It’s a strange time to be playing video games; production quality is higher than ever, but creativity feels like it’s at an all-time low. In the “AAA” market especially, the need for millions in sales to recoup development costs all but ensures most games suffer from genre-creep, offering focus-tested designs that grow stale once the fresh veneer of paint has worn off. In contrast, GreedFall feels like it should have been released at the beginning of this console generation, sharing far more DNA with older RPGs like Dragon Age: Origins, The Witcher 2, and, more recently, ELEX.

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I’m not entirely sure it was by design, but GreedFall has fast become my favourite RPG since The Witcher III; not because it progresses the genre with new or innovative systems, rather because it incorporates a lot of older design choices I love and, in doing so, captures the feel of some the classic RPGs of yore. Developed by Spiders – a studio with a hit-and-miss track record – it’s their most polished and well-designed RPG to date (which I know some might consider a low bar). Built on their in-house Silk Engine, it can’t match the visual prowess of many recent “AAA” titles - and yes, it still carries some of Spiders’ design baggage - but the reliance on tried-and-tested mechanics, elaborate multi-stage quests, and the focus on player choice, all result in a game that feels classic, rather than dated.


The island of Teer Fradee has a more complex history than is first hinted at. Figuring out how De Sardet and the current state of the world is linked to the island forms a big part of the ongoing mystery.

With multiple quest solutions and five potential endings on offer, Greedfall drops you into the male or female boots of a high-ranking diplomat, De Sardet, who belongs to the neutral, commerce-driven, Congregation of Merchants. On the mainland of Gacane, they’re wedged between two warring nations; the religious "Theleme" (with their own fanatical branch of inquisitors) and the scientifically-oriented "Bridge Alliance" (with more than its fair share of ethically questionable researchers). With the continent ravaged by an incurable plague, the “Malichor”, all three nations are attempting to colonise the island of Teer Fradee, looking for a cure and a chance to push their colonial agenda upon the unwilling native population. However, the island is also host to several distinctly continental-looking ruins, and De Sardet clearly has some link to the natives. It’s the perfect setup for a game that involves maintaining diplomatic between several factions and your own companions, while slowly ramping up the impact of your decisions towards the end-game.

From the get-go, GreedFall presents itself as an older-style of RPG, using a well-worn template.

From the get-go, GreedFall presents itself as an older-style of RPG, using a well-worn template. This includes a lengthy prologue that serves as tutorial and microcosm of the game as a whole. The impact of player choice - whether picking your skills, deciding on quest solutions, or maintaining relations with other factions - is brought into focus early, and long after I had grown tired of fiddling around with new gear and skills, the urge to see how my actions would affect the story remained a powerful motivation to keep playing. GreedFall offers up around 25 hours of primary quests, and about 20ish hours of secondary quests that influence faction or companion standings. It’s streamlined, there’s little filler, and everyone who has something to say is related to a quest. Much like The Witcher games, Greedfall tries to provide quests that are rarely as simple as they first seem, dragging you down unexpected paths and into political conflicts you’d rather avoid. It’s also the perfect length to encourage replays, rather than a bloated, overlong adventure that I’d never muster the strength to return to.


Despite not offering a modern open-world experience, Spiders manages to create environments that feels massive in scale, even if you’ll only explore a fraction of it.

You’re introduced to all the skills, attributes and talents at your disposal early and will quickly discover how they affect combat, your ability to traverse the world, and your access to unique quest solutions – a necessity when juggling the demands of multiple factions. Skills define your combat abilities: melee weapons, powerful but ammunition-limited firearms, alchemical potions, and magic spells. Attributes are physical characteristics that define your proficiency with weapons and magic, and limit your ability to equip high-level gear. Talents are by far the most important, representing unique skills that’ll drastically affect your playthrough. Charisma allows you to influence conversations; Lock Picking gets you in and out of buildings (and locked chests) without drawing attention; Vigor allows you to leap large gaps or climb rock faces; Intuition unlocks contextual dialogue options; Science grants you the ability to create potions, poisons, and explosives; and Craftsmanship allows you to create or enhance your gear.

You’re introduced to all the skills, attributes and, talents at your disposal early and will quickly discover how they affect combat, your ability to traverse the world, and your access to unique quest solutions...

There’s a lot to consider and your progress is - at least initially - limited by your character build. Those looking to settle problems through violence can create combat builds by investing in Strength, Endurance, and Vigor; those wanting to relay on great gear and alchemical support can focus on Science and Craftmanship; and those looking to follow the diplomatic route should invest in Charisma and Intuition. However, GreedFall still caters to those who want to play as a jack-of-all-trades, with companions that level up along their optimal, role-specific paths, ensuring you always have someone to equip with your best gear. In addition, improving your relationship level with them will unlock a passive talent bonus, expanding your non-combat options when they’re in the party. It feels intimidating at first, but there’s always a way to progress the plot - it just might not be the solution you were hoping for if you don’t have the right talents.


Combat is smoother and less floaty than I’d have expected from a pure RPG. Your companions are perhaps a little zealous when it comes to getting in close, but they’ll hold their own, absorbing blows while you rack up the damage.

From a purely mechanical standpoint, Greedfall plays much like Spiders’ prior RPGs: you travel between regions on a world map; engage in dialogue with quest-givers; solve quests in one of several ways; battle human, animal, and magical foes; solve some light puzzles; and upgrade your stats and gear with the experience, resources, and gold you earn from questing. Combat is a hybrid of real-time action with the ability to tactically pause and select skills, though the responsive controls and robust AI companions make it (mostly) viable to play exclusively in real-time. To avoid conflict, there’s a simple yet effective stealth system, and the ability to don the outfits of other factions to disguise yourself in restricted areas. The diplomatic element involves maintaining relationships with the several factions - many of whom are in open conflict on the island - relying on your ability to justify your actions, some light betrayal, and plenty of lying. Resolving quests is one thing but having to relay the news back to a quest-giver might be its own challenge.

The diplomatic element involves maintaining relationships with the several factions - many of whom are in open conflict on the island - relying on your ability to justify your actions, some light betrayal, and plenty of lying.

Your companions are drawn from every faction, giving you more insight into the ideologies and hypocrisies of their leaders, and often provide an advantage if you bring them along for certain quests. Even if your actions are likely to put you in conflict with their faction, they may offer alternative solutions that'll limit the relationship damage. When it comes to quest structure, Spiders still relies too much on bouncing you around between characters with overlong dialogue (that you can at least skip through), but Greedfall offers scant few trivial quests, and most quests are multi-stage, with lines of investigation that are completed and pick back up after you’ve reached certain story milestones. This applies to your companions as well, who’ll slowly reveal more about themselves, expand their own personal quest, and offer the potential for romance. The more effectively you balance the demands of competing factions early in the game, the more flexibility you have in the final act - even if you’ll regret sparing several dubious characters in the name of diplomacy.


Despite not offering a true open-world, the maps are large and interesting to explore. There are plenty of side paths that’ll lead to tough encounters and high-level loot, but you’ll always be funnelled towards your objective.

Despite the age of the engine and reuse of assets, GreedFall looks good, whether you’re exploring colonial towns and native villages, or the temperate forests that dominate the island. Sure, there are some samey-looking interiors, low-resolution textures in spots, and the level of detail drops off in the distance, but the complexity and scale of the world feels authentic. A day-night cycle can create some striking scenes, while ambient audio and the subdued soundtrack make the world feel alive and enhance the fantasy atmosphere. Despite the map consisting of interconnected zones, natural landmarks are visible throughout the island, and this ensures it feels cohesive. As a bonus, it also runs well on base consoles - outside of a few animation glitches and rare framerate drops – apparently a luxury as we approach the end of this generation.

A day-night cycle can create some striking scenes, while ambient audio and the subdued soundtrack make the world feel alive and enhance the fantasy atmosphere.

For those worried, the maze-like map design that blighted prior Spiders games has been purged. Navigating city streets and some interiors can still annoy, especially in the opening hours before you head out into the wilds, but exploring the ruins, forests, swamps, and caves of Teer Fradee is far more enjoyable - with plenty of fast-travel campsites available to ensure you don’t waste time roaming around vast tracts with nothing of interest. The world structure is more in line with the wide corridors of last-gen RPGs, with every area designed to service a quest or hide a secret. As a result, it’s always worth exploring to find fast-travel campsites, hidden skill shrines, or some unsuspecting wildlife to test some new gear on; however, you don’t want to be too methodical or you’ll just end up returning to locations again later.


GreedFall, despite a lack of many modern visual flourishes, is still a game that drips in atmosphere and I spent too much time admiring the scenery of Teer Fradee and taking screenshots.

Honestly, GreedFall’s biggest "weakness", aside from a lack of polish in some elements, is that it’s doing a lot of what's been done before. However, it does it well, introduces modern sensibilities (frequent autosaves!), and provides an engaging new world to explore, with intriguing lore, conflicted factions, complex characters, and multiple endings. It also stands in stark contrast to the overly-familiar, mechanically-rote, and deliberately-grindy RPG and RPG-lite games we’ve become accustomed to lately.

Despite a small development team and limited budget, a lot of thought and effort has gone into designing the interwoven narrative and gameplay elements in GreedFall, with nothing feeling underutilised or overdone. It’s a competently made and enjoyable classic-styled RPG, representing a big step up for Spiders. My biggest fear is that in an age where big budget, rather than quality, dictates exposure and sales, it’ll fly under the radar of many RPG fans and not find the success it deserves.