I don't agree with the negative reviews. I finished the game in 12 hours on normal with the default party and had a great time. Currently I'm on my second playthrough on hard with a paladin, monk, rogue and archer and it is very cool. Much harder than normal as it should be.
First, you can't call the game a Legend of Grimrock clone, because Grimrock is a Dungeon Master clone. This genre is very old and Grimrock and Hotmt are rather a revival of the genre. Second, yes, Hotmt is a simpler version of a dungeon crawler but for me this is a plus. This is the trademark of the game and many people trash it for that. I normally also like complex Rpgs and hate dumbing-down but in this case I enjoyed the simplicity. It is very easy to pick up and relaxing after a hard working day.
And on hard you also need to think how to take the enemies down. There is no food, light and weight management, but you have to manage your potions and fountains for revival if a party member dies, as there are only a view.
I want to mention especially the music, which is absolutely great. The game is worth it for the soundtrack alone. The music creates always the right atmosphere for each floor, sometimes even for special rooms. You always want to know what's behind the next corner. Speaking of atmosphere, there are some surprises.
There is not much story but the genre is not known for complex storylines. You have a simple and humorous reason to go on your adventure and that's it. The rest is simply exploring, fighting, looting and solving some puzzles. The ending of the game even made me laugh.
All in all, if you want an introduction to the genre, this is a great start. But even experienced Rpg fans could enjoy it, because the game is simply fun. But if you look for a very deep Rpg which you can play for hundreds of hours, you won't find it here.
I want to thank the developer for making the game. Don't be discouraged by the negative comments and I hope you make another game someday.