GRIME II

While GRIME 2 could play it safe and be a carbon copy of its predecessor, it decides to employ the very mechanic it puts forth, borrowing, but also building. Creating an experience you cannot miss.

89%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

stability, optimization

92% User Score Based on 567 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

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About

GRIME II is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Clover Bite and was released on March 31, 2026. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Become a stealer of forms in GRIME II, the sequel to 2021's acclaimed action-adventure metroidvania. You are a Formless - an art mimic, absorbing creatures and summoning molds in their shape. Venture into a new and mysterious land in the GRIME universe, where danger and wonder await around every corner. Use your surroundings in tandem with your summoned molds to overcome deadly enemies and epic b…

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92%

Audience ScoreBased on 567 reviews

gameplay50 positive mentions

stability34 negative mentions

Stunning and unique art style with gorgeously detailed and varied environments that create an eerie, surreal atmosphere.
Satisfying and complex combat system with multiple playstyles including rewarding parry mechanics, mold abilities, and weapon variety.
Improved platforming mechanics and large, well-designed interconnected world encouraging exploration with ample secrets and rewarding progression.

The game suffers from bugs and technical issues including inconsistent hitboxes, input lag, occasional crashes, and problematic respawning spots.
Navigation and map design can be confusing with large, empty areas, opaque progression gating, lack of clear indicators, and annoying one-way paths causing tedious backtracking.
Some late-game platforming is clunky, frustrating, and overused, leading to extended, repetitive sequences that can detract from overall enjoyment.

gameplay
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
Grime 2 expands on its predecessor with a wide array of new and refined mechanics that enhance combat, platforming, and traversal, delivering a fluid and challenging metroidvania experience praised for its satisfying parry system and diverse boss fights. While many appreciate the game's depth, originality, and polished upgrades, some find the combat overloaded with convoluted mechanics, occasional clunky controls, and frustrating platforming segments that detract from overall enjoyment. The game is generally lauded for its smooth gameplay flow, creative systems, and improved difficulty curve, though certain design decisions and technical issues have elicited mixed reactions.
- “Grime 1&2 remain one of the best combinations of souls-like and metroidvania mechanics outside of Hollow Knight.”
- “The gameplay, story and atmosphere of this game are all great.”
- “Gameplay was satisfying, the upgrade system felt polished, the bosses are memorable as they are enjoyable.”
- “The combat feels very over bloated with several unique combat mechanics that don't work together and leave you feeling like you are misplaying by ignoring them. The parry feels bad as enemies have insanely weird attack patterns that are hard to read and you have a very short parry window. The normal attacks feel slow and sluggish. The summons feel useless, unfun and actively detrimental as they stick you in place. The pull into enemy does close to nothing besides refilling a heal.”
- “The farther in you get, the more the bosses just get annoying and extremely heavy on one-shot mechanics that have nothing to do with your build or gear or anything else and are all about gotcha-mechanics that you have no choice but to repetitiously do and memorize because there is no time to learn them or react; you just know what it is right away and do it or die. Also, the attacks seem randomized, so you may not get an attack even one single time early in a fight that would help telegraph what to do later in.”
- “The more I play, the more I get sick of the runbacks, the double hitting attacks or just getting 2-shot in general, the huge open blocky spaces and long corridors I'm dash jumping through again and again. Everything is sort of just blending into each other, from platforming mechanics to enemy and boss attack patterns, and I'm basically turning off my brain traversing the map going down unexplored corridors for weapons, armors, and molds (spells) I'm never going to use.”
story
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
3%
The story in the game is generally praised for its unique, atmospheric, and engaging worldbuilding, blending character-driven narrative with subtle environmental storytelling that invites player interpretation. While some players find it intriguing and emotionally compelling, others criticize it for being vague, occasionally heavy-handed, or less satisfying than the first game’s more enigmatic tale. Overall, the story offers depth and interest for those who seek it but remains optional and skippable for players more focused on gameplay.
- “The story is a mix of character-driven narrative and environmental storytelling which intertwine very successfully along the experience.”
- “It took everything I loved about Grime, made it better, and then added a story that I fell in love with even more than the first.”
- “The environments and soundtrack are stunning, the combat flows even better than before with expanded mechanics, the platforming movement is so fluid as it builds up, the story is far more involved, the worldbuilding is expanded upon, and all in all it's just a wonderful game.”
- “Also, without spoiling, I gotta say the story fell really flat for me in several ways, about two-thirds through and then especially the end.”
- “The story seems disconnected from the protagonist for most of the game, with most things having already happened long before the game starts, and most NPCs treating you as a lapdog to fulfill mostly worthless tasks, a lot of wasted potential with the frails who are very minorly involved in anything at all.”
- “The tone of the story and dialogue is where I'm most harshly critical, as large portions are overly plucky, cheeky, and poorly written.”
music
93 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
31%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, immersive, and atmospheric qualities, perfectly complementing the mood and unique aesthetics of each zone. Composed by Alex Roe, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, featuring memorable boss themes and ambient tracks that enhance exploration and combat, often earning a spot on players' playlists beyond the game. Overall, the music is regarded as one of the best aspects, elevating the game's emotional and thematic depth.
- “The soundtrack Alex Roe, you are an absolute genius; the entire soundtrack of Grime II has been such a pleasure to listen to, and the boss tracks are absolute bangers!”
- “Alex Roe has done it again with the sequel by composing a soundtrack that not only fits the game narratively but also stays with you for days.”
- “The art is beautiful and surreal, and the music reflects the mood of each zone quite perfectly.”
- “I also started running into more bugs farther in - insta-kill spikes that didn't load, chunks of a wall missing (that made it look like it had a dash-into-the-hole secret), the music in one of the later areas just stopped playing and left it dead silent, one of the cutscenes would start fully illuminated then black out and fade back in.”
- “Some of these bosses took me 1-2 hours, usually requiring me to turn off the music and ambience, focusing on SFX and the cues they brought.”
- “These are things like mantling not properly working on certain corners, missing descriptions or typos and music ceasing to play.”
graphics
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
42%
4%
The game features a stunning and unique 2.5D art style that enhances its eerie, atmospheric world, widely praised for its crisp visuals, diverse environments, and ethereal aesthetic. While some users report optimization issues, occasional graphical glitches, and demanding performance on certain setups, the overall consensus highlights the graphics as a major strength that significantly elevates the immersive experience.
- “Flawed as it may be, it is still one of my favorite metroidvanias of all time and easily one of the most memorable because of the striking visuals alone.”
- “The game mixes challenging fights, exploration, and a very unique art style that makes the whole world feel alive, unsettling, and fascinating at the same time.”
- “The artstyle is as beautiful and grotesque as ever with the added benefit of more varied environments (reef is a definite standout, but there are many, many stunning locations).”
- “While the game retains the novel aesthetic of the first, it hasn't been nearly refined enough, such that often something that should look uncanny often just looks like an unbaked asset dropped into the world.”
- “Lowering the graphics settings did nothing, so I'll probably wait for a patch before continuing because it's ruining the game for me.”
- “Refunded the game, as it ran shockingly bad and I didn't want to drop the graphics or resolution more than I had already.”
stability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably affected by frequent bugs, glitches, and occasional crashes, particularly in late-game sections where optimization issues cause frame drops and control responsiveness problems. While minor glitches rarely break progress, many players report frustrating platforming bugs and inconsistent mechanics that hinder the experience. The developers are actively patching and improving the game, suggesting that stability issues may be resolved over time.
- “Just like the first Grime on release, this game is also buggy as hell right now. I encountered a bug where a story boss's HP bar disappeared and the boss died without me doing anything when I entered the arena; another boss's second phase HP bar wasn't there the whole time so I had no idea if I was damaging it. Bosses aren't really challenging; you die to bugs or unresponsive controls more than skill issues. One boss basically plays out like a cinema experience where you just watch and react occasionally.”
- “Edit: The game has obvious optimization issues in late game sections, with framedropping, stuttering, and graphic glitches becoming constant, though early to mid-game is fine. Controls become clunky during long platforming sections, sometimes forcing you to restart because your character refuses to grapple, slide, or jump at certain points. Enemies become damage sponges and have weird or missing startup animations, making it hard to react to attacks without guessing or avoiding. There's no recovery invincibility frames, so damage quickly leads to death due to lack of reaction time, unlike in Hollow Knight or Blasphemous.”
- “[Spoiler] This game is buggy as hell. Everything was fine before the last sculptor boss, but then whenever I pressed jump, my character stood still for at least a second before jumping. I replaced my controller and restarted my PC, but nothing helped. After defeating the boss, platforming became unbearable because the grapple slide became unresponsive, sometimes working fine and sometimes not gripping anything properly even when right next to a grapple point.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
63%
23%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with many players experiencing significant performance drops, stuttering, and lag spikes, especially in later zones and specific areas like boss arenas and the upgrade hub. While some report stable frame rates and smooth gameplay on mid-tier PCs, common issues include FPS fluctuations, clunky controls due to lag, and occasional freezing. Overall, optimization is adequate but leaves room for improvement, particularly in CPU performance and stability during more demanding sections.
- “Performance is mostly locked at 120 fps.”
- “I have what I consider a mid-tier PC, but the performance on this game is incredible, and graphically it's stunning; I've had zero bugs thus far.”
- “I ran into some performance issues, but my PC is very old; it will probably be much better for others.”
- “It gets progressively jankier as you discover new zones; there are inexplicable performance hitches that exceed the first game in frequency and severity.”
- “Unfortunately, it is also terribly optimized, causing lag spikes.”
- “The game has obvious optimization issues in late game sections: framedropping, stuttering, graphic glitches become constant; controls get clunky during platforming causing forced restarts; enemies have weird or no startup animations making it hard to react to attacks; no recovery invulnerability frames lead to unfair damage and deaths.”
atmosphere
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
31%
16%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its breathtaking, moody, and immersive qualities, enhanced by stunning art direction, cryptic storytelling, and a compelling soundtrack. Many reviewers highlight how the atmosphere deeply engages players, often evoking a dark, melancholic tone reminiscent of titles like Dark Souls. While some prefer the atmosphere of the first installment, the sequel still delivers a richly crafted world that significantly contributes to the game's overall appeal.
- “The atmosphere and the visuals were astounding, loved that the creators went with the cryptic storytelling; it was amazing to unravel alongside the expanded dialogue options.”
- “A moody, atmospheric masterpiece.”
- “What makes this game, at least for me, one of the greats is the art direction, atmosphere, and the music.”
- “The pace and atmosphere are a lot more Dark Souls than precision platformer.”
- “I'm so glad Grime got a sequel, and god I love how the mold system changes combat, it just feels more fluid and performing combos with weapons and mods is far more satisfying than I expected, play it if you like metroidvanias with a very depressing atmosphere.”
- “Overall I preferred the atmosphere of Grime 1 more, but this game's art design is still gorgeous.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is widely described as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to repetitive platforming and excessive backtracking, which detracts from the overall experience. However, some players appreciated improvements made by the developer that reduced these issues, making exploration and platforming less tedious and more enjoyable.
- “Literally every inch of the game has some incredibly tedious, frustrating, and unfun aspect to it that just adds up the more you play.”
- “Starting from middle game it starts getting tedious, and near the end it gets really over the top.”
- “It was extremely tedious to backtrack to particular spots.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game combines quirky, amusing moments like broken enemy hitboxes with a unique blend of emotional and witty storytelling, creating an engaging and sometimes funny experience within a weird and intriguing world.
- “Some enemy hitboxes are hilariously broken, killing you from several feet away.”
- “It manages to blend a lot of feelings, being funny at times, badass at others, solemn, and interesting.”
- “The world is just as weird as the first game with a smidge of humor this time and I'm invested in learning about it.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional experience, evoking feelings of being lost and poignant reflection through its nuanced exploration of themes like artistic integrity and obsession. Players also feel a genuine sense of despair and eventual triumph in challenging encounters, enhancing the emotional impact of the gameplay.
- “The game’s narrative is incredibly poignant, nuanced, and moving, touching upon themes of artistic integrity, creativity, censorship, obsession, and the feeling of nothing ever being enough. These topics are explored through interactions with the world’s numerous residents as well as observation of the environments themselves.”
- “More impressed that this game made me feel lost like the first one did, after some expectations of what to expect.”
- “The vast majority of them made me feel true despair when going up against them for the first time, but each defeat led to more knowledge of their move-sets until, eventually, I could nearly go hitless by the time I finally defeated them.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is praised for strong design and integration within the game's rich worldbuilding and lore. Users appreciate the visually striking and well-crafted characters that enhance the immersive atmosphere. Overall, the sequel builds upon the original's strengths, elevating character design alongside other key elements.
- “The devs still excelled at what they did best with 1: the world and atmosphere, lore, character design, and music.”
- “I like the game's worldbuilding and character design.”
- “Everything I loved about Grime (challenging combat, stunning visuals, cool character design, and satisfying movement to name a few) is stepped up in Grime II.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a variety of build options and multiple approaches that enhance its replayability compared to its predecessor, though its relatively small size somewhat limits long-term engagement.
- “Unlike the first game, this game offers a lot of options for builds and approaches, with enough differences to make it highly replayable, despite its size limitations.”