Griefhelm

About

Griefhelm is a single player and multiplayer casual sport game with a violence theme. It was developed by JohnnyDale and was released on August 20, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Griefhelm" is a local and online multiplayer party game that features fast-paced, violent duels with medieval weaponry. Play with up to 4 players in couch co-op or online, and master your skills in a challenging, replayable campaign. With stunning graphics and hand-crafted environments, players can unlock weapons and armor in this visually striking and intense game.

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 358 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Griefhelm features fantastic combat mechanics that are easy to learn but hard to master, making it a fun experience, especially with friends.
The game has a visually appealing art style and atmosphere, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
It offers a variety of game modes, including local multiplayer and a campaign, providing replayability and strategic depth.

The game suffers from clunky controls and unresponsive mechanics, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The single-player campaign can feel repetitive and unfair, especially against AI that seems to cheat at higher difficulties.
There are significant issues with balance and progression, including a lack of permanent unlocks and an over-reliance on RNG for gear.

gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The gameplay of Griefhelm is a blend of Nidhogg's tug-of-war mechanics and Mordhau's complexity, offering a mix of simple yet deep combat systems that can be satisfying once mastered. However, many players find the controls clunky and unintuitive, with issues like vision-obscuring obstacles and AI inconsistencies detracting from the experience. Despite these drawbacks, the core gameplay is praised for its potential and engaging mechanics, making it a worthwhile choice for those who enjoy challenging 2D fighting games.
- “Either way, Griefhelm is a great success in its core gameplay concepts and is a real treat to play.”
- “The gameplay feels very satisfying once you get good at reacting to your opponent(s), and the maps are beautiful.”
- “Gameplay is quick, brutal, and satisfying, like a lunch break-sized Mordhau.”
- “Decent idea, but controls and gameplay are so janky and unintuitive it's painful to play.”
- “Unfortunately, unlike Nidhogg, the gameplay is clunky and needs some serious tweaks.”
- “That combined with vision-obscuring obstacles that only hinder gameplay and several other bugs are making it hard to enjoy this fully at the moment.”
graphics
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
58%
5%
The graphics of the game have received high praise for their beautiful art style, striking visuals, and well-crafted environments that enhance the overall atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the charming aesthetic and how it complements the gameplay, although some mentioned issues with optimization and excessive timed graphics that can disrupt the flow. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The combat is great, the narrative bits are great, and the graphics are gorgeous.”
- “Visually striking art style and hand-crafted environments bring the world of Griefhelm to life.”
- “A charming art style and graphics combined with challenging and balanced melee combat make Griefhelm a top-tier game.”
- “Graphics are decent but optimization is a bit lacking.”
- “Will need more time with it but as a preliminary, you're going to be sitting around a lot waiting for the graphics to end.”
- “Like seriously, this game has a timed graphic for almost everything.”
story
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The game's story is generally considered minimal and lacks depth, with many players expressing a desire for a more substantial narrative. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements and the integration of gameplay with the story, others find it too bare-bones and arcadey, relying heavily on flavor text rather than a cohesive plot. Overall, the campaign is seen as enjoyable but could benefit from additional storytelling elements and polish.
- “I love the little story behind the game and how it follows your path along with the gameplay that is tough but fair, requiring skill to defeat your enemy.”
- “The atmosphere really reminds me almost of a cross between Shadow of the Colossus' wordless worldbuilding with Dark Souls' almost poetic descriptions and fractured story.”
- “Nah, but basically it's a good game and a well-written story, but still easy to pick up and down or just waste an hour or two in.”
- “The drawback is there is no heavy story in this game, it's a shame.”
- “The campaign is roguelike styled, and rather raw, with only flavor text in place of a story.”
- “Campaign mode: I feel like they should implement an actual story with boss fights here and there.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The game offers significant replayability through its expansive content, including a rogue-lite, randomized campaign and a customizable encounter mode for unique battles. Players can enjoy branching paths, unlockable gear, and random rewards, ensuring a dynamic experience that encourages multiple playthroughs. Overall, the developers have prioritized replay value, making it a fun and engaging title.
- “The content and replay value is expansive, having not only a rogue-lite, randomized campaign, but also a fully tweakable encounter mode where you can make your own unique battles with bots!”
- “Challenge a dynamic, replayable campaign and claim your reward in Griefhelm.”
- “There's a decent amount of replayability with the unlockable gear and stages.”
- “Branching paths and random rewards in a campaign add a degree of replayability.”
- “Challenge a dynamic, replayable campaign and claim your reward in griefhelm.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The music in the game is widely praised for its fitting and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with an eerie yet beautiful soundtrack that complements the game's aesthetic. Reviewers appreciate the thought and effort put into the music, which effectively evokes feelings of honor and glory during gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's charm as an indie gem.
- “The aesthetic is top notch and blends very well with the eerie music that makes for a great atmosphere.”
- “Unbelievably beautiful atmosphere, movement, and soundtrack.”
- “I really love the effort put into creating that sort of feeling of dueling for honor and glory, especially the soundtrack.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
12%
13%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning aesthetics and haunting music, creating an immersive experience reminiscent of titles like "Shadow of the Colossus" and "Dark Souls." Reviewers highlight the blend of visual beauty and sound design, contributing to a captivating and eerie ambiance that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
- “The aesthetic is top notch and blends very well with the eerie music that makes for a great atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere really reminds me almost of a cross between Shadow of the Colossus' wordless worldbuilding with Dark Souls' almost poetic descriptions and fractured story.”
- “Unbelievably beautiful atmosphere, movement, and soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere really reminds me almost of a cross between Shadow of the Colossus' wordless worldbuilding and Dark Souls' almost poetic descriptions and fractured story.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
16%
67%
The game's optimization has received criticism for causing lag and cluttered visuals that detract from the experience. While the graphics are considered decent, players note that the overall optimization is lacking, though there are plans for regular updates to improve this aspect.
- “More optimization and content is planned to be released about every month, so I will update as the state of the game changes.”
- “Most of the stages are a strange eyesore, too much stuff in the way of the characters, poor optimization and lags sometimes.”
- “Graphics are decent but optimization is a bit lacking.”
- “More optimization and content is planned to release about every month, so I will update as the state of the game changes.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily derived from its brutal physics and the unpredictable behavior of the AI, which can be both clever and comically self-sabotaging. However, while these moments are initially entertaining, they tend to lose their appeal after prolonged gameplay due to repetitive mechanics.
- “The physics are super brutal and quite funny at times!”
- “The AI... well, it has its moments of being smart, in between stabbing its ally in the back (yes, 1v2 is a possibility, so is 2v1 and 2v2 as well) and jumping to its death in an arena with pits to jump over... hilarious, but loses its charm after 15 minutes in the same game where the mechanics aren't really built for jumping (which honestly feels like it was just kind of shoehorned in).”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, particularly in multiplayer mode, with users frequently encountering bugs that affect gameplay.
- “The game is buggy, especially in multiplayer.”
- “The game is buggy, especially in multiplayer.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players express significant frustration with the grinding mechanics, particularly criticizing the reliance on a random number generator (RNG) for gear drops in single-player mode, which leads to a tedious and unfulfilling experience. Many report quickly losing interest due to the repetitive nature of the grind.
- “We all got so tired of it so quickly, and the way you unlock gear by grinding through an RNG-based drop system in single player is frustrating.”
- “The grinding required to unlock gear feels tedious, especially with the reliance on an RNG-based drop system.”
- “Grinding for gear in this game quickly becomes exhausting, and the RNG mechanics only add to the frustration.”