Greedfall: The Dying World is on the right track but still has a way to go
by Steve C · tsaIt’s often said that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, but this is precisely what developers Spiders are hoping to do with the most recent overhaul to their prequel to the cult favourite RPG, Greedfall. When it first launched in Early Access late last year the initial response was fairly negative, with many players left confused by its title suggesting a sequel, and many others left underwhelmed by the switch to a tactical turn-based combat system. To their credit, Spiders took this criticism on board and suspended their proposed roadmap in order to address the most pressing issues raised by players. I got the chance to have a hands-on look at the most recent build and can report that it is definitely improving.
First up, I have to confess that my time with the new build was not the most optimal of experiences, playng remotely and with my connection suffering from frame rate drops and technical issues. I’m obviously looking past these hiccups, but it did mean that I didn’t really get to enjoy some of the later parts of the demo. That being said, I got to see enough to be cautiously optimistic that The Dying World can find an appreciative audience.
The demo build contained three main areas for me to explore, with the opening section and two saves at crucial later parts in the story. The opening section of the game plays out similarly to the original version, with you playing the role as a native Teer Fradee. You get to familiarise yourself with the basic mechanics and immerse yourself in the traditions and beliefs of the tribes before coming into conflict with the colonial forces that are just starting to exploit the land.
This introduction works well as a tutorial and my second time experiencing it highlighted the more streamlined and intuitive combat system. The most important change here is that you can now control your companions in a far more traditional style and queue up attacks to take advantage of their skills and abilities. Each character and class has a distinct set of skills, but it looks like you can diversify or specialise to your heart’s content as you level up.
The setting and atmosphere of The Dying World are one of the real highlights as there is a rich and detailed sense of world-building here. Reams of optional lore and conversation choices are available for those who want to explore as much as they can and the game is not shy in highlighting the contrasts between the tribal traditions and the colonial powers that invade. This contrast comes into direct conflict at the end of the opening section and your player character is thrust into an entirely new environment.
The two later sections showed different areas and recruited companions that really emphasised the game’s focus on cultural conflict and exchange. Each companion seemed to have an interesting set of characteristics and motivation for joining your adventure. Obviously the finer details were not available as I was thrust into the middle of quests and storylines, but it left me intrigued as to how the story would develop. Deeper into the game, combat felt more developed as the characters were appropriately levelled and had more abilities to balance and tactical approaches to take.
The final section in the demo saw me return to the lands in which you grew up and this seems to suggest a clear connection between the conclusion of this game and the world of Greedfall. Unfortunately it was here that my connection to the stream became untenable, but in retrospect this wasn’t a bad thing since it leaves me itching to find out how the story develops.
All in all I was left far more impressed with this experience than my first try at the released build. Greedfall: The Dying World is very much an old-fashioned RPG in the style of Dragon Age: Origins and this change from the more accessible action combat of Greedfall may well still be make or break for the game and its original cohort of fans. There’s still time for the Early Access version to be developed with Spiders announcing that there will be news about the full release early in 2026, so as things stand I’d definitely encourage RPG fans to add the game to their wishlist and see how the final build turns out when we get a chance to play it.