Legend of Grimrock Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on April 4th, 2012

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What makes Legend of Grimrock so fantastic is that, even if you beat it, you likely won't solve all of its puzzles and find all of its treasures. Grimrock begs for further exploration, testing party builds and the limits of the dungeon's inhabitants. And it isn't long (I finished in 34 hours, but I spent time trying out different characters, experimenting with many traps, and, ahem, got stuck once or twice; focused players should finish in 15 hours or so). Legend of Grimrock is a strong debut for Almost Human, and I'm excited to see what other dungeons they put out and the mods that players create.

The game's choke point, however, is its combat. Even though it is grid-based and in real-time, we wish it was a more involved process. As it is, combat boils down to quick swipes or spells, and then avoiding your enemies until your abilities have recharged. Blocking or parrying would have made a big difference. While the enemies initially look interesting (and in some cases, downright frightening), once you're close up, they lose some of their luster.

But those negative points aside, we can't deny the remarkably fun time we've had while trapped inside Grimrock. The challenge, the exploration, the experimentation, the replayability with different classes and races, make this budget priced indie adventure a must-play game for RPG, dungeon crawler, and puzzle fans everywhere. We can easily say that if you're interested at all in Grimrock, it's worth buying.

Legend of Grimrock starts off a little ponderously, almost unwelcoming. Whereas its inspiration Eye of the Beholder treated the player to colourful red walls upon entering, Grimrock's look more realistic and, as a result, a bit dull. The bestiary is a little less varied too and initially at least, there seems to be a lot less to do. In some ways, it is a reflection of the smaller scale of Legend of Grimrock; It simply is a lot smaller than the Eye of the Beholder games and a bit less ambitious too.

Yet, as you descend into the mountain's inner depths, the game picks up speed and has a few surprises up its sleeve. By level 4, the game had revealed itself as a great action puzzler requiring mouse skills and wits in equal measure. By level 6 I had experienced sessions of bewilderment, panic, amusement, elation, frustration and more. That told me that despite its size and despite (or perhaps because of) its old-school mechanics, Legend of Grimrock has teeth, has smarts and provides a role-playing experience that should never have been forgotten in the first place.

If you are a fan of classic Dungeon Crawlers then there isn't a whole lot to complain about with Legend of Grimrock. This is a tribute to games like Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder and Ultima Underworld. The free moving battles and challenging monsters offer a level of difficulty that isn't seen in a lot of today's games, but at the same time the game never feels cheap. Careful strategy, clever use of your environment, and proper preparation will win most battles and give you a sense of accomplishment. The puzzles in the game are numerous and most require some thought, but there is always a clue to solving them if you look around and think hard enough. As I write this review I have spent roughly 16 hours with Legend of Grimrock, and I have only reached level 9 of the dungeon. I don't know how many levels there are, but at just $14.99 I can say that you will easily get your money's worth.

There's more peculiarity arriving in your sleep, but I'll let you discover that. In fact, please discover it. This is a really splendid game. It's a great length, I'd guess at least 15 hours, and completely packed with challenges. There may only be three tile sets for the environments, but it feels constantly varied and interesting, and as I've said, offers a really entertainingly tough time. Also, it features the scariest bloody crabs I've ever seen in my phobic life, along with spiders, giants, and snails. Yes, snails.

The difficulty I mentioned can be enormously increased by invoking the game's (Old School Mode) where it will stop auto-mapping for you, meaning you need to dig out/print some squared paper, and meticulously sketch out every level if you're to have a clue where you're going. I didn't dare do this, possessing the navigation skills of a dizzy set of keys, and also relied on the in-game maps' option to let you add notes.

Does it directly compare to Dungeon Master, living up to those memories? Do you know, I've no idea. I played it when I was 10. But independently of its obvious spiritual father, it stands alone as a really great game that gripped me from top to bottom.

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