Legend of Grimrock 2 - Under the Radar

HardcoreGamer tells us why they think Legend of Grimrock 2 is an incredibly underrated title.

Just a little over a year ago, Almost Human Games released Legend of Grimrock 2, a follow up to 2011’s Legend of Grimrock. In a sense riding that first wave of gaming nostalgia that produced so many throw-back platformers and roguelikes, Legend of Grimrock 2 and its predecessor instead attempted to re-create the look, feel, and playstyle of early RPGs like The Bard’s Tale, Wizardry or Dungeon Master, albeit with more contemporary graphics and a few concessions to more recent mechanics.

Legend of Grimrock 2 is a dungeon crawler in which the player controls a party of four characters, either pre-rolled or crafted by the player, and of course a big part of the fun is taking the time to build the ultimate, flexible party that can handle any situation. The tutorial introduces the basic and not especially compelling story set up: you are washed up on a beach and must explore, eventually finding and defeating the elusive Island Master who has both trapped and guided you. The opening few hours introduce the player to the game’s basic movement controls and combat, previewing the kinds of environmental puzzles and secrets that will form the core of the game. Like the first Grimrock, Grimrock 2 uses a square-based system of movement, instead of a true free-roam mechanic. It takes some getting used to.

As in RPGs both old-school and recent, there are special armors, items and weapons to find, crafting and secret areas to discover. There are many enemies — humans and magical creatures and monstrosities — and it’s easy to wander into an area that is far too difficult. Those early RPGs were difficult and opaque, and while we’ve had several generations of games since, Grimrock 2 reminds us of the pre-Bethesda days when role-playing games were truly for the hardcore enthusiast. Character creation is deep and satisfying and so is combat when it’s dialed in and the party is functioning well, but going into enemy encounters without a strategy usually ends in disaster and a party wipe.

Graphically, Grimrock 2 is a huge step forward from the humble (i.e. ugly) looking Grimrock. It’s still a low-budget enterprise, so you shouldn’t expect anything approaching Skyrim or Witcher 3 level visuals. There are some very nice lighting effects and the dungeons are appropriately creepy and forbidding.

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Legend of Grimrock 2 takes players back to a time when it took Dark Souls-like patience, perseverance, and commitment to be successful in an RPG.

If this is true, I regret buying it. I've expected fun, not grind.
Now I'll probably postpone playing it indefinetly.

It's not true. I found the combat less challenging than the original but there is a larger variety of tactics that are required rather than just rotating in a square.

More challenging puzzles than the original and I had to use a walkthrough for 2 puzzles that just didn't make sense to me. That was my only complaint - One in particular was because the developers are northern hemisphere based so for them it gets colder the more north you go, whereas for me it's the further south…

I keep forgetting this is in my backlog. I really need to give this a spin.

Originally Posted by Nephologist
I keep forgetting this is in my backlog. I really need to give this a spin.

Same here

Originally Posted by joxer
If this is true, I regret buying it. I've expected fun, not grind.
Now I'll probably postpone playing it indefinetly.

Its not true, this guy is clueless… The site should be called PseudoGamer not HardcoreGamer

Originally Posted by article
Graphically, Grimrock 2 is a huge step forward from the humble (i.e. ugly) looking Grimrock. It’s still a low-budget enterprise, so you shouldn’t expect anything approaching Skyrim or Witcher 3 level visuals

So many things wrong with that post.

Firstly, its not a *huge step* , t'was a slight upgrade at best. Secondly, Grimrock 1 aint ugly. It looked faaar better than fucking Skyrim on launch day, despite having been made by 4 Finns in a basement. The fact you now have 2893721389 community enhancement for Skyrim is another matter.

And thirdly, suggesting Skyrim is some industry ideal regarding visuals, and putting it in the same sentence as TW3, just shows you are a clueless hipster and know nothing about gaming and the market… This clown should stick to reviewing mainstream titles like Just Cause or liberal BS like Infamous: Second Son ….

I never got more than a few hours into it … But really enjoyed what I did play! Need to return to play more.

Originally Posted by article
… It’s still a low-budget enterprise, so you shouldn’t expect anything approaching Skyrim or Witcher 3 level visuals…

I bought it, liked it, and maybe some day will replay it.
$ well spent in my opinion.

Originally Posted by joxer
If this is true, I regret buying it. I've expected fun, not grind.
Now I'll probably postpone playing it indefinetly.

So you own the game. What prevents you from just starting it up and playing a bit? Instead some ambiguous comment from a random guy on a random website lets you decide to not play it?

Good to see you Bateman. Where have you been hiding?

Eh? I've finished Grimrock 2. It didn't remind me of Dark Souls difficulty. If you really want to uncover everything there a bit of a grind. I really enjoyed Grimrock 2 overall. I also own Dark Souls and still haven't finished it, I just don't find it very engaging. Don't let some random article dictate what you play. If you own it, try it. Then make a decision for yourself if you feel it is worth playing through or not.

I've always been here.

Been playing DDO for the past five years though.

Only a few weeks ago I started to feel a recent burn-out with the game so I came here for inspiration. Funny thing, I started playing Grimrock II yesterday after I resumed my old MMX-session for some hours, but MMX isn't really that great. Grimrock II really is THAT much better, excuse me I have to play it now …

I really enjoyed this game, but I have to say that I enjoyed the first one much more. At some point I'm sure I'll be replaying this one.

That's an annoying article in some respects - one can hardly call oneself especially "hardcore" if Legend of Grimrock 2 slipped under the radar, but maybe that's just my preferences showing.

This game was GotY for me in 2014 - simply loved it from beginning to end. The desire to play it didn't cease until it was complete. Looking forward to a replay for sure to check out some of the different more amusing classes (Farmer) and try for some of the more obscure achievements. There's so many secrets to be found in Grimrock 2; every dungeon crawling fan should check it out if they haven't already done so.

Edit:
Speaking of Game of the Year polls - haven't seen a thread for 2015 yet…?
Maybe the 'Watch could collate them all in a single thread of something for easy access. Just a thought.