has become addicted to the power of the doneigad, and is performing more rituals to steal more of the island's power from en on mil frichtimen, intending to destroy both the natives and the settlers and rule the island alone. De Sardet confronts Constantin alone in the sanctuary, and is given the choice to either kill him and leave the island's fate in the hands of the factions, or join him in conquering the island.
If the player chooses to kill Constantin, the ending that follows will vary depending on the elected High King and the player's relationship with their companions and the various factions on Teer Fradee.
If the player chooses to join Constantin, the two cousins steal en on mil frichtimen's power and become godlike beings, unleashing a reign of terror upon the world.
Reception
editAggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 72/100[7] PS4: 72/100[8] XONE: 78/100[9] PS5: 73/100[10] |
Publication | Score |
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Destructoid | 6/10[11] |
Eurogamer | Recommended[12] |
Game Informer | 7.25/10[13] |
GameSpot | 5/10[14] |
IGN | 8.2/10[15] |
PC Gamer (US) | 67/100[16] |
Push Square | [17] |
RPGamer | [18] |
Shacknews | 7/10[19] |
USgamer | 3/5[20] |
GreedFall received "mixed or average reviews" on review aggregator Metacritic for the PC and PlayStation 4 versions based on 38 and 37 reviews respectively, while the Xbox One version received "generally favorable reviews" based on 14 reviews.[7][8][9]
The game was nominated for "Best RPG" at the 2019 Titanium Awards,[21] for "Game, Original Role Playing" at the NAVGTR Awards,[22] and for "Best Message-Bearer Game", "Best Artistic Design", and "Best Game Setting" at the Pégases Awards 2020.[23]
Sales
editThe PlayStation 4 version of GreedFall sold 13,292 physical copies within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the seventh bestselling retail game of the week in the country.[24] It was confirmed in November 2020 that Greedfall had sold over one million copies worldwide.[25] By May 2022, the game had shipped two million copies.[26]
Prequel
editA prequel titled GreedFall 2: The Dying World was announced on May 18, 2022.[27][28] It is expected to be released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.[29]
References
edit- ^ Polanco, Tony (2019-08-19). "Hands-On: 'Greedfall' Brings New Life to Western RPGs". Geek.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (26 November 2020). "GreedFall Will Be Coming To PS5 & Xbox Series X". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ "GreedFall is a fantasy RPG inspired by Baroque art from 17th Century Europe". Eurogamer. 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ "Rejoice, console players and explorers! GreedFall is coming to you in HDR and 4K on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro!". Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- ^ "Greedfall is Spiders' colonial fantasy RPG". Rock Paper Shotgun. 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
- ^ a b "GreedFall for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ a b "GreedFall for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- ^ a b "GreedFall for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ^ "GreedFall: Gold Edition for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Hancock, Patrick (12 September 2021). "Review: GreedFall". Destructoid. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Hetfeld, Malindy (12 September 2021). "Greedfall review - technical shortcomings are overcome by an abundance of heart". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Reiner, Andrew (15 September 2019). "GreedFall Review – Empowering Choice". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Chan, Khee Hoon (20 September 2019). "GreedFall Review - Discovering a lost world, again". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Hafer, T.J. (17 September 2019). "GreedFall Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ Morton, Lauren (12 September 2021). "GreedFall review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "GreedFall Review (PS4) | Aces high". Push Square. 12 September 2021. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "GreedFall Review | Aces high". RPGamer. 12 September 2021. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Erskine, Donovan (12 September 2021). "GreedFall review - An unexpected journey". Shacknews. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Van Allen, Eric (12 September 2021). "GreedFall Review". USgamer. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Titanium Awards 2019". Fun & Serious Game Festival. 9 March 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ "2019 Nominees". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "All the categories (2020)". Pégases Awards. 7 February 2020. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ Romano, Sal (November 5, 2020). "Famitsu Sales: 10/26/20 – 11/1/20 [Update]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Bayliss, Ben (November 28, 2020). "GreedFall Sells Over 1 Million Copies, Heading to PS5 and Xbox Series X / S". Dualshockers. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "CARANTS! DRAW CLOSER AND SEE THE FIRST IMAGES OF GREEDFALL 2". Nacon Corporate. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- ^ "CARANTS! DRAW CLOSER AND SEE THE FIRST IMAGES OF GREEDFALL 2". Nacon Corporate. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- ^ Reeves, Brianna (18 May 2022). "GreedFall 2 is a Prequel Set in a Dying World". Screen Rant. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ Romano, Sal (16 May 2024). "GreedFall II: The Dying World 'Doneigada' trailer, Early Access roadmap". Gematsu. Retrieved 22 May 2024.