Beautiful, breathtaking and exciting. These are some of the terms being used after critics have viewed the stunning trailer for the upcoming Greedfall game by Spiders game studio. Being developed for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC the player takes on the role of the cousin of the governor of a new city. You are tasked with initially dealing with the diplomacy between the various fictional nation states present on the Island.
The concept art sets the tone for a picturesque sweeping rugged landscape
The game doesn't all focus on diplomacy, there is also combat, stealth missions and deception as you attempt to ally yourself with the various races who seek to control the Island. The setting is a fantasy version of the 17th Century, with the mood, tone and weaponry coming from a historically accurate depiction of that era, mixed with a world inhabited by elves and giant beasts.
The main quest sees the player attempting to find a cure for the plaque which is ravaging the populace on the Island. This plague is affecting different factions in unique ways, the mainland citizens are dying in droves, while the native inhabitants seem to be immune. The dominant church who are longtime healers and practitioners of magic have warned that the plaque will spread. So with the promise of certain death looming, each of the factions are tasked to find a cure for the plaque.
Greedfall promises imaginative inhabitants and beautiful vistas
Little is known about the overall game structure, but it has been confirmed that there is a skill tree that guides the player when levelling up. This is not a class based tree but has been described as open ended. An example is the ability for the player to have heavy armour ability but mix that with an ability to coat it with poison or train in both Gun fighting and excel at close quarters combat.
Spider are hoping that the diplomatic aspects of the game guide and change the narrative experience for the player. Spider promise that this will go deeper than just dialogue choices, elements such as choosing a companion from one faction and travelling with them, may cause another faction you encounter to be displeased.
Spider also promise multiple endings depending on how you play through the game. If you get each of the factions to work together to find a cure - there's an ending for that. If you want to become a murderous colonist or to kill all of the natives, there's also an outcome for that as well.
Spider's previous offerings such as The Technomancer were lacking, both in depth and in the gameplay department. But hopefully with this baroque inspired game their ambitious game design pays off!
