As indie games do well and big-budget games have a harder time justifying their size, the industry needs more strong AA games to fill the gap. Sometimes we get something good, like games that may not be in the news but still give us great experiences that we won’t forget. Sadly, GreedFall 2: The Dying World isn’t one of them.
Looking Back at the Original GreedFall
The first GreedFall, which came out in 2019, was a one-of-a-kind RPG. It combined big stories with decisions based on factions, and even though it had some problems, it was still charming and ambitious enough to stand out. It wasn’t perfect, but it set the stage for a good sequel.
Early Access Expectations vs Reality
GreedFall 2 comes out in a surprisingly rough and unfinished state, rather than building on that foundation. People thought the game would be stable by the time it came out because it had been in Early Access since 2024 and had received a lot of updates, including major patches. But the truth is very different.
A Promising World Hurt by Technical Problems
The game has trouble staying stable from the start. The experience is plagued by frequent crashes, slowdowns, and broken quest scripting. Sometimes the game will freeze or refuse to move forward, which can happen even with basic features. The developers gave some small warnings about cutscenes and save systems, but these problems are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the technical issues.
Crashes happen often during long play sessions, sometimes every hour, which makes it hard to stay in the game. More glitches in the graphics, missing textures, and broken sound make it feel like the game isn’t done yet.
A Strong Idea That Keeps You Going
GreedFall 2 is a prequel that takes players back to a fantasy world based on Europe in the 17th century. You are from Teer Fradee, a magical island with a lot of culture and history. You are taken to the mainland after a violent invasion disrupts your people. There, you must gather allies and fight back.
The story is simple but works well. The early hours do a great job of setting the scene, introducing cultural elements, and making players feel like they are in a lively world. Places like Olima and Peren are beautiful to look at because they have great art direction and environmental design.
But bad design choices often break the immersion. Loading screens that pop up out of nowhere interrupt exploration, even on city streets, making the game feel disjointed and pulling players out of the world.
Player Choices That Lack Real Impact
GreedFall 2, like a lot of RPGs, puts a lot of emphasis on player choice and relationships between factions. Even though choices do affect reputation, they don’t seem to have a big effect on the world as a whole. Results usually only include small changes in approval, which isn’t what players expect from the genre.
Moral dilemmas and companion quests add some variety, but they don’t make the system better. Inconsistent dialogue makes the experience even worse because characters sometimes react in ways that don’t match what the player does.
Combat System Feels Shallow and Repetitive
The new combat system is one of the most disappointing things. The game adds a tactical system that feels shallow and repetitive instead of improving the original mechanics.
The fights are slow and boring because you have to use basic attacks to build up points for abilities. Enemies act in the same way, which makes fights boring and repetitive with no strategy or excitement. Most fights feel like long battles against opponents who do a lot of damage and don’t change much.
There aren’t many different kinds of enemies, and the AI doesn’t do much to make the game interesting. There are some boss fights, but there aren’t many of them, and they don’t leave a lasting impression.
A World That Feels Static and Unresponsive
The game world doesn’t react in a meaningful way, even though it lets players choose what to do. Players can steal, break the law, and take advantage of systems without getting in trouble. You can’t interact with NPCs very much, and the same lines of dialogue keep coming up, which breaks immersion quickly.
These flaws point to a bigger problem: the idea of a living world is weak. The lack of interactivity feels like a step back compared to older RPGs.
Moments of Untapped Potential
There are short glimpses of what GreedFall 2 could have been like. Some places and scenes really set the mood, suggesting that there is a deeper, more interesting experience waiting to be discovered. Sadly, these moments are always cut short by technical problems or bad design choices.
Final Verdict: Ambitious But Unfinished
GreedFall 2: The Dying World is a game with big ideas but not enough follow-through. It has the makings of a great RPG, with an interesting setting and story ideas. But it can’t reach that potential because of technical problems, weak combat, and shallow systems.
It could have been a great AA title if it had more time to develop and get better. It doesn’t feel finished yet, though, so it’s hard to recommend.