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(Image: FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE)

Greedfall is a unique game - the newest RPG from Spiders (the developer behind The Technomancer, Bound by Flame and more), the title takes on the fantasy RPG genre... but in a very different way.

Set in the 17th Century, the title sees the main character inhabit an island paradise that's been occupied by colonial forces from several distinct nations from fictional lands.

Everything seems to have this colonial flavour to it, and the way the world is built and put together, you'd be mistaken in thinking this was a Dragon Age game set in a young America - like Bioware does Hamilton (minus that Lin-Manuel Miranda charm, though).

Similarly to a Bioware RPG, the game is split into different facets: character interaction, exploration and combat.

In our hands-off preview, we saw some cutscenes that were pretty well-acted and did a good job of establishing the world, but had a slightly unpolished edge to them that could take you out of the game pretty easily.

The first cutscene we saw had your main character approach his cousin - a leader of one of the settled towns on the island - and introduce a native islander to him, choosing to be kind to the local 'princess'.

Our cousin sent us out on a task to parley with the natives, to support them in defending their land against aggressors from another colony somewhere in the world.

The characters themselves seem rounded and interesting, and the lore that underlines the world is intriguing - an important part of an RPG. Coming away from our brief session with the game, we certainly wanted to learn more about the island paradise and its strange inhabitants.

But unfortunately the combat seemed pretty ropey: there isn't a lot of information on-screen, which is nice, but the animations fixing all the combat moves together were stiff and jagged, making battles seems arrhythmic and stilted.

Seeing your magical native ally pull of magic based on nature was cool, but when a vine comes out of the ground at 20 frames per second and judders as it whips someone across the head, you can only be so wowed.

We know this is very early code, so we can forgive some of the jank, but Spiders previous offerings aren't exactly known for how smooth they run, so we're understandably cautious about getting too excited about the action-based gameplay here.

We're promised the ability to use your pistol, sword and your own flavour of magic to combat some of the island's bigger enemies too - these guardians are hulking beasts like the ones seen in the trailer, and we imagine taking them down in the lush environments on show would be pretty satisfying... if the performance kept up in-game.

Apparently, the whole RPG element of the game will come down to one massive skill tree that you can choose to upgrade and improve as you play.

That means, unlike most RPGs, there is no sort of class system here - everything is incremental, and you build the character you want to play as over time. That could either end up being a really interesting, refreshing take on the action-RPG system... or it could simply end up being a drab slog of an affair - we'll have to wait and see.

Spiders also told us that you'll have the option to pick either a male or female character in the game - the choice won't affect too much of what you play, but it will limit the romance choices you have once you get a bit further into the title.

That's right - there's romance in the game, too.

So to all intents and purposes, this does feel very much like a Bioware game developed on a tighter budget. But with the uncertain fate of Dragon Age and the letdown that was Andromeda, maybe it is time to look elsewhere for our character-driven, action-based RPGs.

Spiders games aren't bad - they may lack polish, but they're not bad. And what we've seen of Greedfall so far is a promising set of ideas, all brought to life in an intriguing and unique world.

The colonial flavour of the game is the most interesting setting for a fantasy title we've seen showcased so far this year, and the Baroque art from the 17th Century the game is modelled on provides endless potential for a fantastical adventure.

More than anything, the game reminded us of Hamilton mashed with Dragon Age - if that's a game you've always wanted to play, you should really keep your eye on this one.