GreedFall 2: The Dying World Early Access Review – Overcompensating for Misery

As a seasoned gamer with over three decades of experience under my belt, I must admit that GreedFall 2: The Dying World left me rather perplexed. Coming from the fast-paced, sleek combat of its predecessor, this sequel’s real-time with pause system felt like a dance I hadn’t quite learned yet.

2019 saw Spiders unveil their action RPG, GreedFall, which featured an unusual fantasy setting inspired by the 18th century and colonial themes. While it may not have been the most refined, visually stunning, or captivating in terms of narrative among its peers, when compared to BioWare’s Anthem released in the same year, the demand for a more conventional single-player role-playing game offering companions, factions, choices, and consequences was quite evident.

In less than two years since its release, GreedFall has achieved significant success, selling more than a million copies by November 2020 and shipping twice that number by May 2022. Spiders, the game’s developer, plans to release a sequel, tentatively titled GreedFall 2: The Dying World, around the same time. However, instead of a traditional launch, they have chosen an early access approach, similar to Baldur’s Gate 3, allowing for community collaboration and continuous improvement throughout development.

Initially, it’s rather uneventful, and that’s partly due to certain villagers who seem less vibrant, despite their efforts to put on a good show.

As a passionate gamer, I’ve come to terms with the reality that early access games often fall short of a polished experience – after all, it’s part of their name! However, my recent foray into this title from Spiders has left me grappling with more than just the usual rough edges. It’s currently only 30% complete, but I’ve encountered a plethora of glitches, jerky animations, performance issues, and assorted technical hurdles that have dampened my enthusiasm.

A great spot to begin making enhancements is by focusing on the character customization feature. At present, the choices are rather limited, and although additional options and Transmogrification have been mentioned, there’s no specific timeline for their arrival. This wouldn’t be a major issue if not for the noticeable aliasing in the hair, which can be distracting. Although it improves as you advance, it still occasionally reappears, affecting both your companions and other NPCs, thereby disrupting the overall immersion.

Three years prior to the game’s start, I find myself as Vriden Gerr, a native of Teer Fradee, embarking on an adventure that leads up to the events depicted in the initial game. Often ridiculed by my childhood friend Nilan, who calls me “Rootless,” due to my interactions with outsiders from the Bridge Alliance. Despite this, I am on the brink of completing my initiation to become a Doneigada, guardians of nature and Teer Fradee. However, before that, I must successfully complete two crucial missions first.

In the company of their childhood companion Sheda, characters embark on a journey through the region, with the mission to save villagers from danger while unraveling a perplexing illness’s origins. The early stages of GreedFall 2 offer an imperfect blend of core gameplay and the Teer Fradee culture, particularly focusing on their traditions and how they’re influenced by the Bridge Alliance. In the first hour or so, the experience can be rather uneventful due to certain underdeveloped characters in the village, though their acting efforts should be acknowledged. Even key characters like Nilan and Sheda may seem flat at times, and early tasks might appear less engaging.

Generally speaking, the design of this quest isn’t overly complex. To uncover hidden hints, try to move stealthily rather than engaging in combat which might not be effective in certain spots, and remember to use your tracking ability when needed – I hope that clarifies things for you.

As I delve deeper into this virtual world, uncovering hidden corners and meeting new characters, it’s fascinating how my companions’ personalities start to unfold. Yet, the lead character seems a bit one-dimensional, but every move I make can be rationalized within their stoic persona, whether they lead to positive or negative outcomes. Still, I’m eager to discover if picking a side among the factions will shake things up, much like in the first game where alliances mattered greatly.

At the moment, certain choices seem more like an optical illusion of options than genuine beneficial paths. Instead of eliminating the poachers who are recklessly killing wildlife in the area, or just repeatedly reloading my save until I manage a diplomatic success, why would I shell out a massive 2000 Gold or endeavor to persuade the village ruler to give them 50 hides instead? This doesn’t make sense to me.

It’s possible that the repercussions of this situation will become apparent later on or depending on how various groups view me. At the minimum, not passing the diplomacy test with the Chief Miner had some impact, as it influenced other Teer Fradee. Additionally, I suspect another mission involving a companion could have future implications.

As a devoted fan, I’d say the design of this quest is essentially fundamental, yet it manages to keep me engaged. Using my tracker vision, I hunt for hints, choose to move stealthily (since combat doesn’t always feel rewarding in certain areas), and attempt skill checks – you grasp the gist. Though not revolutionary, these elements function smoothly, and despite the occasional tediousness of the quest steps, I found myself eagerly anticipating each new development.

Luckily, the narrative gains momentum as our characters, Nilan and Sheda, find themselves imprisoned by the Bridge Alliance and transported abroad, with the motive behind their capture remaining unclear. This situation could potentially be linked to the Malichor, a disease that’s been sweeping through Gacane like an epidemic.

In contrast to the swift, streamlined battles of the original game, the sequel, GreedFall 2, adopts real-time combat with pause functionality. You can assign enemies for your units to automatically attack, or you can halt the action to issue commands, where abilities consume Action Points and have a recharge time.

In prison, they encounter a significant number of their primary companions: Fausta, a person shrouded in mystery who was imprisoned for a crime; Sybille, a representative of Thélème, a country hostile towards the Bridge Alliance; and Alvia, an honorable and determined Naut. Following their reunion with Ludwig, a former soldier, the true journey commences.

The script and storyline could benefit from a tidy-up, yet the conversations between characters are generally strong. While the facial animations aren’t particularly impressive, they’re also not catastrophic, and each principal actor delivers a reasonable performance.

Despite its moments of intricate detail, particularly in the environments, GreedFall 2 falls short in terms of performance optimization and presentation polish. The visual fidelity is less than stunning, with inconsistent performance, and while certain aspects like lighting and shadows can be impressive at times, they don’t compensate for the overall aesthetic feeling somewhat regressive compared to the first game.

That’s not accounting for all the bugs, like textures on the character’s clothing taking time to load at multiple points during a conversation – a headache-inducing affair. Or the terrible upscaling implementation – both FSR and DLAA created noticeable outlines around characters, even if they fixed some of the issues with hair aliasing. Even if you can stomach the visuals – “early access,” lest we forget – the battle system will take much more getting used to.

In contrast to the smooth, swift battles of the initial game, GreedFall 2 adopts real-time combat with pause features. This allows you to assign enemies for your units to automatically attack or pause and issue commands, including abilities that consume Action Points and have cool-down periods. You can also switch to other party members and take direct control of them. This is particularly useful when initiating a widespread melee attack and wanting to minimize friendly fire or target specific opponents.

“The inventory menu is the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen, with how small each equipment category icon is. However, the dialogue menu is just awful and so barebones that it’s embarrassing.”

The problem is the execution. Some abilities are area-of-effect, and as a result, a target or ally could walk right out of their space, completely wasting the Action Points. Auto-attacking can also feel stilted, and selecting targets can be difficult unless you reposition the camera slightly. I also encountered instances where characters kept trying to reposition themselves to attack mere inches away, running into their allies and getting stuck in an annoying loop.

I became accustomed to the quirks of battle, yet it remained uncomfortable as new possibilities and skills emerged. What puzzled me was the absence of customizable commands for my allies, such as having Nilan heal someone if their health falls below 50% or keeping a distance from melee opponents instead of charging in.

In my gaming journey, I’m getting to know every team member’s special skills and equipment, figuring out their strengths and weaknesses. I’m also discovering the nuances of their attributes and abilities. Not just that, I’m gathering a decent amount of gear too! It’s all about finding the right balance when it comes to choosing armor types based on my proficiencies, you know, min-maxing for optimal performance.

Nevertheless, the figures associated with top-grade weapons can sometimes be perplexing. For instance, an orange-level one-handed mace that could potentially debilitate enemies with a Weakness effect seems appealing, but the reality is that the chance for this effect is quite low and other associated stats are underwhelming.

Lastly, let’s discuss another essential part of the gameplay – the User Interface (UI). While the skill trees, attributes, and talent menus are decent, as well as the Journal, its open objectives could be organized more efficiently. The inventory menu seems to be a waste of space with such tiny icons for each equipment category. Unfortunately, the dialogue menu is terribly designed and lacks detail, making it somewhat embarrassing. It appears that this might be a temporary solution, but I can’t fathom how this made it past quality control.

In a different yet debatable fashion, “GreedFall 2: The Dying World” deviates from its predecessor in certain aspects while potentially experiencing setbacks, and it may require more than mere passage of time to fully establish itself.

Other problems are interfering with the gameplay, such as weapons vanishing during battle unexpectedly, travel becoming unavailable without explanation, and a screen turning black when quickly navigating dialogue using the spacebar. However, these issues can be resolved over time. The more complex problems related to the graphics, combat mechanics, user interface, and overall quality of the game will require more extensive fixes.

It’s uncertain if players will be patient enough to fully appreciate GreedFall 2: The Dying World given the abundance of excellent RPG options currently available. However, I hope that over time it will improve upon its strengths and refine its core mechanics, making it a more polished and enjoyable experience. For now, GreedFall 2 seems to differ significantly from the first game in certain aspects, some for better and others for worse. It will take more than just time to reach its full potential.

This game was reviewed on PC.

2024-09-30 15:41

Read More