![]() A lot of them have unexpected outcomes, to say the least, and a decision that looks like it’s going to go one way ultimately ends up going a completely different direction. The same is also true for the game’s quests. At first, they seem a bit cliche, but once you delve into their motives a little more - all of them have companion questlines you can complete - you immediately realize this assumption is wrong. The characters are interesting, including your companions. The world design is impressive, even more so when you consider a small indie team put it all together. A seemingly endless forest backdrop might give the impression you’re in the middle of untamed wilderness. A mountain-scape in the background might serve to offer some depth and height. Some of the tighter areas still feel open because of the way they’re presented. Teer Fradee is beautiful, and it’s a real treat to explore even without the open-world influence. From there, I like to complete all the quests I have active only returning to a hub when I have a bunch to turn in. I tend to grab everything before I head out into the world to explore. There’s no way around this, especially if you’re the type of person to nab all available quests at once. The game slows down a bunch when you’re exploring the cities and moving from person to person to either pick up new quests or further existing ones. Mostly, you’ll be engaging in dialogue with NPCs and various characters to further questlines or find out a little more about the world. When you roam out into the world, that’s when most of your combat takes place but you do occasionally have a fight or two in the cities. Again, this is similar to Dragon Age, but you don’t have control of your companions and it’s more a third-person experience as opposed to a top-down view and more tactical mechanics. This is highly reminiscent of Dragon Age’s camp mechanic and is just one of the parallels.Ĭombat plays out in real-time, this is an action RPG first, but you can pause the action at any time to issue more fine-tuned commands. ![]() While the game loads the next map you can talk to your companions, customize gear and change load-outs, buy goods from a merchant and get ready for the next phase in your journey. In between maps, you enter a sort of single-player hub, which is your camp. You move from world space to world space - this is not open world, by the way - completing quests, looking for loot, and exploring the landscape. My Name is De Sardet, Legate of the Merchant’s CongregationĪll in, the game plays like this. I think a lot of that has to do with the world, environments and the setting but in the end, it doesn’t matter, it works and that’s what I’m getting at. A lot of the issues that crop up wouldn’t work in another title, but for some reason, it just clicks here. It’s more about the fact that the entire experience is pleasant despite its shortcomings. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the developers and the game are trying to trick you. There’s just something about the game that oozes mystery and mirth, almost in a beguiling way. But again, it was not on par with Greedfall. The Technomancer was a lot better, definitely a step in the right direction for the studio. I’m not going to comment on it in this regard, I’m merely pointing out it was not on par with Greedfall, not even close. If you’re not familiar, Spiders is an independent studio credited for The Technomancer, Bound by Flame, Of Orcs and Men, Mars: War Logs and several others.Ĭomparatively, Bound by Flame was a mediocre experience and is a derisive title - I’ve seen a lot of people say they hate it, but just as many say they found it bearable or worth playing at least once. My biggest qualm, which seems to be common among the gamersphere, is that the in-game companions and NPCs tend to repeat dialogue over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and… well you get it. It won’t be for everyone, that much is true but there’s a lot to love here. In fact, I would argue it’s a game that deserves everyone’s time, at least to give it a try. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad or undesirable game, however, especially these days. I’ve seen and heard a lot of reviewers draw parallels between the two titles, and there are some, but make no mistake this is no Dragon Age. It’s an action-oriented yet story-heavy RPG a la early Bioware titles such as the original Dragon Age. I will most likely return at some point, and that’s rare because I hardly ever replay games that I’ve completed. Let me further add that I loved my entire time in the world of Teer Fradee and beyond. ![]() Despite having quite a bit of jank, repetition included, it’s a beloved game. Greedfall is something of an enigma, at least to me.
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