Legend of Grimrock 2

I did not expect to have this much fun after I played the first Legend of Grimrock. Maps are diverse, filled with secrets, puzzles and loot. Great game for filling those few hours of free time you have during the day. It's also quite challenging. I died a lot, got frustrated and found myself urging to get back to trying after few hours of playing something else. Absolutely worth a buy.

One of the best dungeon crawler ever. If you love dungeon master and stonekeep ? buy it!

Part 2 finally has a surface world. It's not really open but consists of 12 smallish (30x30, some multi-floor) areas with transitions. Even though the graphics didn't really improve much technically, exploring the surface in bright sunlight just looks better. There is a day/night cycle, but you can rest anywhere to avoid the night. There is a cheap light spell, so you actually don't need torches (apart from puzzles). The starving mechanism is still there. Though enemies and fish respawn slowly, there's still a risk of getting stuck without food. The inventory is small, food isn't stacked and has a weight. There still isn't a way to sell/buy things, so you have to drop weapons/armor all the time. There are no quests apart from collecting 4 essences to face the boss but I still missed a journal. If you collect a note or receive a hint, you need to mark it manually on the map to keep track. I didn't like the trial&error design of most puzzles plus there are a few bugs (clicking switches, archive instructions). Hints are very vague, quest items are not marked, can be dropped and have to be used explicitly at certain locations. Besides, there are dozens of hidden buttons or time based puzzles. So admittedly I got stuck at more than one location (archives, pyramid entrance, several secret areas) and had to look in a walk-through to continue. Good: Proper save system (even works in boss battles), an automap with manual markers and 100% object persistence. Bad: Tools like rope and mortar can't be used from the inventory. There is no auto-healing or key for using potions. The magic gestures are problematic to use during fights. Boss fight are arena-style, typically with smaller enemies appearing to block you. The dragon boss fight is very hard due to multiple respawn waves and the final hidden boss fight is somewhat insane due to endless clones. I put 42h in it (more in real time) for all secrets etc. and reached Level 15 - even then I could only kill a turtle with one hit.

It's still a Legend of Grimrock and has its qualities. The graphics and other details have been improved compared to the first part. At the same time, the game has lost the most important thing: the atmosphere. It lacks the oppressive feeling. Everything is so big and confusing. The puzzles are too many and sometimes too confusing. I never know where I'm supposed to go and end up reading the guides because it's too frustrating. I haven't played through it and prefer to play LoG 1.

5 stars and "flawless" are high praise indeed. Let me tell you why. The grandiose intro music sets an adventurous tone and really gets you ready to be shipwrecked on an isolated beach. The learning curve is perfect and there is little to be confused about. You are entered into a world of combat and puzzles, which range from "find the button" to esoteric riddles. (If you reach a particularly difficult puzzle or do not know how to proceed, there are walkthroughs online.) You guide a party of four around the island through different zones, with movement happening on a grid. It's like a cross between a live RPG and your standard dungeon grid. You get to choose from the standard characters classes, as well as the strange "Farmer" class, which adds an excellent twist to your standard adventuring and experience gathering. You can customise your players starting stats and abilities, which means you can employ many different strategies to win. A mysterious story drives you forward as you attempt to survive and escape the island, which gives you a wonderful mix of underground dungeons and the outdoors. This is a great blend of thought and action. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. There were zero bugs. None at all. This is important because it means that you are never pulled out of the game world. You're sucked into the enigma and you'll want to replay it again and again until you've figured out your favourite strategy. I recommend this to anyone who likes light RPGs, puzzle solving with combat, dungeon crawling, or general strategising. To be honest, I think anyone who likes good games should play this game.