GreedFall
- September 10, 2019
- Spiders
- 27h median play time
A compelling action-RPG adventure with a unique narrative, impressive artstyle and strong writing that shines brightest in its quests.
Greedfall: Gold Edition is the most complete way to experience the critically-acclaimed RPG, including the base game and the De Vespe conspiracy story expansion. Explore uncharted new lands as you set foot on a remote island seeping with magic, and filled with riches, lost secrets, and fantastic creatures. Forge this new world's destiny, as you befriend or betray companions and entire factions. Wi…
Reviews
- story19,821 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "Greedfall" is generally praised for its engaging narrative, rich lore, and well-developed characters, with many players appreciating the political intrigue and moral complexity woven throughout the quests. However, the quest design often suffers from repetitive fetch mechanics, requiring players to backtrack frequently, which can detract from the overall experience. While the main storyline is compelling, some players find it predictable and feel that the pacing slows significantly in the latter parts of the game, leading to a mixed reception regarding its execution.
“The story is engaging, the voice acting is good, I actually enjoy the dialogue and the menial side missions which pay off with more lore or relations with the factions.”
“The story itself and the constantly grey morals of everyone involved, including De Sardet!”
“Greedfall is a great start to a new franchise, but it's got a lot of painful flaws which really detract from the incredible story.”
“The quests are very linear, 'go do x' 'go talk to y' 'go fetch z', and the only real differences are at most the execution, as you are at times able to decide how to do your quest.”
“The story is mostly predictable, however there are some plot twists.”
“The story is a complete snooze fest!”
- gameplay3,727 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Greedfall" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its engaging story and rich world-building but criticizing the mechanics as repetitive and sometimes clunky. While the combat system offers a blend of action and RPG elements reminiscent of titles like "Dragon Age" and "The Witcher," it often falls short in depth and variety, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel tedious over time. Overall, players who prioritize narrative and character interactions may find it rewarding, but those seeking refined gameplay mechanics might be disappointed.
“Gameplay-wise this feels like a combination somewhere between Gothic and Dragon Age, which is good to see, as it is an actual, traditionally hardcore game.”
“The gameplay and dynamics are good, the map is vast enough, exploration is fun and the story is also very good.”
“The gameplay is fun and the story is interesting for sure; I have no real gripes with it.”
“However, there are a lot of annoying flaws in the game, like repeating objects, places, and the overall gameplay.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and boring; I can’t even call it mediocre.”
“The gameplay is absolutely terrible, but the story and world-building are unreal, so good.”
- graphics3,294 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Greedfall" receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful environments and art style, particularly the colonial aesthetic, while others note that the graphics feel dated and occasionally suffer from technical issues like poor facial animations and graphical glitches. While some players find the visuals stunning and immersive, especially in outdoor settings, others criticize the repetitive design of interiors and the overall lack of polish, suggesting that the graphics do not meet the standards of modern AAA titles. Overall, the game's visuals are generally considered good for an indie title, but they may not satisfy those accustomed to higher-end graphics in contemporary games.
“The graphics even hold up very well to this day.”
“The extraordinary story and spectacular graphics tip the scales towards a positive review from me.”
“The graphics are crisp, the island looks real, the combat is fast and clunky, but better than in previous games.”
“This game has extraordinary story dialog details but graphics, animations look like 'in-game' assets because of lack of budget.”
“As a game from 2019, it has dated graphics, graphical glitches out the wazoo, a barren, boring environment, stilted writing and dialogue, and drags on for way past its welcome.”
“There was some serious potential here with the unique colonial fantasy style and what could have been a very engaging story; however, with graphics that have no reason to be this poor, the delivery of the story completely fumbled by the developers, and a clunky combat style, it pains me so much that an attempt to make a bioware-like rpg felt like such a swing and a miss.”
- music714 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the setting, while others find it repetitive and forgettable. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's quality during combat and exploration, but note that it often lacks variety and can fade into the background. Overall, while the music serves its purpose, it could benefit from more memorable and diverse compositions to elevate the gaming experience.
“The game's soundtrack is equally impressive, with expertly composed music that creates the perfect atmosphere for each scene.”
“The music is so good that it literally creates the atmosphere much more than the landscape around.”
“The music and voice acting was all well done and some of the cinematics are to die for.”
“Music could, however, do with much improvement. In most beautiful areas, the music was either just extremely shallow or absolutely absent - with some stunning soundtrack, this game could have been much more enjoyable, in my humble opinion.”
“But when the challenge is gone by the halfway point, and the music is bland and repetitive, and your companions won't stop talking about you being low and needing to take a potion every 3 seconds, this game has now become a chore to finish.”
“The soundtrack so far is mediocre at best, and a bit repetitive at worst.”
- grinding677 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding the quest design tedious and repetitive, often involving excessive back-and-forth travel between NPCs. While some appreciate the story and character interactions, the overall experience is marred by a lack of meaningful upgrades and monotonous combat, leading to a sense of burnout as the game progresses. Fast travel options are limited, further exacerbating the feeling of grindiness, making it a common complaint among players.
“Greedfall requires no grinding and I have to say the time it takes for leveling is very well balanced and happens always at the right time.”
“The best part is that there is no grinding or 'fetch' quest; every quest you do is linked to an overarching story.”
“Not too grindy; I was able to hit about level 32 by the end of the game, probably could have hit level 35 if I had finished up the last two companion storylines and a couple side missions I had left before finishing, but the main storyline caught my attention and I ended up powering through the last leg of the story just to see how it all ended.”
“You'll be doing a ton of back-and-forth travel in quests, which gets old quick and tedious, but you'll spend more time admiring the environments; I think that's on purpose.”
“The two biggest critiques I have go hand in hand in that this game is enjoyable in the beginning but gets more and more tedious the more you continue to play.”
“The quests get tedious very quickly -- almost all quests have you run all over the map (often using fast-travel), running from person to person to exchange a few words with them, repeating this a considerable number of times, until you have finished the quest.”
- stability502 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches, ranging from minor visual issues to more significant gameplay interruptions. While some users experienced no game-breaking problems and found the game generally stable, others noted frequent crashes, quest-breaking glitches, and animation issues that detracted from the overall experience. Overall, the game is described as somewhat buggy but still enjoyable, with many players hoping for future patches to address these issues.
“It's not as polished as a game like The Witcher, but this game is bug free and has a lengthy storyline with plenty of side quests.”
“The performance has been good; I have a good PC but nothing amazing (Intel i9 with 980 GTX) and the game runs great on high/ultra settings.”
“Almost bug free, and in 40+ hours of play, I have had no crashes.”
“Every game from the developer ends up being buggy and janky as all hell and holds the story back; hopefully one day they get it right.”
“I was really looking forward to this game, but when I got it, it was too buggy to play through.”
“The game is poorly made, full of glitches.”
- optimization479 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 32 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, including frame rate drops, stuttering, and memory leaks, even on high-end systems. While some users report smooth gameplay on lower settings, others find that the game struggles to maintain consistent performance, particularly in demanding areas. Overall, it appears that the game requires further optimization to fully utilize modern hardware and provide a smoother experience.
“Performance wise, I am also happy.”
“The game performs reasonably well, with good optimization.”
“The combat mechanics are smooth, optimization is great and visuals are beautiful.”
“The game's graphics are demanding, and even with top-of-the-line hardware, the game's performance is subpar.”
“Game is horribly optimized to this day.”
“During the Steelrising playthrough, I was 100% sure that game is an embodiment of clunk, poor optimization, and bad game design.”
- atmosphere350 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Greedfall" is widely praised for its immersive and engaging qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the game's beautiful visuals, detailed environments, and evocative music that enhance the storytelling experience. Players appreciate the unique colonial setting and the rich, atmospheric world that draws them in, despite some criticisms regarding repetitive elements and a lack of interactivity in certain areas. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its strongest aspects, contributing significantly to its appeal as a role-playing experience.
“The atmosphere created was excellent.”
“The atmosphere is top notch, it's my favorite thing about the game and I loved the aesthetic.”
“The game absolutely nails it when it comes to atmosphere and a very focused story driven experience.”
“The atmosphere feels very much like a poor attempt to mimic Dishonored.”
“-- ambient noise is absent in cities or indoors resulting in poor atmosphere.”
“No atmosphere whatsoever, the sidequests are unmotivated (one of the sidequest givers even says 'yeah you do not have to do this') so I have no inspiration, no spirit to follow it.”
- character development286 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising the depth and impact of side quests and companion interactions, while others criticize it for being linear and lacking meaningful choices. Many appreciate the unique character designs and the ability to customize skills, but some feel that the overall character development is limited and could benefit from more complexity and variety. Overall, the game offers a compelling narrative experience, but opinions vary on the effectiveness and richness of character development.
“Greedfall offers a compelling narrative experience with rich storytelling, strong character development, and a captivating environment.”
“The characters and factions of this game inspire real love and hatred, and the character development is some of the best in any game.”
“I enjoyed each and every single second I played for over 50 hours, scenery is beautiful, combat system lets you enjoy the game mechanics instead of going for a hack and slash, skill system lets you play around how you want to develop your character, story is absolutely brilliant, side quest content is vast yet I would've asked for more because I never got tired of it, character development is noticeable and well thought.”
“The story is non appealing and there is absolutely no character development.”
“Character development is as linear as it gets, so you can also forget all about builds.”
“There is no character development, no struggles, no philosophical questions, no nothing.”
- replayability246 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the multiple choices and endings that encourage exploration of different character builds and quest outcomes, while others criticize it for being tedious and lacking significant variation in gameplay. Many reviews highlight that while there are opportunities for replay, such as different combat styles and character customization, the overall experience can feel repetitive and predictable, leading to a general sentiment of limited replay value. Overall, the game offers some replayability, but it may not be compelling enough for all players to return after their initial playthrough.
“I can tell that there is a good level of replayability here to try out different skills and make different choices which impact the game as I go along.”
“The game lets you heavily impact the story, and there are so many different variables to discover that may change simply depending on which order you complete quests in, or who you bring with you, and thus replayability is very high.”
“It's a very enjoyable romp, and there is plenty of room for replayability with the numerous choices that you have to make with the main quests, side quests, and even companion quests.”
“It's a great concept but it's incredibly boring with very little replay value.”
“Other than that, lack of party banter, few real choices and few dialogue options limit the replayability of the game and don't get you as invested in the plot and characters as games where all characters are fleshed out.”
“Awesome storyline, too bad there's no replayability once you finished the game.”
- humor224 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Greedfall" is often described as unintentional, stemming from awkward dialogue, poor facial animations, and various gameplay glitches that lead to comedic moments. While some players appreciate the occasional funny lines and character interactions, many feel that the overall humor is lacking, with characters often being one-dimensional and the dialogue failing to deliver consistent wit. Despite its shortcomings, the game manages to elicit laughter through its absurdities and quirks, making it a mixed bag in terms of comedic value.
“There was one memorable (and unintentionally hilarious moment) where de Sardet ripped someone a new one, only to end the conversation very sweetly with 'and I look forward to seeing you again, your excellency.'”
“It's funny, I love it, and it is worth every euro of those ten I spent on this in sale.”
“The way the NPCs move from one point to another in their supposed daily lives or try to guide you can be rather hilarious as sometimes they would somehow get stuck behind some objects and walk on the same spot for a bit until you give them a nudge.”
- emotional170 mentions
- 91 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game received mixed reviews, with some players finding the story and character arcs deeply moving, particularly towards the end, while others criticized the lack of emotional investment due to underdeveloped characters and clunky animations. Many noted that while the game attempted to tackle emotional dilemmas and moral choices, the execution often fell flat, leading to a disconnect between players and the narrative. Overall, the emotional resonance varied significantly among players, with some experiencing heartfelt moments and others feeling detached from the story.
“By the time I got to the ending and saw my beloved characters depart and Vasco as well as my character have an intimate moment, I cried a little, and then sought out to save the island for good!”
“The ending emotionally destroyed me and I do not think I will be recovering from that anytime soon.”
“I have just finished the story, and while I won't spoil anything let me just say that the ending was heart-wrenching, especially if you really loved a certain character as much as I did.”
“And if you remove that, it is basically a walk-and-talk simulator, with a fairly boring story and uninteresting characters, that you never really get involved in.”
“Awful camera, clunky movement, clunky combat and most importantly bland and boring story and characters.”
“Cons: linear, constant running to talk to people, repetitive, boring story (just didn't really grab me and make me care), lack of armor customization (even though that was a selling point in the trailers), voice acting was pretty bad (female character constantly called a he), graphical errors and clipping, anticlimactic!!!”
- monetization78 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and predatory monetization practices, which is seen as a refreshing change in the current gaming landscape. However, some reviews criticize the DLC as a cash grab that offers little value. Overall, players appreciate the honest approach to monetization, valuing the game's integrity over the common pitfalls of AAA titles.
“This game contains no microtransactions, which is a relief.”
“No microtransactions that I can find at the moment and it appears to be a completed and polished game.”
“Especially in a time where $60 and up (microtransactions, season passes, etc.) titles are the regular, with the same if not worse amount of technical issues with much more assets behind them, spiders pulled off something impressive in a single player RPG that is solid and offers something akin to similar beloved games that came before it.”
“Btw, the DLC is a cash grab and offers nothing to the player but a little bit of side story that is just plain boring.”
“The developer and publisher originally stated that there was to be no DLC nor microtransactions, but now it turns out there is DLC after all.”
“While DLC is okay if it matches the quality of the base game, gives value for money, and isn't simply content cut from the base game, one of the DLCs is pretty much a cash grab and should have been a free DLC or something.”
Critic Reviews
Greedfall PS4 Review – Brave New World
A compelling action-RPG adventure with a unique narrative, impressive artstyle and strong writing that shines brightest in its quests.
86%GreedFall Review – Scratch That BioWare Itch
GreedFall is a welcome arrival in the fantasy RPG space, a space that has been bafflingly uncrowded of late. But it doesn't just impress because of a lack of alternatives. It successfully delivers nearly everything that one would want to see in a game of this genre, and does so in convincing fashion. Fans of western role playing games who have lamented the absence of many true contenders in the genre this generation, prepare yourselves: a new heir to the legacy of BioWare is here at last.
80%GreedFall
GreedFall Review – Empowering Choice
73%