I agree with other reviews -- there's a lot to love about this game...if you can live with the clunky stuff. The mechanics are very similar to Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. It has the same 'Mind Palace' detection mechanic as SH Chapter One. And you'll visit various places, such as police, hospital, and newspaper achives to research clues. Just like SH Chapter One, the 'open world' element is hit and miss. To begin with, it's not simple to get around and there's not much hand-holding. It does get easier as you get used to it and unlock fast travel points. The combat is marginally better than Chapter One, but not by much. Combat does serve a real purpose here, but it's hard to understand why it's so badly done given that it's a Unreal engine game. If the shooting/melee had been even half decent it could have massively elevated this game. So why 4 stars? Well, it's a good, detailed story, with some difficult choices. It's hugely atmospheric. The main characters and NPCs are interesting and and the voice acting is terrific. Despite the flaws, I couldn't wait to get back playing it. Like most Frogware games, it has its own unique feel, which is very different from many bland AAA experiences. I hope they make a Sinking City 2 one day, with much improved combat. That would be a 5 star game.
I'm pretty certain that Watson never did, or would, say 'bollocks'. Well, in this game he did. You have to be flexible with going outside of canon with these games. That aside, I like this instalment. It feels different enough from the previous version of Awakened to make it worth playing, and it's engaging enough. If you've played a Frogwares game before, you'll be familiar with the rough edges and sometimes less than intuitive interface. I give it five stars on the basis that I really like Frogwares Holmes games. I've always finished them feeling entertained and that I've got my money's worth.
If you've played a game by Spiders before, Greedfall will feel familiar. It's not AAA, it's not highly polished, and there is jank. Here's my *opinion*... Negatives: - a lot of back-tracking and many early missions are simply fetch-quests with nothing of note. If you have little patience, this might annoy you. - the lip sync and mouth / tongue animations are considerably worse than the other graphic elements. Seems a minor complaint, but can be a distraction. - although it has its own style overall, the game doesn't do anything really different in the genre. - the world and regions are visually pleasing, but there isn't enough variety and their aren't many interesting central focal points to distinguish each map. - I had difficulty trying to pursue the romance option, but that might be down to me! Positives: - the main story is interesting and fairly complex. As you get further into the game, the decisions you have to make are sometimes genuinely difficult and can be thought-provoking. Spiders don't shy away from challenging issues here. - the voice acting [English] of the main characters is of a very high standard, IMO. The dialogue is reasonably well written, but even when the lines are clunky, the actors handle them well. A step up from past Spiders games. - the world looks good. It reminded me in the port areas of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. - the bottom line for me is I got 57+ hours out of the game. During that time I was very rarely bored or confused and I wanted to keep playing. I'll probably play it again one day, maybe before Greedfall 2. Hope this helps.
