Greed: Black Border

In the distant future, the fragile alliance of five planets shatters due to mistrust and greed over the rare metal Ikarium, plunging the colonies into war amid asteroid swarms like Likanos, littered with wreckage from mining and pirate ships. As a former soldier turned freelance mercenary from the powerful planet Camulos, the player investigates a distress signal from a drifting mining vessel, embarking on a Diablo-inspired action RPG adventure filled with hordes of enemies, character-specific weapons, skill upgrades, and cooperative multiplayer exploration.

Greed: Black Border: Review

Introduction

In the vast cosmos of early 2010s indie gaming, where ambitious studios dared to chase the shadow of Diablo‘s enduring legacy, Greed: Black Border emerges as a gritty, interstellar underdog—a sci-fi action RPG that promised explosive shootouts amid interstellar greed but delivered a mixed bag of potential and pitfalls. Released in 2009 by the Austrian developer ClockStone Software, this title arrived during a renaissance of isometric hack ‘n’ slash games, blending familiar loot-driven progression with a futuristic twist on colonial warfare. Yet, for all its atmospheric promise, Greed feels like a derelict spaceship adrift: intriguing from afar but riddled with structural flaws upon closer inspection. My thesis is clear: while Greed: Black Border innovates modestly in its class-based combat and co-op elements, its repetitive gameplay loops, underdeveloped narrative, and technical inconsistencies relegate it to a footnote in video game history—a budget title that teases greatness but never quite escapes its own black border of mediocrity.

Development History & Context

ClockStone Softwareentwicklung GmbH, a small Austrian studio founded in the mid-2000s, entered the gaming scene with modest ambitions but a clear vision for hybrid experiences. Led by figures like Project Lead Matthias Hilke, Technical Director Michael Schiestl, and Creative Director Minh Tri Do Dinh, the team drew from their prior success with Avencast: Rise of the Mage (2007), an action RPG that mixed fantasy combat with puzzle-solving. For Greed, ClockStone shifted gears to science fiction, envisioning a “Diablo meets Shadowgrounds” formula: isometric action RPG mechanics fused with top-down shooter intensity. The studio’s goal was to craft a mature, adult-oriented tale of interstellar conflict, emphasizing survival and moral ambiguity over high-fantasy tropes.

Development occurred during a transitional era for PC gaming, around 2008-2009, when the industry grappled with the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis. Budget constraints were rampant for indie developers like ClockStone, who operated with a lean team of about 48 developers and testers (including QA Manager Helmut Duregger and artists like Stephan Sossau). Technological limitations were evident: built on a custom engine supporting DirectX 9.0c, the game required modest hardware—a Pentium 4 3.4 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM—but suffered from unoptimized performance, such as lag on modern systems and interface screw-ups like heat-warped visuals on desert levels. The gaming landscape at release was dominated by juggernauts like Diablo II expansions and emerging titles like Torchlight (2009), which popularized accessible loot-grinding. Sci-fi RPGs were niche, with contemporaries like Space Siege (2008) struggling commercially due to similar repetition issues. Publishers like Headup Games GmbH & Co. KG and Meridian4 targeted the budget market, pricing Greed at around $20, positioning it as an affordable alternative amid a flood of fantasy clones. ClockStone’s vision—to humanize defectors in a greed-fueled war—reflected broader indie trends toward narrative depth, but limited resources meant compromises, like a finite enemy pool and absent alien lore, ultimately hobbling its ambition.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Greed: Black Border weaves a tale of human hubris in a fractured future, where the discovery of Ikarium—a glowing, yellow mineral granting unlimited energy—shatters a fragile alliance of five planetary colonies. The plot kicks off with a former elite soldier from the dominant colony Camulos, disillusioned by governmental warmongering, turning freelance mercenary to patrol the hazardous Likanos asteroid swarm. Answering a distress signal leads to docking with the derelict mining ship Yukon 5, plunging the player into a survival thriller that escalates from zombie-infested corridors to alien-infested deserts.

Plot Structure and Key Events

The narrative unfolds across three chapters, each tied to a distinct locale: the claustrophobic Yukon 5, a scorching desert planet, and an underground alien lair. Chapter 1 aboard the ship reveals a zombie apocalypse triggered by a virus affecting only those with bionic implants, blending horror tropes with sci-fi isolation. The protagonist rescues Masato Kamishiro, the sole survivor and eccentric merchant driven by Ikarium obsession, whose Yiddish-accented banter provides rare comic relief. Their emergency landing on an uncharted desert world in Chapter 2 introduces indigenous horrors—giant insects and scorpions—while the duo hunts refined liquid Ikarium for fuel. The finale in Chapter 3 uncovers a “Black Border” forbidden zone teeming with insectoid robots and an alien queen, culminating in a boss rush that ties back to colonial greed as the catalyst for interdimensional threats.

The story’s brevity (10-15 hours) is both a strength and flaw: it avoids bloat but ends abruptly, with credits rolling just as broader implications—like the colonies’ war or the aliens’ origins—tease expansion. Puzzles intersperse action, such as decoding crew logs or navigating laser grids, adding investigative layers, but they fade mid-game, underscoring the plot’s unfinished feel. A post-game hard mode replays the campaign with carried-over progress, but it lacks new story beats, emphasizing replay over revelation.

Characters and Dialogue

The three playable classes embody defector archetypes, each with voiced monologues that humanize their backstories. The Marine, a grizzled, deadpan snarker (e.g., quipping about “giant cockroaches” upon facing a mutant beetle), is a fatherly ex-officer who quit after pointless sacrifices, favoring heavy armor and gatling guns. The Pyro, a close-range firebug, hails from a government “cleaning” crew but draws ethical lines at civilian massacres, his hot-tempered style mirroring inner turmoil. The Plasma Engineer, a cold sniper and action girl reminiscent of StarCraft‘s Nova, excels at distance takedowns, her stoic demeanor hinting at engineered enhancements.

Kamishiro steals scenes as the greedy everyman, his New York accent clashing with his Japanese name for ironic effect, spouting lines like pleas for “one more haul” of Ikarium. Dialogue is sparse—mostly environmental logs and quips—lacking branching choices or deep interactions, which amplifies isolation. No NPCs beyond Kamishiro appear, making the world feel emptier than intended.

Themes: Greed as Cosmic Curse

Thematically, Greed indicts resource-driven imperialism, with Ikarium as a “green rocks” MacGuffin symbolizing unchecked ambition. The colonies’ mistrust shatters peace, echoing real-world colonialism, while the player’s mercenary path critiques blind loyalty. Subtle motifs like exploding Ikarium barrels (ubiquitous hazards) underscore volatility, and the “Black Border” forbidden zone evokes Lovecraftian dread—humanity’s greed awakening cosmic horrors. Absent aliens in the backstory contrast the desert planet’s “bizarchitecture” lair, suggesting exploitation invites extinction. Yet, themes remain surface-level; the ending’s dramatic consequences for mankind feel tacked-on, diluting the critique into generic survival fare. Dialogue’s occasional profanity (e.g., “damn”) adds edge, but violence’s “kill or be killed” ethos, with blood puddles and dismemberment, leans into mature PEGI 16 territory without deeper moral exploration.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Greed: Black Border core loop revolves around isometric hack ‘n’ slash progression: explore levels, slaughter enemy hordes for XP and loot, upgrade via skill trees and gear, and tackle bosses/puzzles. It’s a Diablo-lite with shooter emphasis—left-click to move/fire, right-click for skills—but innovations like dodge rolls and class-locked weapons add flair, marred by flaws like repetition and clunky UI.

Core Gameplay Loops and Combat

Combat is ranged-focused, with hordes of finite enemies (no infinite respawns) encouraging tactical kiting. The Pyro thrives in CQC with flamethrowers, igniting groups; the Marine’s multi-barrel gatlings provide mid-range suppression, bolstered by heavy armor; the Plasma’s sniper rifle enables long-range precision. A spacebar dodge roll, inherited from Avencast, injects action, evading projectiles or closing gaps, while Shift-locking allows stationary firing for sniping. Active skills (e.g., Marine’s micro-nukes spewing radiation or Plasma’s freezing shot) consume a quick-regenerating energy meter, blending RPG depth with shooter pacing. Passive skills divide into offensive (e.g., auto-knockback) and defensive (e.g., shield regen from kills), limited to one each for focused builds—swappable on-the-fly via hotkeys.

Enemies vary: ship zombies (melee/saw-wielders), security mechs (lasers/seeker bombs), desert bugs (acid pools/giant crabs), and alien robots (spider tanks). Bosses like the Gatling-armed spider mech demand circle-strafing, but “bullet-sponge” HP pools drag fights (10-15 minutes for finals). Co-op shines for up to three players via LAN/Internet, amplifying chaos, though matchmaking woes persist. Puzzles break monotony—e.g., analyzing logs for codes or dodging tentacles—but vanish post-Chapter 2, leaving pure combat slogs.

Character Progression and Loot Systems

Leveling grants two attribute points (health, shields, energy +10 each) and one skill point for a three-branch tree (max five ranks per skill, though gains taper). No elemental resistances mean builds emphasize sustain over synergy, fostering straightforward power fantasies. Loot is class-specific: flamethrowers/gatlings/plasma rifles drop with quality tiers and sockets for modules (e.g., +damage chips, non-removable). Armor (chest/helmet) reduces damage; recycling yields Ikarium currency for merchant buys. Inventory is a grid puzzle, limited to stacks of nine medkits/energy cells—teleport to Kamishiro every five minutes via module mitigates backtracking. Innovation: higher difficulties carry end-game stats, easing replays. Flaws abound: loot lacks variety (few upgrades post-midgame), progression feels linear, and UI (dark, cluttered inventory) frustrates, with mouse issues in heat-distorted areas.

Overall, mechanics innovate modestly—dodge rolls and co-op elevate action—but repetition (same four enemy types) and pacing (bloated early levels) expose systemic shallowness.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Greed‘s universe is a stark, unforgiving sci-fi tableau, where colonial greed scars the stars, but its world-building prioritizes atmosphere over depth, with visuals and audio crafting immersion despite limitations.

The setting spans three biomes: the Yukon 5‘s dim, metallic corridors evoke Dead Space-like dread, littered with zombie remnants and Ikarium-glowing vents. The desert planet’s shifting sands and heat haze form a death world of dunes and canyons, hiding Ikarium deposits amid bug nests. The alien lair’s crystalline, biomechanical hives pulse with otherworldly menace, lit by blue refined Ikarium. World-building shines in lore snippets—colony alliances fracturing over Likanos asteroids, wildcat miners braving the Black Border—but feels underdeveloped; absent aliens in backstory give way to unexplained insectoids, suggesting exploitation’s backlash without elaboration.

Art direction, led by Stephan Sossau, delivers solid 2D-scrolling visuals: detailed sprites for characters (e.g., Marine’s spinning gatlings) and fluid animations for explosions/dodges. Environments use dynamic lighting—flickering ship bulbs, scorching sand warps—but dark palettes and repetitive textures (endless corridors/dunes) breed fatigue. Pixel-shader 2.0 effects like acid pools and barrel blasts add punch, though unoptimized engine causes lag/artifacts.

Sound design elevates the grit: a pulsating electronic OST (downloadable free) builds tension with industrial synths and rhythmic beats, syncing to combat frenzy. SFX impress—gatling whirs, flamethrower roars, bug skitters—using public-domain assets (e.g., StarCraft-esque lasers) effectively. Voiced lines, sparse but flavorful (Marine’s snark, Kamishiro’s wheedling), ground the isolation, though repetition grates. Together, these elements forge a moody, kill-or-be-killed vibe, where soundscapes amplify thematic greed—every explosion a reminder of Ikarium’s volatile allure—but visual monotony undercuts sustained wonder.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its December 2009 launch (Steam January 2010), Greed: Black Border garnered mixed reception, earning a MobyGames critic average of 58% (from 13 reviews) and player score of 3.4/5 (seven ratings). German outlets like PC Games (71%) praised its atmosphere and puzzles, calling it a refreshing sci-fi alternative to goblin-slaying, while GamersGlobal (70%) lauded co-op and graphics over rivals like Space Siege. However, international critics were harsher: GameStar (60%) decried inconsistent genre elements and lack of incentives; HonestGamers (50%) lamented “wasted potential” in its slow, unimaginative trek; Adrenaline Vault (40%) dismissed it as unfun amid a “clone train” of crawlers. Common gripes included repetitive combat, poor loot variety, clunky controls, and abrupt ending—echoing Space Siege‘s fate as a disappointing Diablo clone.

Commercially, as a $20 budget title, it sold modestly (80 MobyGames collectors), buoyed by demos but hampered by DRM issues (installation limits) and multiplayer bugs. Steam reviews sit at Mixed (46% positive from 206), with users decrying optimization (“lag on low settings”) and controls (“fighting the camera more than enemies”), though some appreciate its brevity for quick co-op sessions.

Legacy-wise, Greed has faded into obscurity, influencing few titles directly—ClockStone’s later works like Twin Sector (2009) iterated on puzzles but not RPG elements. It epitomizes early indie struggles: ambitious sci-fi amid fantasy dominance, prefiguring The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing (2013) in class-based shooting, but lacking polish to inspire. Reputation has softened slightly in retrospective nostalgia for budget gems, with TV Tropes highlighting tropes like “exploding barrels everywhere” as cult quirks. Yet, in a genre now ruled by Diablo IV and Path of Exile, Greed remains a cautionary tale of untapped potential, occasionally bundled in sales but rarely revisited.

Conclusion

Greed: Black Border ambitiously charts a course through sci-fi RPG waters, blending class-driven combat, loot progression, and co-op into a compact package that occasionally sparks with atmospheric tension and tactical depth. Its narrative probes greed’s cosmic toll, bolstered by evocative art and sound, while mechanics like dodge rolls and skill synergies offer flashes of innovation. However, repetitive enemy design, sparse loot, underdeveloped story, and technical hitches—compounded by a rushed ending—drag it into mediocrity, making it feel like a derelict vessel rather than a starship. As a historical artifact, it occupies a liminal space: a forgotten 2009 indie effort that highlights the genre’s evolution from budget clones to polished epics, but ultimately unworthy of revival. Verdict: 6/10—play for co-op curiosity if on sale, but skip for deeper dives into Torchlight or Diablo. In video game history, Greed is the black border itself: a boundary not worth crossing.