GRIME

[h2]Phenomenal 2D Metroidvania - Miles and miles above most others.[/h2] [h3]The Good[/h3] Grime has massive ambition, slowly unravelling to reveal a more than excellent Metroidvania. The setting is truly bizarre and you learn early on that you're going to get something quite unique... You play as a 'proportioned' being fighting and absorbing more malformed beings. The combat is kinda souls like, with a heavy focus on parrying. It is unforgiving and you will die a lot so if that isn't your bag this game may not be for you. Apart from the art style, everything else in this game gets slowly (and I mean [b]slowly[/b]) dripped down to you--Weapons, Armours, Abilities, Map, Story. It's a slow burner for sure and I can see why a large chunk of people tap out early but the game is definitely better for it. The prominent vibe I got from Grime is that it doesn't treat you like a kid and it expects you to work things out for yourself--there are so many subtle nuanced things in combat and platforming that you just end up stumbling across and it's super engrossing. There are a million different weapons with special abilities for you to choose from that work with different stat spreads, allowing you to suit the combat to your style. There's upgrades and consumables and...yeah, its kinda souls like. For me, the combat came second to the exploration which is where Grime shines best. There are SO MANY secrets to uncover and the movement system through platforming feels really fresh and intricate towards the end. I might be misremembering how hard Celeste was but there is a section in Grime that harked similar feelings. The story is pretty bleak and mostly just hinted at rather than revealed, but the atmosphere is thick. Depressing but in a good way. [h3]The Not As Good[/h3] Both the combat and the platforming have a little bit of jank. For the most part they're very snappy and fluid, but you do get frustrated trying to account for the jank from time to time. Something that you can definitely get used to. I'm far from a masochist, but I did feel like all the bosses were a little easy. You get crushed pretty easily but once you figure out what they're doing it's not hard at all. There was no boss where I thought, "Wow, that was crazy" after beating them. [h3]Should you play it?[/h3] If you enjoy sombre worlds, platforming off the beaten path or curious mythos I would recommend this as a must-play. There has been a sequel announced and I think it is going to be really really special.

Legitimately one of the best soulslike/metroidvania experiences I've ever had, with possibly the best environment design I've seen. Unsettling atmosphere, locations, and enemies, solid and responsive combat, deeply satisfying combat, and great dialogue/class commentary to top it all off. Minor jank here and there, a few frustrating portions, but nothing major. I continue to go back and forth between a 9/10 and a 10/10, because the good FAR outweighs the bad and provides a unique, challenging, and refreshing approach to both the soulslike and metroidvania genres.

Grime is a masterpiece. It stands alongside metroidvania classics such as Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, and Ori, thanks to its mysterious world, surreal art style, and atmospheric soundtrack. The environments feel eerie, sad, and oddly beautiful all at once. Combat is tight and rewarding, with a unique absorption mechanic and a solid variety of weapons, skills and armor sets that allow for multiple builds. Bosses are challenging but fair, and a New Game+ mode offers added difficulty for those seeking more. If you enjoy cryptic storytelling, engaging exploration, and satisfying combat, Grime is for you.

Absolutely! I've enjoyed the souls like experience of this game tremendously. The amount of weapons, traits and armor to get is astounding. Currently I'm up to NG+8 and you can upgrade your weapons a ton.

My playtime display is inaccurate — I’m already at the final boss. As for the bosses themselves, they often go too far. Many of them are genuinely good, even amazing, in their first phase — challenging but fair, with strong presentation and design. But then the second phase hits, and it feels like a different game. Suddenly, it’s a chaotic platforming mess where you're forced to dodge nearly everything with barely any room to breathe. I’ll admit I might just be bad at those platform-heavy sections, but the problem is how excessive and overdesigned they get. If the second phases were toned down — made less about constant dodging and more about deliberate combat — these bosses could absolutely stand toe-to-toe with Soulsborne fights. Right now, they feel hard for the sake of being hard.

Nice metroidvania with leveling and gearing inspired from Dark Souls. It has a few new takes on the platforming genre which makes this game feel fresh.

7/10

8/10