Legend of Grimrock

I don't need to write a lengthy review, game is very good looking, polished, fun to play at times but one thing ruins it for me. All the RPG elements don't really matter because it all comes down to you dodging attacks by side stepping. You can't face any enemy head on after a few introduction levels and you'll be constantly side stepping their attacks. I don't have much else to say about this game. I really wanted to like it but I just can't.

I am a fan of the tactical kind of computer RPG's, and never was particularly attracted to dungeon crawling except for a few exceptions. Occasionally I play games like Rogue and Nethack when I'm bored and have a Linux laptop in front of me. Legend of Grimrock is essentially that: a seemingly old-school dungeon crawler with First Person Perspective, that relies on exploration, puzzle solving, intense combat and rune-based magic. Classics like Eye of the Beholder and Ultima Underworld are usually mentioned but Grimrock is a different thing: it is not a modern classic, but it is a good try. I won't go into detail of how it plays, there are plenty others talking about that. Suffice to say, it IS actually a fun indie game with an interesting concept, and I would LOVE to see more games like this, but it is not quite the perfect revival of old-school dungeon crawlers that people claim. First of all, puzzles range from the obvious to the absurd, crossing through the trial-and-error territory often. Second, while combat IS entertaining and particularly challenging, it gets repetitive as the game system encourages you to use cheap tactics to defeat single boss-like enemies, which are slow and hit hard. Not using these cheap tactics is like jumping into a meat grinder, and using them reveals the dullness of a seemingly clever battle system. It just didn't turn out the way it could have. Exploration, however, is very engaging. There are only three general types of dungeons so the entire game looks and feels the same, but discovering new rooms, creatures and searching for secret passages is actually entertaining. The game succeeds at progressively generating an exciting atmosphere, mostly through the use of notes scattered around the dungeon since there is no dialogue. There are several interludes on which your team is talked to by an unknown strange presence, which you will get to meet in the final levels. There is also a parallel story about a former dungeon survivor who managed to get down below, all by himself, and is willing to share his knowledge with other travelers. These things add dimension to an otherwise flat imprisonment. Sadly, the modest amount of anticipation that the game does manage to create is torn to pieces upon reaching the last level and discovering what *really* lies beneath. The general concept of the game is exciting, and its ramifications are FANTASTIC (mechanical devices mixed with magic and ancient temples), but it is brought to a premature, disappointing end. This is a good game overall. It kept me hooked for the 10 or 15 hours it lasted, but sadly the very creative concept wasn't properly executed. There is more to this game than just the main "campaign", though. It includes a level editor so you can create your own adventures and play modules created by others. In other words, Legend of Grimrock might be an engine to tell different, better dungeon-crawling tales. So don't expect a new classic. This is simply a good idea with a promising concept. I hope the developers will not be discouraged by some harsh critics and release a sequel where they actually put some effort into narrative and character development. If you like exploration, hard hitting foes, secret passages, rune-based magic, dark ancient dungeons, fantasy archetype characters (fighter, rogue, mage), and the things that come with them, then play this game. It IS very entertaining.

The controls aren't quite slick and the interface isn't good enough for the game to be real time. The atmosphere is great, and the choices are interesting, but trying to quickly switch someone from the frontline to the back while also attacking with the other people when the game seems finicky about what clicks it accepts is a nightmare.

Grimrock's puzzles outweigh the exploration (click 'here' for hidden pathway) and combat (side step, and side step again) tenfold. I get it, the game is designed as a puzzle-based dungeon explorer, but I don't enjoy puzzles in dungeon crawling games as a primary mechanic. It takes all of the visceral excitement out of the game, ruins the pace, and fuels me with anxiety when wasting time on a series of monotonous riddles rather than an 'impassable' series of enemies. Not fun. Shame, I enjoyed it up until the 4th floor. Than it was just, "oh, and here is an entire floor that has puzzles within puzzles, and you're punished heavily for making mistakes you otherwise would have never known to avoid in the first place." Done.

It was fun initially collecting clothing, armor, food and weapons, and assigning them to the most appropriate team member, the game quickly became very tedious. If you go very slowly and painstakingly check every wall, you may find all the hidden buttons you are supposed to, but you'll starve because there is a very limited food supply. (When you're starving, battles are still quite doable but are about 5 times as tedious because your attacks are very weak.) I ended up using walkthroughs to save time and starve less. Some of the fighting challenges rely too much on luck: if you're lucky, the slimes will leave enough of an opening for your team to slither through and maybe survive the fight. Otherwise, reload the saved game 12 more times until they do, then save again mid-fight to try another 12 times to capitalize on that one chance at victory. Tedious. Some of the "puzzles" are rather obscure to figure out, so trial and error becomes necessary, yet they also rely on very precise timing/execution, which is a frustrating combination. Overall, I found the concept and much of the gameplay design to be creative and interesting, but the package fell far short. I quit the game after 6-8 levels.