Great Greed
A real-time RPG with food-themed characters and same-sex marriage options.
Great Greed, a 1992 Game Boy RPG from Namco, follows Sierra Sam after he is pulled into the Greene Kingdom to thwart the villain Biohaz. Players explore a world map, fight monsters in real-time, and assign magic spells to the d-pad. Released in Japan in 1992 and the U.S. in 1993, it was among Namco’s few American RPGs before the genre’s later surge. Critics noted its Game Boy limitations but praised its quirky characters.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Namco
- Released
- September 17, 1992 (JP); April 1993 (US)
- Genre
- Role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Game Boy
Facts from the source article.
Plot and setting
The player sets the protagonist's name, but promotional materials refer to him as Sierra Sam. Sam, a resident of the real world, is transported to the fictional world of Greene to prevent Bio-Haz from polluting its seven nations. Many characters have food-related names, such as the King's daughters Cupcake, Candy, and Truffle, and the Sorceress Microwave.
Development and release
Namco developed Great Greed for the Game Boy. The Japanese and English releases are not the same. In the original Japanese version, princesses are named in alphabetical order, with characters like Ayna, Beana, and Ceena. The English localization changed these to food-themed names such as Candy, Cup Cake, and Truffle. The game’s environmental message is also handled differently: it is a major focus in the English version, while it only appears as a late-game twist in the Japanese one. Namco showed Great Greed at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in 1993, alongside Splatterhouse 3, Rolling Thunder 3, Battle Cars, and Metal Marines. The game reached the United States in April 1993.
Reception
In Famitsu, four reviewers commented on the game. Two noted that the controls and leisurely paced story and battles suit handheld play, while two commented on the themes—one enjoying the quirky story and another amused by the character names. Nintendo Power's anonymous reviewers said the graphics were detailed but possibly too small, and that the game's scope and depth were offset by unclear progression. Frank Heukemes found it slightly above average, with a well-crafted plot, extensive worlds, and exciting battles, but weak mechanics and familiar magic attacks. In a retrospective, Robin Willow of Hardcore Gaming 101 said the biggest drawback was that spells lacked instructions; while spells like "Flame" or "Freeze" were obvious, others were not. Willow echoed Famitsu in praising the food-themed enemies and silly scenarios as high points, and applauded features described as ahead of its time, such as an auto-save feature that saved progress every few minutes. Willow also noted that at the end of the game, the player can choose to marry a select character, including male NPCs or the King himself, calling this gay representation intended as a joke but "somewhat wholesome" during a period when other games like Harvest Moon did not have same-sex marriages.
More in Namco Games of the 1990s
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