GRIME Review Summary

Excellent combat and platforming: The combat and platforming mechanics are praised for being fair, consistent, and enjoyable, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.

Well-designed boss fights: The game features enjoyable and well-designed boss fights that are challenging yet fair, adding to the overall excitement and engagement.

Unique and engaging art style: The game's art style is frequently described as unique, dark, and visually powerful, contributing to its distinctive atmosphere.

Smooth and addictive gameplay: Players consistently highlight the game's smooth and addictive gameplay mechanics, which are well-polished and rewarding.

Captivating atmosphere: The game's atmosphere is noted for being unique, captivating, and well-complemented by its soundtrack and visuals.

Confusing map design: The map design is often criticized for being difficult to understand, with many one-way paths and hidden routes not clearly shown. This leads to frustration and stress among players.

Frustrating platforming sections: Players find the platforming sections excessively difficult and frustrating, especially in hidden boss fights and certain areas. The platforming mechanics are often criticized for being poorly designed.

Unpolished combat system: The combat system is frequently described as boring, slow, clunky, and punishing. Players feel it lacks polish and is generally not enjoyable.

Frustrating exploration: Exploration is often frustrating due to poorly designed maps and frequent dead ends. Players find it confusing and annoying.

Lack of weapon variety: Weapons are often criticized for being too similar and lacking distinct characteristics. Many players find most weapons ineffective.

Metroidvania and Soulslike blend: The game combines Metroidvania exploration with Soulslike combat mechanics. This fusion creates a unique experience with interconnected worlds, shortcuts, and challenging combat.

Unique absorption combat system: Combat revolves around absorbing enemies to gain abilities and heal. This mechanic is central to the gameplay and is often compared to similar systems in other games like Castlevania.

Strategic boss fights: Boss fights are a core mechanic, requiring strategy, skill, and pattern recognition. They are challenging but fair, and some bosses have epic soundtracks.

Rich exploration mechanics: The game features extensive exploration with hidden passages, secrets, and interconnected maps. Players enjoy discovering new areas and solving puzzles, although some find the lack of guidance hindering.

Precision-based parrying: Parrying is a core mechanic integral to combat. The game features a powerful absorption (parry) system that requires precise timing and reactions.

Runs well on most systems: The game generally performs well across various systems, including lower-end hardware, with smooth performance and minimal issues.

Mixed Steam Deck performance: The game has mixed performance on Steam Deck, with some users reporting bugs and others experiencing smooth gameplay. Optimization is uneven.

Occasional crashes and bugs: Some users experience occasional crashes, unexpected game exits, and various bugs, including geometry issues and getting stuck in walls.

Camera and platforming issues: The camera can be problematic during platforming sections, and there are reports of buggy animations and platforming issues.

Controller and technical issues: There are reports of controller issues, technical jank, and minor bugs such as dialog text issues at high refresh rates.

Recommended for Metroidvania fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of the Metroidvania genre, especially those who enjoy challenging gameplay and have a high tolerance for frustration. It is not recommended for beginners.

Recommended for Souls-like fans: Fans of Souls-like games are likely to enjoy this game, particularly for its combat mechanics. It is also recommended for those who enjoy challenging platformers.

Worth the price: Many players feel that the game is worth its price, even at full price. It offers a memorable experience that is worth trying out.

High replay value: The game offers high replay value, encouraging multiple playthroughs and even trying out New Game Plus (NG+) after finishing the sequel.

Recommended for fans of specific games: The game is recommended for fans of specific titles like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, as well as those who enjoy morbid and bizarre themes.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 30.0h.

Story completion: 20.0h.

Endgame: 18.0h.

The game starts slow and requires players to master its parry system and unlock key abilities before it becomes rewarding and fun. The initial friction is overcome by the game's progression and combat mechanics, which become satisfying once understood.

Reported time to anchor: 2h.

Friction: Complexity of the parry system; Lack of key movement abilities early on; Tedious minimap unlocking system; Slow pacing in the early game.

Genre Enthusiast: Explores thoroughly, engages in combat challenges, and appreciates the game's unique mechanics and setting. Motivation: Enjoyment of challenging combat and exploration in a unique setting. Stance: buy.

Cautious Challenger: Attempts to engage with the game's challenges but may give up due to perceived unfair mechanics or excessive difficulty. Motivation: Seeking a balance between challenge and enjoyment, but often finding the game's difficulty and design choices frustrating. Stance: deep sale.

Explorative Experimenter: Explores the game's mechanics and setting, appreciates the unique aspects, and is willing to overlook some flaws for the overall experience. Motivation: Enjoyment of the game's unique mechanics and setting, and the desire for a fresh experience within the Metroidvania genre. Stance: sale.

Performance across the provided hardware cohorts is generally positive, with only isolated issues reported.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: positive. Generally stable performance with isolated issues reported.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals several significant issues with the game on the Steam Deck. Stability issues, performance problems, battery drain, and compatibility issues are the primary concerns. These issues collectively degrade the user experience, making the game less enjoyable and more frustrating to play on the Steam Deck.

Linux and Proton: The game generally runs well on Linux using Proton, with several users reporting no issues. However, there are notable performance problems on Steam Deck, with users experiencing poor performance and launch issues. These issues suggest that while the game is compatible with Linux, there may be significant friction on certain platforms like Steam Deck.

External guides: The analysis of user feedback for GRIME reveals significant issues with map navigation, hidden content, and game guidance. Users frequently express frustration with the game's unclear map, excessive hidden content, and lack of proper guidance, which negatively impacts their overall experience. Addressing these issues could greatly enhance user satisfaction and enjoyment of the game.

Cross-save feature requested: Players are requesting a cross-save feature to continue their progress across different platforms.

Playtime discrepancy issue: There are reports of discrepancies in playtime tracking, which may affect player progress and achievements.