What I learned in my dangerous journey through Greedventory's unforgiving world

Greedventory
(Image credit: Black Tower Games)

In many ways, Greedventory is everything you might not expect from an RPG. It's a quintessential role-playing game that takes the ideas you've learned from decades of games that have come before and turns them on their head. Its gorgeously-detailed pixel art landscapes might look beautiful-crafted, but look just a little closer and you'll find danger, distrust, and downright greed everywhere you look. So to help you get a start in this twisted world, I jotted down a few of the hard lessons I had to learn to get ahead. Take note, and you might not have quite as much trouble as I did. 

Anything can be armor if you're desperate enough 

From the very first moments of the game, Greedventory makes it clear that if you need some protection, even the very smallest thing can help. Sometimes, that something is little more than the comically-small helmet you've had permanently jammed onto your head and the pair of underwear you left the house in, but hopefully it can be a little more than that. As I weaved my way through the world, I sought protection wherever I could find it; a farmer's straw hat; a pair of magician's gloves; a gas mask and a leather jacket; a series of fetching cloaks. Every little helps, and in my search for my next favourite piece of loot I made sure to destroy every crate and jar I came across, and rifle through every sack and chest I could get my hands on. 

I need to stop hitting myself

Greedventory

(Image credit: Black Tower Games)

All that different armor definitely came in handy in battle, but it was also surprisingly effective once the fighting stopped, especially when I was showing every inanimate object around me who was boss. The problem with chaotically brandishing your sword at everything in sight is that you risk gashing yourself across the torso thanks to a particularly wild swing. It might only be a minor cut, but all that self-inflicted damage adds up over time - especially since hurting yourself can cause some serious wear and tear to your weapon. It was a habit that took me an embarrassingly long time to get out of - particularly when I found new weapons capable of doing plenty of extra damage to both my foes and myself. 

There's more than one way to win a fight

I started my journey in Greedventory as a dangerously chaotic swordsman. As I've already pointed out, nothing was safe from my hectic style - not even myself - and there were plenty of times when my mindless thrashing left me out of stamina as a dangerous foe bore down upon me.But as I started to refine my approach, I found a dozen different ways to best my foes in combat. A deft parry could leave my opponent in a state of shock, leaving him open for my devastating charged attack. If a fight was going south, I could use a bleed attack and then leech some life back off my opponent. Magic powers or perfectly-timed attacks saw my foes burst before me in a cloud of viscera. By far my favourite way to win a fight, however, was to use my shield as a giant racquet, redirecting my enemies' attacks to injure them, or knocking aside their healing potions to turn their boost of strength onto me.  

Greedventory

(Image credit: Black Tower Games)

Enemies come in all shapes and sizes 

In Greedventory, it quickly became clear that anything and everything can be a terrifying opponent. It didn't take long before I'd fought against giant snakes, zombified clowns, angry, potion-lobbing dwarfs, and a training dummy that played host to a horrifying, bulbous demon. It proved a rude introduction to this world, but left me ready to take on more or less anything I might later come across. No matter how terrifying a boss might look at first glance, I knew it couldn't be any worse than that training dummy… 

Don't take your companion too seriously

Greedventory

(Image credit: Black Tower Games)

Ok, he might have a few tricks up his sleeve that'll get you out of a tricky situation or two, but your impish companion balances his helpful side out by almost literally being the monkey on your back. Look, he might have a few helpful things to tell you, he might offer a few pointers in the right direction, but he'll also sit there with that gruesome grin while he watches you bleed out. He'll watch a projectile fly towards your head, do nothing to help, and then sass you for not dodging it. Don't disregard your devilish companion, but make sure you don't let his words get under your skin - he'll only prove to be a distraction.


Heed all this advice, and... you'll probably still succumb to the monsters that infest this world dozens of times. Greedventory is constantly twisting and turning, subverting your expectations to make sure it catches you by surprise, so you're almost guaranteed to have a surprise attack cave your head in at least a couple of times before your journey reaches its end. Still, with these tips, at least you'll have a chance to get your revenge sooner rather than later.

Greedventory is available now via Steam and GOG.