HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Griftlands'' is a 2021
roguelike deck-building A roguelike deck-building game is a hybrid video game genre, genre of video games that combines the nature of deck-building game, deck-building card games with procedurally generated randomness from roguelike games. Gameplay aspects Most roguelik ...
video game developed and published by
Klei Entertainment Klei Entertainment Inc. ( ) is a Canadian video game development company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Klei was formed in July 2005 by Jamie Cheng. Their best-known titles include '' Don't Starve'' and '' Oxygen Not Included''. On Jan ...
. It was initially released in
early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...
for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
in June 2019; the full version of the game was released for Windows,
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
,
macOS macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...
,
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
in June 2021.


Gameplay

''Griftlands'' is a
roguelike deck-building game A roguelike deck-building game is a hybrid genre of video games that combines the nature of deck-building card games with procedurally generated randomness from roguelike games. Gameplay aspects Most roguelike deck-building games present the pla ...
with elements of
role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing ...
and
digital card The term digital card can refer to a physical item, such as a memory card on a camera, or, increasingly since 2017, to the digital content hosted as a virtual card or cloud card, as a digital virtual representation of a physical card. They shar ...
games. The player starts a game by selecting one of the predefined characters, each a mercenary seeking fame and fortune in on a planetary world that is home to an antagonistic peacekeeper body, pirates, and dangerous creatures. While the layout of the world is the same each game, the events, missions, and other elements within it are
procedurally generated In computing, procedural generation is a method of creating data algorithmically as opposed to manually, typically through a combination of human-generated content and algorithms coupled with computer-generated randomness and processing power. I ...
on starting a new game. The game is broken up between moving about on an overworld map and engaging in conversation trees to gain quests or shop, and card-based encounters. At the start of the game, the player's character is given two pre-defined decks of cards, one representing those to be used in combat encounters, and another to be used in negotiations. As the player progresses in the game, they can gain new cards for either deck from quest rewards or through shops, upgrade existing cards to more potent versions, or have cards removed from either deck. Additionally, players can earn special implants called grafts for their character that have persistent effects throughout the rest of the game. The player can also purchase limited use item cards for either deck from vendors, as well as enlist computer-controlled allies to assist in negotiation and battle. If an encounter results in combat, then the player takes turn with the computer opponent. Each turn, the player is drawn a hand from their combat deck, and has a number of action points available to use to play cards, which have different action point costs. Combat cards represent a mix of offensive skills to attack the opponent, and defensive skills as to block attacks. The player is informed through the game's interface of what attacks their opponents will do, so they may prepare appropriately. Once the player has used their action points, they discard all remaining cards in their hand, and the opponent's turn is resolved. If the player's character health drops to zero, the game is over. Alternatively, the player can attack to kill their opponents in the same way, but may also try to simply overpower them, allowing the opponent to flee if they take enough damage. This choice may have future impacts on mission availability and rewards. Negotiations play out similarly to combat, though these are between the player character and a single foe. The goal in negotiations is to wear the opponent's resolve to zero before the player character's. Here, cards represent friendly negotiations which generally do not have ill effects, hostile commentary which may trigger certain actions, and defensive composure cards to prevent losing resolve. Like combat, the player is given information as to what moves the opponent will make. Additionally, special arguments may become active as a result of cards or other abilities. These arguments can damage the opponent's resolve or provide other boosts, among other effects, while they remain active. The player, instead of testing the resolve of the opponent, can try to take out the argument by attacking it directly. If the player's resolve drops to zero, this does not end the game, but changes what may follow: the attempt to swap an opponent may simply fail, or it may cause the player to engage in combat with the character. Should the player character die in combat, the game will end, but on easier difficulties the player can choose to restart the day. Once the game ends, a score for the current run is calculated and used to unlock packs of new cards that will become available for both battle and negotiations. Victory also ends the run, as well as unlocking a new difficulty. There are seven difficulties available in addition to Story Mode, from Prestige 1 to Prestige 7. In addition, success in confrontations awards the player a bonus resource named mettle on all but the highest difficulty, which may be used at a special vendor to purchase permanent upgrades for each player character that carry over between runs.


Synopsis


Setting and characters

''Griftlands'' takes place in a futuristic science-fiction fantasy setting, where humans populate the game world in addition to anthropomorphic humanoid races such as the crustacean-like Kra'deshi. Advanced space-faring technology and energy-based weapons are available, fueled by fictional power sources Lumin and Spark. The setting is in contest between governing bodies such as the Admiralty, religious orders such as the Cult of Hesh, industrial factions such as the Spark Barons guild, and criminal organizations like the bandit guild Spree. There is a finite number of defined
NPCs A non-player character (NPC) is a character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster (or referee) rather than by a ...
that populate all three campaigns with a fixed appearance, faction allegiance, and social bonuses, but the actual in-game role played by each NPC is randomly determined - some NPCs however always play the same role in each campaign as either allies or boss combat encounters. The names and purposes of locations on the overworld map are also fixed, but their availability and physical location may vary between runs.


Plot

There are three playable campaigns available in the game, each following the multi-day journey of a specific protagonist: the formerly
indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of Work (human activity), labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as paymen ...
Sal Ik-Derrick who now seeks revenge on the criminal that sold her into slavery as a child, the secretive and experienced spy Rook on a dangerous mission, and the alcoholic
vagrant Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, ...
Kra'deshi Smith Banquod who returns home seeking his inheritance after the death of his wealthy parents. In Sal's campaign, she travels to the cosmopolitan coast-side city of Murder Bay to seek revenge on the notorious criminal Kashio. With the help of childhood friend Fssh, Sal negotiates the aid of either rising Admiralty officer Oolo or dangerous Spree overboss Nadan, each seeking to capture or kill the other, to sneak into a high-stakes auction. There, she confronts Kashio and either kills her or spares her after emerging victorious from a fight. Now wealthy from the spoils of battle, Sal sets out to enjoy her freedom. In Rook's campaign, he arrives at the remote and desolate Grout Bog on a mission. The area is being contested between the industrious Spark Barons that oversee operations to mine the area for Spark, and the
labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
known as the Rise that seek to commit a worker's uprising. To make matters more complicated, the regional operation is being led by Baron Fellemo, a comrade of Rook's from his prior days serving in a paramilitary organization, and there is a reclusive third faction of
pagans Pagans may refer to: * Paganism, a group of pre-Christian religions practiced in the Roman Empire * Modern Paganism, a group of contemporary religious practices * Pagan's Motorcycle Club, a motorcycle club * The Pagans The Pagans were an Am ...
known as Boggers that worship the Bog itself. Rook infiltrates both the Spark Barons and the Rise, each believing him to be a double agent loyal to them, but his mission's true goal is to secure a mysterious device located deep within the Bog under the control of the Boggers. With the help of either Fellemo or the Rise leader Kalandra, Rook negotiates passage deep into the Bog. He then fights either Fellemo or Kalandra or leaves them to battle amongst each other, faces the Boggers and a monstrous creature, and finally retrieves the device and leaves the Bog. In Smith's campaign, he returns to his ancestral home after the untimely death of his parents from an event known as the Great Beaching, where a colossal and mysterious beast washes ashore, crushing many to death. This is seen as a religious omen by the Cult of Hesh, though its true purpose is unknown. The
black sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...
of his family, Smith is tossed out from the estate and disowned by his siblings: younger brother and merchant prince Theroux, twin sister and rising Admiralty officer Mullifee, and older brother and Cult of Hesh
cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
Vixmalli. Smith is then contacted by a high-ranking official of the Cult of Hesh, Tei Utaro, who recruits him in a clandestine operation to purge the order of corrupt individuals. First Smith confronts Theroux by engaging him to be wed to a
con artist A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibi ...
, then Smith is met by Mullifee who enlists his aid in dealing with either a corrupt Admiralty officer or a dangerous Rise leader. Finally Smith is contacted by a Bogger operative who informs him that Vixmalli has been infested by an ancient parasite that has unique mutative properties, transmitted from the dead behemoth that washed ashore in the Great Beaching. Utaro speculates that the creature seeks to transform the world as part of a millennia-old cycle, starting with the infection of a group of politicians and foreign dignitaries at an imminent meeting being held by the Cult of Hesh to address the Great Beaching. Smith infiltrates the event with the help of his allies and confronts Vixmalli, who is brought into the belly of the beast and transformed into a monstrous creature. Smith has the option of either killing or reconciling with each of his siblings, but nevertheless defeats the transformed Vixmalli, leaving the behemoth to be returned to the ocean by an unseen tentacled force. While the Cult seeks to make sense of these events, Smith emerges triumphant as a Banquod and becomes head of the family.


Development

''Griftlands'' was developed by
Klei Entertainment Klei Entertainment Inc. ( ) is a Canadian video game development company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Klei was formed in July 2005 by Jamie Cheng. Their best-known titles include '' Don't Starve'' and '' Oxygen Not Included''. On Jan ...
. The game was announced at
E3 2017 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 (E3 2017) was the 23rd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
, at that time being an open-world RPG with encounters being played out in turn-based combat similar to most Japanese RPGs. In the interim years, Klei mentioned little of ''Griftlands'' while producing '' Oxygen Not Included''. In October 2018, Klei had posted to the game's product page that "we jumped the gun on announcing it because we thought we were further along than we were." The game was re-shown at
E3 2019 The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 (E3 2019) was the 25th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
, and while it retained the same setting and art style, the game had transitioned to card-based system, dropping the open world and more traditional
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...
s combat. ''Griftlands'' was released as an
early access Early access, also known as alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can purchase and play a game in the various pre-release Software release life cycle, developm ...
title in July 2019 for
Epic Games Store The Epic Games Store is a video game digital distribution service and storefront operated by Epic Games. It launched in December 2018 as a software client, for Microsoft Windows and macOS, and online storefront. Android and iOS versions of t ...
for a year. The early access version was released on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
on 15 June 2020 alongside a free demo, and the full version of the game is expected in 6–12 months from the early access release date. The full version of the game was released for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
and
Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...
on June 1, 2021, and for
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
,
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and
Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
on June 4, 2021.


Reception

''Griftlands'' received "generally favorable" reviews for Microsoft Windows, according to review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
. During the
25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards The ''25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards'' was the 25th edition of the D.I.C.E. Awards ("Design Innovate Communicate Entertain"), an annual awards event that honored the best games in the video game industry during 2021 in video games, 2021. The awards ...
, the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is a non-profit organization of video game industry professionals. It organizes the annual Design Innovate Communicate Entertain Summit, better known as D.I.C.E., which includes the presentation ...
nominated ''Griftlands'' for " Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year".


References


External links

* {{Klei Entertainment 2021 video games Klei Entertainment games Early access video games Digital deck-building card games Roguelike video games Indie games Video games developed in Canada Windows games PlayStation 4 games Nintendo Switch games Xbox One games Single-player video games Science fiction video games Video games about cults