Spiders and Nacon’s fresh fantasy RPG, Greedfall 2: The Dying World, is coming to PC Early Access via Couple September 24. Beneath those words you’ll find a trailer of people in face paint looking glumly at blazing battlefields, sprinkled with bits of teaser footage like “oh, I like what they did to the curtains.”
In a blatant parody of the entire sequel concept, Greedfall 2 actually picks up three years later before events of the first game, and you take on the role of a grumpy islander from Teer Fradee who has been uprooted and taken to the continent of Gacane. In this rotten Imperial heartland ravaged by plague, war, and factional strife, you’ll fight, talk, and scheme your way to freedom while trying to stop some asshole who wants to take over the universe.
“Explore the unique world of GreedFall once again as you explore the old continent!” Monsieur Press Release explains. “Travel through new landscapes, from Olim – the star city of the Bridge Alliance – to the shores of Uxantis, and discover the secrets of these ancient lands.” In addition to the fresh cities, there are fresh companion characters that can be equipped, befriended, seduced, turned into rivals, and played as in combat. We can also expect an “even deeper RPG experience,” with story paths ranging from diplomatic to manipulative to insidious mass murderer.
I didn’t play much of the original Greedfall – I think I got as far as getting on a ship to Teer Fradee and getting slammed by a very ridiculous tree. RPS reviewer Astrid Johnson (RPS in Peace) compared it to BioWare’s work, particularly Dragon Age and Mass Effect, but found it to be no match for either. She was mildly amused by the game’s real-time combat with tactical pause, and admitted to also being a fan of the costumes, despite the “unforgivable crime” of not being able to fit a feather into her tricorn hat.
Asrid, however, was much less convinced of the setting, commenting that “it’s either your standard historical fantasy or it’s so bogged down in cultural stereotypes that it all feels a bit over the top.” Khee Hoon Chan had more to say on the subject in piece for VG247noting that Spiders is trying to have its cake and eat it too, criticizing European colonialism on a writing level while inviting you to make an entire island your oyster. (Oyster cake, yes.) I’m cautiously interested to see how Spiders might solve this by turning you into a Teer Fradee native, hollowing out the imperial center. I suspect the same elderly contradictions are at play, but let’s see.
