Greed – Is it the fundamental instinct that drives human beings to do what they do? Or is it one of the 7 deadly sins that we must attempt to purge ourselves of? It’s a complex question indeed. Perhaps Greed Corp can answer that question… or not.
In all honesty, Greed Corp is not a deep, heavy game, full of thought provoking insight into the idea of greed. It is however, a very enjoyable and well thought out game.
Welcome to the world of Mistbound
In the world of Mistbound, much like our own, natural resources are finite and scarce. Seeking to take control of these resources, people have gone to war, and thus we have the plot of Greed Corp.
At the base, Greed Corp is a turn-based strategy game. What sets this game apart from all the others is the destruction you must cause. And I stress the word must. Let me explain.
The map of Greed Corp is made up of adjacent hexagonal boards. The goal of the game is to be the last one remaining. The resources you use to build your units must all be taken from these boards. The catch is, by extracting resources, you gradually begin to destroy the hexagon you are on, consequently destroying everything on it, both ally and enemy units. Each hexagon has a certain amount of resource you can extract from it, represented by six little dots, before it crumbles. This adds an entirely new twist on the gameplay and the strategies you’ll have to employ.
Caution: Crumbling earth due to extensive farming
First of all, you can kiss the idea of having a fortified stronghold goodbye. Everything in Greed Corp is temporary and disposable. You will most likely destroy 90% of all the units you build, whether it’s in battle or by sucking all the resources out of your hexagon. And precisely because of this, sometimes its hard to tell who is in the lead, or who is at an advantage. It took me quite a few rounds to get a hang of this game. It requires a different strategy than normal conquest games. I dare say that this game has a steeper than average learning curve. There were many times when I couldn’t get all of my units off of a crumbling hexagon in time. There’s something to be said about watching your units fall to their demise without ever having enemy contact.
Oops. Should have thought that one through.
Speaking of units, the variety is sparse in Greed Corp. In terms of offense, you have one type of mobile unit called “Walkers”, a “Carrier” that allows you to move these walkers to any hexagon, and one long range canon, appropriately named “Canons” to wich you must buy ammos separately. In terms of buildings, you have a Harvester that harvests resources (and chips away at the hexagon), and an Armory that creates Walkers. There are no enhancements or training for any of your units. They are as they come. Simple. And invading other players’ hexagons are simple too. Since there are no battle enhancements, and you don’t use a dice, all it takes to take over an enemy’s hex is to move more units than they have on the hex. Again, simple.
Sometimes you're screwed unless you have a Carrier
Initially, the intricacies of the units and their mechanics may seem a bit too simple and flat, but it actually works really well with the gameplay. First of all, like I mentioned before, everything is temporary, and so you wouldn’t want to invest tons of time and resource into any one thing anway. And as far as the invasion goes, nothing is left to chance. You know exactly what the outcome of an invasion will be, putting you in control and making you accountable for all your moves. In addition to being able to build your own buildings, invading a hexagon has another perk: you can use whatever machine/building that the enemy had built there. But perhaps the best and most enjoyble strategic supplement is the destruction of hexagons. I mentioned before that as you farm for resources, your hexagon begins to wear away as well. Well you can certainly cause deliberate damage to hexagons as well, particularly to those with enemy units. By damaging enemy hexagons, you can strip them of potential resource, and cause wipe out all buildings and units on that hexagon. Furthermore, destroying an adjacent hexagon can cause chain reactions, causing even more damage. Let me assure you all that when you pull something like that off, it is quite the thrilling jolt of excitement and ecstasy.
BOOM!
And of course, like any good strategy game these days, Greed Corp supports up to 4-players on both offline and online multiplayer, with the ability to fill in empty slots with computer players. I feel that the mutliplayer in Greed Corp is raw. I say this because you can choose from four factions, but as far as tools and units go, they are identical. So your strategy andskill are really what’s put to the test against other players. I definitely recommend going through the campaign mode quite a bit before going online. I have to admit that though I’ve played a few matches online, I haven’t won a single one yet. This young grasshopper has much to learn in the ways of greedy strategy.
In terms of graphics, Greed Corp may not be the cinematic masterpiece that some of us are used to these days. But it definitely has a flavor of its own. The characters and units all have a cartoony style to them. The map design is definitely unique, and the constantly crumbling hexagons keeps the player entertained. Music was sparse. It was set at a very low volume, almost like elevator music, but not as annoying. It was mostly the booms, bangs and crumbling noises that gave the game sound.
So, overall, this was a great game! Though some RTS or turn-based strategy fans may be turned off initially, give it time, and this game will grow on you. It offers a very unique twist to the strategy genre. And it’s just a delight to see the actual map change as you consume and destroy.
