When GreedFall was launched in 2019, it surprised many RPG enthusiasts by delivering a story-driven experience inspired by classic BioWare-style role-playing games. With its colonial-era fantasy setting, branching quests, and faction politics, the game built a dedicated fanbase despite some technical imperfections.
Now, several years later, GreedFall: The Dying World returns to expand that universe. Developed once again by Spiders, the sequel aims to evolve the formula with a new setting, more in-depth role-playing mechanics, and a major overhaul of its combat system.
Rather than continuing the story of the first game directly, The Dying World shifts the perspective significantly. Players now assume the role of a native inhabitant of Teer Fradee, who is captured and taken to the Old World continent of Gacane, where political intrigue and environmental collapse threaten the future of entire civilizations.
The premise alone offers a fresh perspective through which to explore the series’ themes of colonisation, cultural conflict, and survival.
Although the game’s narrative ambitions are evident, the sequel has received mixed reviews—praised for its storytelling and RPG depth, but criticised for technical issues and controversial gameplay changes.
A New Perspective
The most compelling aspect of GreedFall: The Dying World is its narrative perspective.
In the original game, players took on the role of a diplomat from the colonial powers arriving on Teer Fradee. The sequel completely reverses this perspective.
This time, you play as someone who grew up on the island itself, only to be captured and transported to the Old World.
This change immediately shifts the tone of the story.
Instead of acting as an intermediary between colonial authorities and native factions, you now experience the political struggles of the Old World as an outsider navigating unfamiliar societies.
The narrative explores themes of cultural identity, exploitation, and resistance, often placing players in morally complex situations.
Many quests require players to choose between cooperating with powerful factions or safeguarding the interests of their homeland.
While the writing often succeeds in providing thoughtful commentary on colonial dynamics, some players might find the game’s messaging somewhat heavy-handed.
Nevertheless, the shift in perspective remains one of the sequel’s most intriguing narrative choices.
Tactical Combat Overhaul
Perhaps the most contentious change in The Dying World is its combat system.
The original GreedFall featured a hybrid action system where players controlled their character in real time while issuing occasional commands to companions.
The sequel replaces that with a Real-Time with Pause system similar to classic RPGs like Dragon Age: Origins.
During combat, players can pause the action to give orders to party members, select abilities, and plan strategic positioning.
On paper, this approach offers increased tactical depth.
Players can coordinate attacks, control battlefield positioning, and manage abilities more deliberately than before.
However, the system doesn’t always feel as smooth as its inspirations suggest.
Animations sometimes lack impact, and enemy encounters can seem sluggish compared to the faster-paced action combat of the first game.
While players who enjoy classic tactical RPG combat may appreciate the added strategy, others might find the system clunky or lacking the satisfying responsiveness of modern action RPGs.
Talent System and Role-Playing Depth
Where GreedFall: The Dying World truly excels is in its RPG mechanics.
The game introduces an expanded Talent System that greatly influences how players undertake quests and exploration.
Rather than merely boosting combat stats, talents unlock entirely new ways of solving problems.
For example:
- Diplomatic talents allow you to negotiate with hostile factions rather than fighting them.
- Engineering skills enable players to repair ancient machinery or bypass locked areas.
- Stealth and deception skills open alternative infiltration routes during missions.
This design motivates players to create unique character builds that influence how they engage with the world.
Some quests can be completed in markedly different ways depending on the player’s skills.
This level of adaptability is one of the game’s key features, emphasising that player choices genuinely matter.
Exploration and World Design
The continent of Gacane features a range of environments, from busy cities and industrial areas to remote wilderness regions.
The world design focuses on exploration and faction politics, with each area governed by competing groups with their own aims.
Players often travel between cities and settlements, gathering information, forming alliances, and uncovering hidden conspiracies connected to the dying world itself.
While the environments are conceptually interesting, they sometimes seem less visually detailed than those in other modern RPG worlds.
The design works, but it does not have the visual grandeur of larger open-world RPGs.
Companions and Faction Politics
As in the original game, companions play a vital role in both combat and storytelling.
Each party member originates from a different cultural or political background, offering unique perspectives on the unfolding events in Gacane.
Building relationships with companions can unlock new dialogue options, personal quests, and combat abilities.
Faction reputation also significantly influences the narrative.
Supporting one faction may alienate another, requiring players to consider their alliances carefully.
These systems enhance the game’s political intrigue and ensure that player choices carry lasting consequences.
Technical Performance
Unfortunately, GreedFall: The Dying World continues the series’ tradition of technical roughness.
Even on modern hardware, players may encounter:
- Occasional stuttering during exploration
- Heavy motion blur effects on consoles
- Frame rate inconsistencies in busy areas
- Rare but noticeable crashes
While none of these issues completely ruin the experience, they contribute to a sense of “AA jank” that has long been linked with Spiders’ games.
Given the ambition of the project, these problems are likely to be addressed through post-launch patches.
Nevertheless, the launch performance might disappoint players expecting a polished AAA RPG experience.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong narrative perspective shift from the first game
- Deep RPG systems with meaningful talent choices
- Flexible quest design encouraging multiple solutions
- Compelling faction politics and companion stories
- Tactical combat offers strategic depth
Cons
- Combat system feels clunky compared to its inspirations
- Technical performance issues at launch
- Visual presentation sometimes feels dated
- Narrative themes occasionally feel heavy-handed
Final Verdict
GreedFall: The Dying World is an ambitious RPG that continues Spiders’ tradition of delivering thoughtful storytelling and meaningful player choices.
Its shift in narrative perspective offers a compelling new look at the series’ universe, while the expanded talent system provides impressive role-playing depth.
However, the transition to tactical real-time-with-pause combat doesn’t always flow as smoothly as intended, and the game’s technical issues remind players that this is still very much a mid-budget RPG with rough edges.
Despite its flaws, the game provides a rich narrative experience for players willing to overlook its imperfections.
For fans of classic story-driven RPGs, GreedFall: The Dying World remains a fascinating—if imperfect—adventure.
