Greedfall
Greedfall successfully made me hate everyone in its fantasy-colonial world.
Actually, that's not entirely true. The companion characters are mostly likable, and there are a few of the otherwise supporting cast that are individually fine. The game definitely did manage to evoke a changing emotional response over the course of it, so that's something.
As far as mechanics and gameplay, it's... fine? Combat has a little variety in styles and such, but isn't precise enough to be stand-out. Environments work, but reuse a high percentage of assets. Quests and things to do feel a little bit sparse with a whole lot of running back and forth. Boss fights are certainly harder, though mostly that's a matter of magnitude (more incoming damage and more health to go through on enemies).
The story is one of a colonial-ish mainland with various factions suffering an increasing plague of the "malichor" turning to a newly settled island to investigate/exploit in hopes of finding a cure.
There are some good and interesting choices in setting up the player as the legate (sort of a diplomat with free rein to deal with other factions) of the Congregation of Merchants, who are something of a middle group holding alliances with the heavily theocratic Theleme and science-focused Bridge Alliance who are in open conflict with one another. All three travel to the island with aid of the shipping-ruling Nauts and with security provided by the Coin Guard. Then, of course, you have the island "natives" who are technologically lacking, but possess magic in tune with their land and seem unaffected by the malichor.
There are major stereotypes there, but having the player as legate and cousin to the newly-appointed Congregation governor on the isle sets forth a role that has reason to interact with all the factions. As such, I set out trying to smooth over conflict and enlighten people as to differences as best I could.
And I got screwed over a lot in the process.
Theleme sees the natives as heretics, trying to convert their people, kill their shamans, and seeking to bury evidence their own prophet came to the island and venerated its own mysticism in his life. The Bridge Alliance has people kidnapping natives to use as forced labor or as medical test subjects so often I found myself thinking "okay, I have to turn this quest in with their governor and he's either evil or incompetently clueless about all this." The Coin Guard are infested with people running a secret training ground to groom many of their number into assassins to stage a coup on the island. One of the native tribe leaders had me guide another into a trap under the guise of talking peace and alliances.
So while the characters are more shocked and upset by finding out the continental factions actually settled and were forced off the island previously, and the player's character is actually the child of a native shaman who was taken from the island in the intervening time, my gut reaction was more "screw all y'all, you suck!"
But the game is called Greedfall, after all.
So, you befriend factions to help you in the final confrontation against a threat to everyone on the island and get a final choice to join that threat or stop it. Pretty typical fantasy fare.
Still, not a bad narrative journey over all. I think I enjoyed it well enough.
Actually, that's not entirely true. The companion characters are mostly likable, and there are a few of the otherwise supporting cast that are individually fine. The game definitely did manage to evoke a changing emotional response over the course of it, so that's something.
As far as mechanics and gameplay, it's... fine? Combat has a little variety in styles and such, but isn't precise enough to be stand-out. Environments work, but reuse a high percentage of assets. Quests and things to do feel a little bit sparse with a whole lot of running back and forth. Boss fights are certainly harder, though mostly that's a matter of magnitude (more incoming damage and more health to go through on enemies).
The story is one of a colonial-ish mainland with various factions suffering an increasing plague of the "malichor" turning to a newly settled island to investigate/exploit in hopes of finding a cure.
There are some good and interesting choices in setting up the player as the legate (sort of a diplomat with free rein to deal with other factions) of the Congregation of Merchants, who are something of a middle group holding alliances with the heavily theocratic Theleme and science-focused Bridge Alliance who are in open conflict with one another. All three travel to the island with aid of the shipping-ruling Nauts and with security provided by the Coin Guard. Then, of course, you have the island "natives" who are technologically lacking, but possess magic in tune with their land and seem unaffected by the malichor.
There are major stereotypes there, but having the player as legate and cousin to the newly-appointed Congregation governor on the isle sets forth a role that has reason to interact with all the factions. As such, I set out trying to smooth over conflict and enlighten people as to differences as best I could.
And I got screwed over a lot in the process.
Theleme sees the natives as heretics, trying to convert their people, kill their shamans, and seeking to bury evidence their own prophet came to the island and venerated its own mysticism in his life. The Bridge Alliance has people kidnapping natives to use as forced labor or as medical test subjects so often I found myself thinking "okay, I have to turn this quest in with their governor and he's either evil or incompetently clueless about all this." The Coin Guard are infested with people running a secret training ground to groom many of their number into assassins to stage a coup on the island. One of the native tribe leaders had me guide another into a trap under the guise of talking peace and alliances.
So while the characters are more shocked and upset by finding out the continental factions actually settled and were forced off the island previously, and the player's character is actually the child of a native shaman who was taken from the island in the intervening time, my gut reaction was more "screw all y'all, you suck!"
But the game is called Greedfall, after all.
So, you befriend factions to help you in the final confrontation against a threat to everyone on the island and get a final choice to join that threat or stop it. Pretty typical fantasy fare.
Still, not a bad narrative journey over all. I think I enjoyed it well enough.
Burning them all to the ground isn't an option? Were there any decent folk there at all?
ReplyDeleteBurn it all? Eh... there's probably room to be more aggressive and incite conflict rather than defusing it that would result in greater bloodshed along the way, though I doubt there's a way to outright destroy factions during the story. At the end, there is the option to side with the "bad guy" to seize the island's power with intent to kill or drive off everyone under the conceit of "making a better world," but that's pretty clearly an evil end.
DeleteAnd yeah, there are decent folk, they just don't make as much of an impression in most cases. The Nauts probably deserve a bop for keeping important secrets, but they didn't really go around setting me up and backstabbing me. There's a commander and some lower-ranked Coin Guard who are genuinely honorable. The former governor your cousin replaces at the beginning is helpful. There's at least one tribal leader who's a decent guy and focused on doing the "wise" thing, and their high healer/shaman type is really too good for most of what happens. And there are minor characters in side quests who are both good and bad.