Well, after all that Ludum Dare-based excitement, isn’t it nice to be back to just playing games, instead of making them?
Actually, scratch that. 72 hours making games is surely less lethal than a trip to the dungeons of Grimrock…
Name: Legend of Grimrock
Genres: Rouge-like/RPG
Developer: Almost Human
Available on: PC (From Steam, GOG.com and Grimrock.net)
Legend of Grimrock places you in first-person control of a group of four prisoners, doomed to atone for their crimes in the belly of Mount Grimrock, which needless to say is a very scary place indeed.
You start the game with creating your unfortunate party, with the standard selection of fighter, mage and rouge, and the less-than-standard selection of races (Humans, Minotors, Lizard-men and Insectoids). Then spend a bit of time upping stats and adding traits, and then you’re off!
But off to where? How about straight into the depths of Grimrock, without so much of a “Good luck down there!” from the guards. Yeah, that’s the kind of game Legend of Grimrock is… And in my opinion, it’s all the better for it.
Solve puzzles by looking at every wall for tiny cracks! Fight monsters that outnumber you three-to-one! Keep your eyes peeled at all times for treasure and items!
Legend of Grimrock is, most defiantly, an old-school dungeon crawler. Sure, it may look like fancy, shiny and new, but at it’s heart are the classic rouge-like foundations; brutally tough, and completely absorbing.
Everything, from the puzzles to the enemies to the visuals are pitched just right, to make it feel like a challenge, and make it feel like you are trapped within the wall of Mount Grimrock. I can’t count the times that spiders have made me jump as they leap at my quartet of heroes, or how I’ve had to take off my headset to check that the earthquake I just heard wasn’t actually really. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this immersed in a game.
So, hats off to you, Almost Human. For bringing my favorite genre back into the spotlight, and making a top-notch job of it.
