Reviewed on PC

Developed by Spiders and published by Nacon, GreedFall: The Dying World is a prequel to the original game released back in 2019, and showcases the beginning of the twisted relationship between the inhabitants of Teer Fradee (an insular nation, rich in resources, representing the ‘new world’) and the people from Gacane (the continental mass which represents the ‘old world’).

In this allegory of the conquest of the Americas, Spiders delivers a powerful message: Greed destroys our world, and if the world dies, so will we. Let us take a look at this unique game.

A Story That Hits Too Close To Home

The beginning of GreedFall: The Dying World is a raw, unapologetic, and effective wake-up call about our current situation as inhabitants of an insular nation that is being slowly invaded by a group of ‘Foreigners,’ the People from the Mainlands, which come from three different main groups: The Congregation of Merchants, the Bridge Alliance, and the Theleme (church, though the game avoids using that word for obvious reasons).

Each of these factions have their own interests on the island of Teer Fradee, and the original inhabitants of the island are not too fond of these newcomers, and for very good reasons: They deforest, they plunder, they hunt until the lands are barren, the rivers are poisoned, and the animals have fled the forests.

Our main character, nicknamed ‘Rootless’ (a very fitting name), and his close friend Nilan, are about to complete their training to become the Sages of their village. A last test sends them on a quest to figure out why the people of the village are getting sick (without spoilers: It is not pretty), why the animals are disappearing from the forest, and why the fish are dying in the rivers.

Let me tell you, the story itself is a powerful message that is quite characteristic of the Franchise. GreedFall already touched some sore spots about this allegory of the conquest, but in The Dying World, the devs redoubled their efforts to make a loud and clear statement.

And that’s quite all right! Remember when games made you think? Dream? Wish you could fight for a right cause alongside its main characters? Then GreedFall: The Dying World does a damn fine job at that.

We could go ahead and analyze what happens after players complete the first series of quests, but it’s way too spoilery, so we will leave it at that. Let’s just say: The story unfolds in a way that will make players question their morals, their values, and everything they knew about traditional RPGs. And that’s another of the strong points of GreedFall: The Dying World.

The Beauty of A Dying World

All in all, besides some minimal technical aspects that could use some extra polish, GreedFall: The Dying World looks really nice. From the lush forests of Teer Fradee, to the stormy shores of Uxantis, every little aspect makes us feel like the living and breathing world around us is telling us something: It is a lovely world, so why hurt it?

The storytelling aspects embedded in scenario design become more evident as the Main Story (Quest) progresses, forcing players to take their own conclusions about what is happening in the world.

The spreading of the mysterious disease, the cultural shock, the persecution of those who are deemed ‘different,’ every visual aspect of the game aligns perfectly with the narrative.

And at the end of the day, when you take a break to admire the scenery, it is a world designed with utmost care (although, of course, a bit lacking in some aspects).

In terms of character and costume designs, I enjoy a good game that makes an effort to be truthful to its original intent, and GreedFall: The Dying World has respected most of the original designs of the first game, plus put a bit more emphasis on designing clothing that represents each of the cultures in the world.

The natives of Teer Fradee use clothes that are obviously made with care for nature, and use materials without extreme processing.

The Bridgde Alliance is all metal, chainmail, rust, and processed leather armor, representing them as the conquerors and despoilers of the lands.

Those who hail from the Thélème Theocracy wear long coats, robes, and clothes similar to inquisitors, which, ot be honest, hits right on the nail with their overall attitude.

And then, you have the Nauts, navigators, seafarers, people who dress as you might expect: Sailors, Pirates, and as such, they dress in colorful clothing (garbs, slops, longcoats, and of course, tricorns and flashy hats with plumage).

I think this is the perfect way to introduce diversity in a game that is all about the clash of cultures and how each of them has its differences, though they also share something in common: They live in the same world, and if the world dies, so will they.

Mechanics & Combat – Something That Needs Polishing

When I played GreedFall (the first title), I felt a bit more freedom in terms of combat dynamics. I’m a sucker for old-school turn-based RPGs, but GreedFall and GreedFall: The Dying World do not fall into that category, and they shouldn’t try to either.

The tactical pause in the first game felt right and preserved the fluidity and challenge of combat scenarios. The truth is that the changes in combat mechanics present in GreedFall: The Dying World, though I applaud the boldness of trying to imitate games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, do not favor this game at all.

In fact, I was a bit disappointed that the devs didn’t pursue an even more fluid and dynamic combat system after the first game did so well in that aspect. The combat pause feels stiff, unnatural, and two out of three times, fails to grant a true tactical advantage since enemies love to spam attacks at a vertiginous speed. And so do your allies’ AI, and your own character, if they want to survive any encounter.

I don’t really see how this change (less to the point, more spammy to earn resources, then execute moves) type of gimmick should still be used in modern games, where action and pacing are everything to make the players fall in love with a game that already had a lot of great and unique aspects.

Character progression seems to lean a bit more toward the traditional skill tree system, instead of the Radial Skill Tree (or circular skill tree) that the first game offered, and honestly, I don’t see that as an improvement as well.

I feel that in many gameplay aspects, there was a step back in terms of design if we compare it to the previous title, straying further away from the uniqueness that made GreedFall such a groundbreaking and attractive game.

Good or bad? That is up to the player’s choice and feel, since some prefer a more tactical-turn-based and paused type of combat when they try a game like GreedFall: The Dying World, and the game surely offers that.

But at the end of the day, there’s a lot of work to be done, and I’m not convinced that this is all the potential the franchise has to offer. I believe GreedFall can amount to so much more in terms of gameplay, storytelling, and worldbuilding.

The game is definitely good, has a ton of potential, but a raw diamond is still raw at the end of the day. It needs polishing to shine properly.