Grimhook

98%
Game Brain Score Based on 2,745 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
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Descend into Grimhook's sunken ruins as Dart, mastering Lovecraftian powers. Bounce, dash, and grapple through flooded caverns, confronting robotic foes in this fast-paced first-person action platformer. Explore, battle, and unravel the mysteries below Miletos.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

98%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,745 reviews
gameplay284 positive mentions
optimization9 negative mentions
  • Incredibly satisfying combat and movement mechanics that keep players engaged.
  • Beautiful visuals and art style that enhance the overall experience.
  • Strong potential for a full game, with an interesting story and character dynamics.
  • Very short gameplay, typically around 20-30 minutes, leaving players wanting more.
  • Combat can feel repetitive due to limited enemy variety.
  • Some performance issues and lack of optimization on certain systems.
  • gameplay479 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is widely praised for its fluid and satisfying mechanics, particularly in combat and movement, which seamlessly blend together to create an engaging experience. Players appreciate the intuitive controls and the variety of movement options, such as grappling and wall-running, which enhance the overall enjoyment despite the game's short duration of around 20-30 minutes. Many reviewers express a strong desire for a longer, more expansive version of the game, highlighting its potential for deeper storytelling and gameplay complexity.

    • “Awesome game mechanics, all the powers fit so well together.”
    • “The mechanics are really intuitive, and so satisfying to pull off.”
    • “The gameplay is super fun! The movement and combat are easy to understand but have room for mastery.”
    • “The 3 small complaints I have is that it ends pretty abruptly, the actual hooking/grappling mechanic is introduced halfway through despite the title of the game, and the wall running was also pretty glitchy.”
    • “Issues include lack of explanation on mechanics, getting stuck on geometry and passing through objects.”
    • “My one complaint, like many others, is that it isn't nearly long enough for all the incredible potential this game has for the storytelling and gameplay.”
  • story395 mentions

    The game's story, while brief—typically taking around 20 to 30 minutes to complete—has been praised for its richness and potential, leaving players eager for more. Many reviewers express a desire for an expanded narrative, highlighting the intriguing setup and character dynamics that could be further developed in future updates or sequels. Overall, the combination of engaging gameplay mechanics and a captivating, albeit short, storyline has resonated well with players, who are hopeful for a more extensive exploration of the game's world and characters.

    • “The amount of story told through this short experience is amazing, and I actually laughed from the jokes and little banter shown to us - the voice acting was a bit surprising at first (I expected a silent protagonist lol) but once I got used to it, it was actually fun to listen to!”
    • “The story is compelling and has real potential to be one of the best in a while for me.”
    • “This game is an amazing experience to play because it has fun gameplay and an interesting story but I had one problem: the music between dialogue just sounds awkward and makes the game look made cheaply.”
    • “The moment it was getting interesting, the story ended.”
    • “I found this game as a recommendation from a YouTube channel and honestly I am kind of disappointed that this game was so short because I was really hooked by the gameplay and graphics; the story was very captivating but at the same time kind of confusing.”
    • “It's clear to see that the devs wanted a story to develop, but realized that there wasn't really enough game time to make a fully-fledged narrative, so they just crammed it in there.”
  • graphics157 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful art style, vibrant colors, and smooth animations, reminiscent of titles like "Bioshock" and "Sea of Thieves." Many players appreciate the game's unique visual aesthetic and engaging environments, although some have noted performance issues on lower-end PCs and the need for optimization. Overall, the visuals significantly enhance the gaming experience, making it visually appealing despite some minor technical drawbacks.

    • “This is such a refreshing return to Bioshock-era graphics and animation with some of the smoothest first-person platforming I have experienced.”
    • “Amazing graphics, the story leaves me wanting more, the movement was fluid along with the combat.”
    • “The art style is both unique and captivating, with vibrant colors and imaginative landscapes that bring the game world to life.”
    • “I want to support this game, but I can't really do that if it's not able to be played with more than 12 fps on the lowest graphics.”
    • “However, the game seems a bit unoptimized in terms of graphics since I could barely get 90 fps on medium settings — let alone reach my monitor's Hz cap (I have an RX 7600 with a Ryzen 5 5600).”
    • “One downside to the game was in ultra graphics it becomes very frame hungry and my 4060 would only output 30 fps, but the graphics were amazing.”
  • music71 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its fitting integration with the gameplay and narrative. While some found the combat music less thrilling, the soundtrack is generally described as captivating, calming, and impactful, particularly during key moments. Overall, the combination of music, voice acting, and environmental design contributes to a profound and aesthetically pleasing experience, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “The music combined with the scenery and the dialogue, I just wish this would become a big project and turn into a full couple hour game.”
    • “The soundtrack was so interesting and unique.”
    • “The music was beautiful, the narration was heartfelt, and the gameplay was smooth and fun to use.”
    • “Only complaint is the combat isn't very thrilling and neither is the music.”
    • “The music isn't noteworthy so I did not make any notes on it.”
    • “the music between dialogue just sounds awkward and makes the game look made cheaply.”
  • optimization43 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting issues such as screen tearing, stuttering, and low frame rates even on high settings. Despite the enjoyable gameplay, the performance problems detract from the experience, indicating a need for substantial optimization improvements before the game can reach its full potential. Many users expressed hope that future updates will address these performance issues.

    • “A good choice if you want the fun of speed running with your friend group without the stress of learning a heavily optimized route.”
    • “If the optimization issues get fixed, it’ll be near perfect.”
    • “Tons of potential, definitely needs a bit of performance optimization though!”
    • “Needs some serious optimization.”
    • “As cool as the game looked, it is very poorly optimized. When I hit the start button, the game froze, and I had to restart my entire computer just to leave this review.”
    • “The optimization was a little rough and definitely could be better.”
  • atmosphere27 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive quality, combining beautiful level design, engaging soundtracks, and a compelling narrative that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the fluid movement mechanics and the balance of difficulty, which contribute to a captivating ambiance that feels both unique and atmospheric. Despite its short length, the game leaves a lasting impression, with many expressing a desire for a more extended version to explore its rich world further.

    • “The atmosphere, level design, and the game's theme are very much to my taste, and I love how it feels like we're the Lovecraftian creature waiting to be created.”
    • “Really good game with an impressive and complete atmosphere and ambience, including sound effects and music, which leads to a unique and amazing short experience.”
    • “The overall atmosphere of the game is excellent; there's a lot of potential in the roughly half hour of lore that we experience, and the combat is very smooth and feels super responsive and snappy.”
    • “But again the fact that it's here is very commendable and only adds on to the atmosphere of the place.”
    • “Adored the level design and atmosphere the game had, would love to see more of what they have got here in a longer game with cool environments!”
    • “The movement, the soundtrack, the atmosphere, the adrenaline pump you get after doing something cool, they are all there.”
  • humor26 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and effectiveness, with many players finding the writing and voice acting to be genuinely funny and engaging. The comedic elements, including quirky character interactions and humorous animations, enhance the overall experience, making it enjoyable even for those who may not typically favor movement-combat games. While some critiques mention occasional clunkiness in the dialogue, the overall consensus is that the humor significantly contributes to the game's appeal.

    • “More of a demo than a game considering how short it is but still very funny, 100% recommend playing, I'd pay for a longer version of this.”
    • “The writing was extremely charming, elevated by the very unique and humorous animation.”
    • “An indie game with amazing, fluid movement, awesome combat, cool graphics and actually funny writing?”
  • emotional14 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally resonant, with its unique combat mechanics and beautiful music contributing to a sense of empowerment and satisfaction. The heartfelt narration and engaging story evoke strong feelings, culminating in moments that can bring players to tears. Overall, the combination of smooth gameplay and emotional depth creates a memorable experience that resonates with many.

    • “At the final little arena fight, touching the ground felt like a sin.”
    • “Its an absolute banger of a platformer, environments are great and the ending made me cry a little, can't get over how good this game is.”
    • “The music was beautiful, the narration was heartfelt, and the gameplay was smooth and fun to use.”
    • “Honestly amazing and emotional, but I would love for a full game.”
    • “The emotional moments felt forced and didn't resonate with me.”
    • “I expected a deeper emotional connection, but it fell flat.”
  • grinding9 mentions

    Players overwhelmingly express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring an unrealistic commitment akin to having a "second life." Additionally, some find the overall gameplay experience, including movement and combat, to be tedious and frustrating.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “There's still some overall jank to the movement and the combat was very tedious.”
    • “It's rather tedious to have to change them back each time and I eventually gave up with the exception of the F11.”
  • stability7 mentions

    The game's stability has been criticized for various bugs and glitches, including spawn point errors, softlocks, and graphical issues, which hinder gameplay and progression. While some players find the movement mechanics enjoyable, the frequent freezing and clunky interactions detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant stability improvements before a full release.

    • “I couldn't progress due to a spawn point error where I was saved outside of the map. I would have recommended it if it wasn't buggy.”
    • “Buggy - I softlocked twice in my playthrough and got stuck under a waterfall once before dying to an enemy.”
    • “The game looked cool, but whenever I try to launch a new game, go into settings, or just exit to the main menu, it freezes for over 2 minutes.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    Overall, the game is praised for its fast-paced gameplay and solid mechanics, contributing to high replayability. However, some players feel that the lack of enemy variety and additional modes, like speedruns or challenges, limits its long-term engagement. Suggestions for new abilities and loadouts indicate a desire for more content to enhance replay value.

    • “Fast paced and fun, extremely replayable.”
    • “Great movement and combat mechanics, super replayable.”
    • “There is so much to expand upon here, such as new abilities, attachments, upgrades, maybe even the ability to equip different loadouts of abilities or even new hooks to give the game more variety and replay value!”
    • “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in. The lack of meaningful side quests or alternate endings really diminishes the replayability.”
    • “After finishing the game, I found that there was no real reason to play again. The choices I made didn't seem to impact the outcome enough to warrant a second playthrough.”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing it as rushed and unnatural, particularly noting the quick transition to friendship between the main character and another character. However, others appreciated the brief yet enjoyable character development, highlighting the overall positive aspects of voice acting and visual design.

    • “The voice acting, character designs, and visual style were all good.”
    • “Just play this, it's 30 minutes of fantastic gameplay, and brief but fun character development even if it is a tease at the end.”
    • “Poor characters - the dialogue is really unnatural and the character development isn't great; the main character and the skull lady just become best friends in 2 minutes.”
    • “I feel like the character development is a bit rushed.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization model is highly praised for its absence of microtransactions, battle passes, and loot boxes, allowing players to enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience.

    • “Not microtransactions, amazing experiences.”
    • “Zero microtransactions, zero battle passes, and zero loot boxes.”
    • “The game is completely free of microtransactions, battle passes, and loot boxes.”
    • “I appreciate that there are no hidden costs or paywalls in this game.”
    • “It's refreshing to see a game that doesn't rely on monetization tactics like loot boxes or microtransactions.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

3hMedian play time
27hAverage play time
2-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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