Grim Quest - Old School RPG | Game Brain

Grim Quest - Old School RPG is a classic offline RPG adventure, reminiscent of DnD, set in a dark fantasy world with an interesting plot. The game boasts of perfect mechanics, masterful visuals, and wonderful music, but is very grinding with annoying ads, bugs, and some occasional humor. Despite its flaws, Grim Quest offers a unique atmosphere, wholesome story, and fantastic replayability, making it a worthwhile experience for RPG enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews

story587 positive mentions

monetization1,133 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay with a deep and interesting lore that keeps players invested.
Minimal and non-intrusive ads, with an option to remove them for a reasonable price.
Offers a variety of character customization options and playstyles, allowing for unique builds.

Difficulty spikes can be frustrating, especially when progressing through dungeons.
Some mechanics, like the sanity system and enemy encounters, can feel repetitive and overwhelming.
Inventory management can be cumbersome, with limited space and no stacking for similar items.

monetization
1,300 mentions
7 % positive mentions
6 % neutral mentions
87 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the minimal and unobtrusive nature of the ads. Most ads are optional and can be watched for in-game rewards, while a one-time purchase to remove ads is available at a reasonable price, which many players are willing to pay to support the developer. Overall, the game avoids aggressive monetization tactics, allowing players to enjoy the experience without feeling pressured to spend money.
- “In-app purchases are totally not necessary and you can tell the developers love their work.”
- “Simple, fun, and engaging with a very fair monetization model that doesn't shove paywalls and ads too aggressively.”
- “No ads, no stamina, no pay wall!”
- “The game forces you to watch ads so that you have enough gold to do stuff.”
- “Kinda dumb that you have to watch ads to get the 30 gold a day that it promises you in the tutorial.”
- “Great game, but cant collect wage from watching ads since they are not playing.”
story
1,057 mentions
56 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story in "Grim Quest" is widely praised for its depth, engaging writing, and immersive lore, drawing comparisons to classic RPGs and dark fantasy narratives. Players appreciate the balance between storytelling and gameplay, with many noting that the narrative unfolds gradually, allowing for exploration and character development. While some find the pacing slow or the story somewhat linear, the overall consensus is that the game offers a rich and captivating experience that keeps players invested.
- “The story makes me want to play more; the writing is really good, the world-building/lore is super interesting, and the gameplay is satisfying.”
- “The storytelling in this game is immersive and top-notch.”
- “The story is deep and well written.”
- “Little to no storyline.”
- “The story is neither personal nor immersive; it is a similar experience to reading a Wikipedia page.”
- “The only problem is that you've seen everything by the end of the main storyline.”
gameplay
996 mentions
54 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is widely praised for its simplicity and depth, offering an engaging experience that combines classic RPG mechanics with strategic elements. Players appreciate the intuitive controls, balanced difficulty, and the ability to customize characters, while the lore and storytelling enhance the overall immersion. However, some users note that the gameplay can become repetitive over time, and there are calls for more diverse mechanics and content to maintain long-term interest.
- “If you're like me and love resource management as well as easy-to-learn yet beautifully complex mechanics, then this game is an absolute joy!”
- “The gameplay itself is so simple but there's so much to do and have at the same time!”
- “The gameplay is simple yet incredibly addicting with much more depth than I expected.”
- “Edit: after maybe 4 or so hours, the gameplay is repetitive and boring, as the dungeon is just 2D tiles and the process is the same after every dungeon.”
- “The gameplay quickly gets boring and with the slow speed on dungeons it's time-consuming and redundant.”
- “Gameplay gets repetitive, very easy once you figure out the optimal build path.”
graphics
356 mentions
45 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and minimalist, often evoking a nostalgic, old-school RPG aesthetic. While some players appreciate the charm and atmosphere created by the art style, others feel that the visuals are basic and could benefit from enhancements, particularly in terms of character and enemy designs. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they effectively support the gameplay and storytelling, allowing players to focus on the immersive experience rather than flashy visuals.
- “The graphics are beautiful drawn.”
- “Beautiful graphics, punishing yet satisfying gameplay, and amazing music + sound design.”
- “The visuals were very well done and the color schemes and music together set such a fitting mood for the story line of the game.”
- “The graphics are very simple, no frills icon sliding around a grid but I love it much!”
- “The only reason it didn't get 5 is the relatively rudimentary graphics.”
- “Graphics feel very lazy, it's like they took 3 hours to actively make the SFX and animations, but the gameplay and lore are very satisfying.”
music
209 mentions
55 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with relaxing and catchy tunes that fit the game's medieval theme. While many players find the soundtrack beautiful and engaging, some note that it can become repetitive over time, with occasional technical issues causing sound to drop out during gameplay. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “The music is subtle and doesn't distract from the story or gameplay.”
- “The music is marvellous and really fits the feels that the dev put into the story of this game.”
- “The atmosphere, music and art really makes the game addictive.”
- “This game is hard to get into; it's slow-paced and the music loops, which is annoying.”
- “My only complaint is that the music gets old fast, but because it's light, I solve the problem by playing my own music in the background.”
- “I like the game, but there is one thing that bothers me: the music didn't loop seamlessly.”
grinding
158 mentions
2 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
97 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding grinding in the game, with many players acknowledging it as a significant aspect of gameplay. While some find the grinding enjoyable and rewarding, contributing to character progression and exploration, others criticize it as tedious and repetitive, leading to a sense of stagnation. Overall, the grinding experience varies widely among players, with some appreciating its depth and challenge, while others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “No pay to win, no grinding, just all fun and overall highly customizable character and world.”
- “Wonderful and simplistic game with good art, great music, and exquisite writing; minimal advertising and not very grindy. If the game is too challenging at first, I recommend starting another save with low difficulty, and after conquering easy mode, you can go back and play it normally.”
- “The developer(s) nailed the RPG aspect and made it not too grindy as well!”
- “Too much grinding.”
- “The game is good but too much grinding if you don't want to spend money.. so... uninstalled.”
- “This game has a cool concept but the small pool of items and the amount of grinding, with very little progression, makes this game boring and not very satisfying.”
atmosphere
105 mentions
62 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, effectively conveying a grimdark and gothic ambiance through sound, music, and lore. Despite basic graphics, players appreciate the depth of the atmosphere, which enhances the overall experience and engagement with the game. Many reviews highlight the successful integration of atmospheric elements with gameplay mechanics, making it a standout feature that resonates with fans of old-school RPGs.
- “The dark atmosphere and enjoyable combat make the feel of the game come alive.”
- “Sound effects are great, and music is atmospheric, and even emotional and haunting at times, conveying a sense of loss and desolation.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and art really make the game addictive.”
- “Not great in terms of graphics - it's pretty basic, not flashy - but it still gets the grimdark atmosphere across.”
- “It somewhat ruins the atmosphere.”
- “The mechanics are fun so I could not rate less than 4 stars, when going in I was kinda expecting some sort of gothic horror type of deal and in my imagination it is... just, it should have some more visuals instead of just the icons for monsters, I am sure you can also imagine in which way the right artwork could improve the atmosphere.”
replayability
57 mentions
70 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
Overall, the game boasts high replayability due to its diverse character customization options, multiple difficulty settings, and various gameplay routes. Players appreciate the engaging mechanics and the ability to explore different builds, which enhances the experience across multiple playthroughs. However, some users noted that the content may feel limited after extensive play, suggesting a desire for additional material to maintain long-term interest.
- “Very addicting with good replay value (since the characters are quite customizable, with several different routes to finish the quests - as a fighter vs a magic user vs a stealth character, etc). There is also a pretty interesting backstory to the game that one may discover if you want: kind of like Dark Souls (obviously not as good/deep, but still interesting). I am on my third playthrough.”
- “Combine high replayability (a selection of difficulty levels and options plus randomness) and a huge world, and you get an almost endless gameplay.”
- “Just take your 5 stars, damnit! This is one of the best RPG dungeon crawlers on Android hands down. You have to get this game; this is a passion project that turned into the real thing, and it's amazing. I have played around 20 hours and still have plenty of stuff to do, amazing replayability with different builds to try.”
- “I wish there was more content, I beat the whole game (all quests) within a month of playing and there's not much replay value.”
- “Game play doesn't progress well, unfun to grind, little replay value, and visuals are lacking.”
- “Replay value seems high.”
stability
43 mentions
7 % positive mentions
5 % neutral mentions
88 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant freezing and crashing issues, particularly on older devices. While some users report smooth gameplay and no glitches, others face frequent app crashes that require device restarts, especially during dungeon exploration and combat. Overall, the game appears to have notable stability problems that detract from the experience, though there is hope for improvements in future updates.
- “Other than that, it runs great, no bugs, and fun all around!”
- “No glitches or bugs that I can tell, I love the feel of the game; it reminds me a lot of D&D. 10/10 great game! 👍”
- “Runs great too, very smooth combat.”
- “However, there's only one problem: it freezes my phone and force reboots after playing for a long while. After the reboot, once you open the app, it would still freeze and reboot again.”
- “Game crashes while launching and freezes my phone, requiring a restart.”
- “I really like this game; it's a lot of fun and immersive, but I can't get more than 5 minutes in before it crashes and freezes my entire phone, causing me to have to hard reset it. I don't know if it's my phone or a major bug in the game that causes this; the game has some pretty bad stability issues.”
humor
32 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying its clever and ironic twists, such as the necessity to watch ads for in-game rewards and the amusing responses from the developers to critical reviews. Many find the game's world-building and character interactions to be both funny and engaging, contributing to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm that resonates well with players, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “Loving how unobtrusive the ads are (also, making the '30 second ads' attending a council meeting to collect your wages is pretty funny).”
- “I honestly think it's really funny that the character shows up with no weapon or armor in the first place: good world building!”
- “Having the text from Monty Python and the Holy Grail is pure genius and incredibly funny.”
character development
23 mentions
48 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its depth and variety of options, allowing for unique progression paths. However, some users noted that the pace of character development can be slow, which may lead to feelings of stagnation. Overall, the system is described as engaging and well-integrated with the game's mechanics, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The character development is good, though it's understated.”
- “This game is phenomenal, its mechanics feel great and you truly feel your character development as you struggle for levels and gold.”
- “From the character development to the crafting to the slow burn of improving the city to the fascinating lore, everything about this was so well-made.”
- “But as my character progressed, I felt as though both gold and character development aren't slightly above the dungeon level cap, which in turn creates a huge waste of time.”
- “It may need some character development.”
- “A lot of different approaches to character development are possible.”
optimization
15 mentions
60 % positive mentions
13 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and enjoyable gameplay, others experience issues such as slow and unresponsive combat, stuttering animations, and audio glitches. The presence of ads can exacerbate performance problems, particularly during speedrunning. Despite these drawbacks, some users appreciate the game's mechanics and customization options, indicating that it has potential for improvement.
- “The game mechanics are really cool and allow for a ton of optimization/customization.”
- “Even in its free-to-play state, it runs smoothly, but I bought the no-ad version just because the developers put out something of tremendous quality.”
- “Game runs smoothly and the story is enjoyable.”
- “Speedrunning is going to be a pain because even the option to speed up animation speed is still kind of slow for speedrunning, and the banner ads only make it worse in terms of stuttering.”
- “The game definitely needs some help with optimization; combat is slow and unresponsive so often that the action feels like the slowest part of the game.”
- “Not optimized to play on tablets in full screen apparently.”
emotional
11 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its atmospheric music and sound effects that evoke feelings of loss and desolation. Players appreciate the personal touch from the developer, which fosters a sense of connection and adventure, while some express that the game's grind can detract from the overall emotional experience. Overall, the game successfully engages players on an emotional level, making them feel invested in their character's journey.
- “Sound effects are great, and music is atmospheric, even emotional and haunting at times, conveying a sense of loss and desolation.”
- “I find it quite wholesome when I got a message from the developer thanking me for playing and that he made this game by himself.”
- “Made me feel like I was missing something, so I went looking for it.”