Grimlord

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 573 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Grimlord Game Cover
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"Grimlord is a single-player, story-driven VR RPG with a classic action twist, allowing for creative combat styles and improvisation. The game features a dedicated map with breathtaking views and a Souls-style exploration. Despite being very grinding and buggy, Grimlord values community feedback to improve the game."

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 573 reviews
gameplay29 positive mentions
stability16 negative mentions
  • Grimlord successfully captures the essence of Dark Souls in VR, providing an immersive and challenging experience.
  • The weapon crafting system is unique and allows for customization, enhancing gameplay variety.
  • Combat mechanics are engaging, with satisfying parrying and blocking that require skill and strategy.
  • The game suffers from bugs and glitches, including issues with hit detection and weapon handling.
  • Enemy AI can be simplistic, leading to repetitive combat encounters and a lack of challenge in some situations.
  • The current content is limited, with only a few hours of gameplay available, making it feel short for the price.
  • gameplay101 mentions

    The gameplay of this VR title is heavily inspired by the souls-like genre, offering immersive combat mechanics and a rich environment, though it suffers from some janky mechanics and bugs typical of early access games. While many players appreciate the depth of weapon customization and the challenge of combat, concerns about hit detection, parry mechanics, and the overall fluidity of gameplay have been noted. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further refinement to fully realize its potential.

    • “The combat mechanics in Grimlord are truly praiseworthy, with fluid and responsive controls that make battles feel intense and engaging.”
    • “Grimlord offers an immersive dark souls-like VR experience with commendable combat mechanics, stunning graphics, and a robust weapon crafting system.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics of Grimlord align closely with the soulsborne genre, providing a challenging and rewarding experience.”
    • “Sadly, every mechanic feels janky and unreliable.”
    • “No direction or anything to the hub area, no explanation for any of the core gameplay mechanics, and to top it all off, you can destroy your only weapon (with no way to get another one) in the first area, forcing you to restart the entire game.”
    • “The combat is fluid and great until you find that most enemies won't attack for a certain period after you strike a hit, so you can hack away until they die without having to engage with other mechanics.”
  • story68 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its potential and immersive world, while others find it lacking depth and originality. Many users express a desire for more character interaction, quests, and a richer narrative, noting that while the story is not particularly gripping, it serves as a decent framework for gameplay progression. Overall, the game is recognized for attempting to incorporate a story into the VR experience, which is a welcome change in a genre often dominated by sandbox mechanics.

    • “The game looks beautiful and the scenery and story is well created.”
    • “Metalcat did an excellent job creating an interesting storyline, a large immersive environment to explore, and satisfying gameplay that seems easy at first, but becomes much more challenging when you have hordes of enemies coming at you and an archer sniping you from the high ground while you fend off 5 swordsmen on the floor.”
    • “Voice acted NPCs, a narrative-driven storyline, a full talent tree to customize your play style, exciting and engaging physics-based combat as well as tons of ranged options from bows to magic.”
    • “The story in this game needs work.”
    • “You awaken in a cell, no story, no context.”
    • “Very basic story.”
  • graphics41 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, atmospheric environments, and fluid animations, particularly in the VR context. However, some users note that the graphics can feel dated or simplistic at times, and there are occasional performance issues and minor glitches that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are generally well-received, there is room for improvement in areas like animation and optimization.

    • “Despite both being by a small company and designed for VR (which generally doesn't boast fantastic games), Grimlord presents exceptional quality in regards to its souls-like combat, good gameplay, as well as acceptable graphics to complement the already pleasing experience.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, and the scenery is wonderful.”
    • “What's even more impressive is that the game manages to maintain good performance without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity, striking a perfect balance between aesthetics and optimization.”
    • “Weak graphics from PS2 times and not the smartest AI.”
    • “Gripe 1, the graphics aren't the greatest.”
    • “Despite the captivating world design, occasional performance issues and minor graphical glitches can momentarily break the immersion.”
  • atmosphere19 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its strong resemblance to the Dark Souls series, featuring a captivating blend of dark visuals, eerie sound design, and immersive world-building that enhances the overall experience. While some reviewers noted a desire for more color compared to previous titles, the game's lighting, enemy designs, and environmental storytelling effectively create a haunting and engaging ambiance. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the standout elements, drawing players into its macabre and richly crafted world.

    • “The developers have done an amazing job setting colors, lighting, atmosphere, structure, and enemy designs to match the essence of Dark Souls.”
    • “The atmospheric sound design further immerses you in the macabre atmosphere, making you question your own sanity with each passing moment.”
    • “One of the most captivating aspects of Grimlord is its atmospheric world design.”
    • “The atmosphere feels suitably Souls-like, though it could do with a bit more color. Dark Souls 2 and 3 had pretty vibrant palettes, especially 2, and yet they felt like dying worlds. Even Dark Souls 1, which had decently muted colors, had a colorful palette and wasn't just gray.”
    • “The atmosphere is very much reminiscent of Dark Souls, and it does it well.”
    • “Currently, I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking for just combat, but it is by far the most developed world and atmosphere in this VR genre.”
  • optimization18 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report solid performance and a good balance between graphics and optimization, others experience significant frame rate drops in specific scenarios, such as encountering dense environments or using certain abilities. Some users have noted minor performance issues and graphical glitches, particularly in VR modes, but others have found the game runs smoothly on high settings. Despite these inconsistencies, many appreciate the game's visual fidelity and overall performance.

    • “Having such a large map as optimized as it is, is a miracle for how decent the game looks, though it's not as if I don't notice the undead's low poly head when they're 10ft away.”
    • “What's even more impressive is that the game manages to maintain good performance without sacrificing too much graphical fidelity, striking a perfect balance between aesthetics and optimization.”
    • “I'm getting solid 90 fps in 90 hz using res 300%, maybe I can go higher with res or fps - but this seems well optimized.”
    • “Also, performance is not the best either. The game runs fine in most scenes, but as soon as I stumble upon a random patch of tall grass or I cast a fireball, the FPS drops instantly.”
    • “However, there are a lot of things that need to be optimized.”
    • “Despite the captivating world design, occasional performance issues and minor graphical glitches can momentarily break the immersion.”
  • music18 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant lack of ambient music throughout the main gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While the music during boss fights is appreciated, it often feels familiar and forgettable, leading to a desire for more diverse and engaging soundtracks in the game's environments. Overall, the sound design is praised, but the absence of a compelling musical score leaves players wanting more.

    • “Love playing this game to music.”
    • “It's crazy how a little bit of music can change my experience with this game.”
    • “I think that it could definitely use background music for the areas between boss fights, but the ambiance that is there is decent.”
    • “Ambient music is basically non-existent, and the music I heard for the first boss fight sounded very familiar.”
    • “Lack of in-game music makes the slow walks a bit more dull than needed.”
    • “Overall, the sound design of the weapons and environments is nice, which is undercut by a lackluster musical score and underwhelming enemy sounds.”
  • stability17 mentions

    The game's stability has been a common point of contention among users, with many reporting frequent glitches and bugs that disrupt gameplay and immersion. While some players find these issues manageable, others describe them as detrimental, particularly in terms of controls and NPC animations. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further refinement to address its stability concerns.

    • “This game is very much worth the money and, in my opinion, should be talked about more than it currently is. With its stunning visuals and incredible combat, plus the sheer amount of choices you can make in how you fight—from using just fists to wielding two shields—it truly is a well put together game that I can't wait for the full release of, and it's not too buggy.”
    • “Unfortunately, I had many very small gameplay glitches that added up and broke my immersion all too often, so I refunded it.”
    • “It also runs poorly even on a 2080 Ti and the controls are very buggy and unresponsive.”
    • “But the actual game itself is so punishing, buggy, tiring, confusing, glitchy (enemies summoned into walls, standing so close they phase through your shield) and overall bad.”
  • grinding13 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the grinding in the game is often perceived as tedious and unengaging, with players feeling that battles lack excitement and rewards. The high costs for upgrades necessitate extensive grinding, which can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially in a genre that typically thrives on challenge. While some players appreciate the need for grinding to enhance skills and customization, many find it excessive and frustrating.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “But rather than capturing the engaging challenge of Dark Souls, it feels tedious.”
    • “The steep costs for stat upgrades means lots of grinding to notice any kind of improvement.”
    • “The grind isn't terrible for what is essentially a demo, but killing enemies is unrewarding and overtly grindy, even for a Souls clone.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    Players find the emotional experience of the game to be intense and often exhausting, with moments that evoke strong feelings such as frustration and sadness, particularly in relation to loss and challenging gameplay mechanics. The game encourages players to engage deeply with their surroundings and enemies, fostering a sense of strategic thinking that enhances the emotional stakes of each encounter. Overall, the emotional impact is significant, contributing to a compelling and immersive experience.

    • “Yet emotionally exhausting.”
    • “Makes me want to cry because I lost 2000 matter to a dumb boss.”
    • “Playing Grimlord made me feel like I could think in terms of the enemies in front of me and how best to deal with them, considering the situation instead of the function.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability, with players noting its depth and engaging combat that keeps them coming back for more. Many express optimism about its future potential, especially given its early access status and the promise of additional content.

    • “Plenty of replayability.”
    • “It's a testament to the game's depth and replayability that it continues to captivate me with every run.”
    • “The combat is challenging, and the replayability for only being in early access and still having much more to be released makes me feel very positive about this game's future!”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted as amusing yet can be frustrating, particularly during boss fights that feel awkward and janky. While some players had low expectations due to previous experiences, the humor still manages to shine through despite the game's shortcomings.

    • “The larger bosses feel funny and janky to fight because you just walk around them and slap their legs.”
    • “Funny, but frustrating.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviewers highlight that the voice acting and character designs significantly enhance the game's world, with most characters being described as charming and well-voiced, contributing positively to character development.

    • “The voice acting and character designs really add a lot to the world.”
    • “The character designs are charming for the most part and well-voiced.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's monetization strategy has drawn criticism, particularly for its negative advertising tactics that disparage competing titles.

    • “The monetization system feels overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “I can't enjoy the game without being constantly bombarded by ads and in-game purchases.”
    • “It seems like every feature is locked behind a paywall, making it frustrating to progress.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

5hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
4-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 13 analyzed playthroughs

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