Hi everyone,
Welcome back to our devblog series dedicated to GreedFall – the one-of-a-kind RPG developed by Spiders, coming to Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 10.
We spoke with Jehanne Rousseau, Main Writer and CEO at Spiders, and Camille Lallement, Lead Cinematic Artist, about the new world and its inhabitants created for Greedfall.
War and Peace… and choices!
One might wonder how the explorers, new inhabitants, and natives are all able to live together on the same island. Camille tells us that everyone on the island of Teer Fradee protects their own interests, and that understanding will come to the player naturally as they listen to the characters they encounter on their journey. There are people from all sorts of creeds, cultures, and backgrounds, be it religious fanatics, scientists looking for a cure, or natives divided about the future… and it’s up to players to decide what to do with this fragile state of affairs.
Relationships are crucial in GreedFall
Relationships with NPCs are extremely important in the world of GreedFall, and are at the core of the gaming experience Spiders wants to offer players. Choose who will be your foes, who will be your allies, betray them or even consider them as potential romantic interests! The player is part of a faction (the Congregation) that has always acted as an intermediary between different nations. Important people will listen to what you have to say if you gain their trust... or find a way to pressure them.
Weigh your choices carefully, since they may come back to haunt you several hours later. That’s what makes the adventure so exciting!
Players can compare outcomes depending on their choices and perhaps try a different path altogether!
Jehanne ensured the importance of companions by having interactions with them directly affect the story. Choices made throughout the game - how the player responds to companions, how their team is composed, and the way quests are completed - all will impact how different factions view the player, with various consequences.
Different people on the same island
The natives have an almost symbiotic relationship with their island. To them, Teer Fradee is far more than a simple home. The very land is sacred; like a divine, nurturing mother. At the other end you have the colonizers, with a far more pragmatic worldview.
Although not all obsessed with material wealth, the connection they lack with the land can put them on destructive paths, in the eyes of the natives. Even within the same factions, not everyone shares the same principles and ideals.
The culture and traditions are very different between the colonizers and the natives. The natives’ faith is akin to Animism and Pantheism, meaning their mythology is made up of stories and myths linked to specific places or landmarks: be that a lightning-struck tree, a hidden spring, or an oddly-shaped rock.
The natives have their own Celtic-based language, which Spiders created with the help of a linguist. For the team, having this unique language helped them keep the world coherent and consistent. The player isn’t forced to learn this new language, but it’s entirely possible that players will remember some sayings and expressions at the end of the game - it’s certainly the case for most of the voice actors and dev team right now!
Stay tuned for more insights about the development of GreedFall in our next article! GreedFall releases on September 10 on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. http://greedfall.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/606880/GreedFall/