I just bought Greedfall and played for a few hours. I liked it and might end up loving it after I get further into it. However the point here is that it does not have a story mode. I read what previews I could find and believe I read a quote from one of the developers saying that it would. Others may not care about a story mode, but for me it is a deal breaker, an essential element in deciding to buy a story-driven game. So I have shelved the game until such time as one is added.

But going one step further, I can't understand why one isn't included by default in a product that is primarily a story. I would love to see an explanation presented as a long formal paper, or as a formal speech to a large audience, because I don't think anyone could talk at length on the subject without sounding archaic, elitist, short-sighted or trite. In what other entertainment industry does the producer say "We have a performance level minimum required to consume our stories, and if you can't 'read' at a level satisfactory to our standards, we aren't interested in your money or having you as a customer." First or third-person shooters, arcade, and similar games, perhaps. But for a product that is 90% story it is simply a bad business decision.

Regardless, I will do what I did with Vampyr (an amazing game) and just ignore Greedfall until the game has a story mode. And I will be more careful in researching my purchase next time.