Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

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Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar is a single player casual role playing game with fantasy and erotic themes. It was developed by cleveblakemore and was released on August 4, 2017. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Cleveland Mark Blakemore's Magnum Opus! The ultimate classic style turn-based roleplaying game in the tradition of Wizardry, Might&Magic, Lands Of Lore and Eye of the Beholder! A game that took over 20 years to produce! As much as 600 hours of play with hand-painted graphics and old skool goodness!

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar screenshot

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 535 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

grinding24 negative mentions

Grimoire is a nostalgic throwback to classic RPGs like Wizardry 7, offering a deep and complex character development system with numerous races, classes, and skills.
The game features a massive world to explore, filled with secrets, puzzles, and engaging writing that enhances the overall experience.
Despite its rough edges, the game provides a rewarding challenge for players who enjoy old-school dungeon crawlers and are willing to invest time in learning its mechanics.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate and manage inventory, which can detract from the overall gameplay experience.
There is a significant lack of documentation, with no manual available at launch, leaving players to figure out complex mechanics and character interactions on their own.
The game can be extremely punishing, with unbalanced encounters and mechanics that can lead to frustrating experiences, especially for new players unfamiliar with the genre.

gameplay
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
77%
7%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of challenging mechanics and a steep learning curve, often described as clunky and unintuitive due to a poor user interface and lack of clear explanations for its systems. While some players appreciate the depth and nostalgia reminiscent of classic RPGs like Wizardry, many criticize the tediousness, grind, and technical issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers a complex and brutal gameplay experience that may appeal to hardcore fans of the genre, but it is marred by significant design flaws and a lack of accessibility for newcomers.
- “The gameplay is brutal.”
- “Gameplay is quite deep and layered and satisfying.”
- “This game boasts a charming retro style, challenging gameplay which will push your wit to its limits and incredibly deep character building.”
- “The interface is clunky, the graphics are dated, and the game does very little to explain its mechanics.”
- “Extremely tedious gameplay, terribly unintuitive UI, sprites cheaply intermingle with each other (especially enemies), unbalanced encounters (random trash mobs mixed with over-leveled enemies) and a lot of technical issues.”
- “I won't even stick one more minute for this tedious gameplay with a broken UI and boring long fights.”
graphics
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
61%
11%
The graphics of Grimoire are a polarizing aspect, with many players appreciating the retro aesthetic and nostalgic charm reminiscent of classic RPGs, while others criticize the dated visuals and clunky user interface. Some find the hand-drawn artwork and unique monster designs appealing, but many agree that the overall graphical quality is inconsistent and often falls short of modern standards. Ultimately, the game's visuals cater primarily to fans of old-school RPGs who prioritize gameplay over graphical fidelity.
- “The graphics are wonderfully nostalgic, with many colorful monsters that are very unique, painting-like previews for many of the dungeons, and portrait artwork.”
- “Graphics are very well done for this style of game, it hearkens back to the early 90's CRPG era and if it was released in that time, would easily sit atop the stack as a lustrous bejeweled crown.”
- “The graphics are retro-nice and it's very easy and quick to get accustomed to them and enjoy them.”
- “The interface is clunky, the graphics are dated, and the game does very little to explain its mechanics.”
- “The graphics would have been bad 20 years ago.”
- “Extremely dated graphics, poor user interface and a pretty lame sense of humour really took it away from me.”
story
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
79%
4%
The story aspect of these games is often highlighted as surprisingly engaging, with many reviewers appreciating the depth of lore and world-building that enhances the gameplay experience. While some players find the narrative structure loose and challenging to navigate without guidance, others enjoy the freedom to explore and piece together the story at their own pace. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a strong point, with well-crafted plots and meaningful quests that contribute to a rich gaming experience, despite some criticisms regarding interface and gameplay mechanics.
- “The story is surprisingly great at times, since dungeon crawlers usually have passable stories at best.”
- “The story is well done, and the amount of time and effort the developer put into the lore of the game is absurd.”
- “The quests, even the ones that are optional, all feel meaningful and play very well together to contribute to the story.”
- “While there is a story, that’s not really the point of the game.”
- “I didn't have time to experience much of the story, if there is any.”
- “The larger picture is that the plot of the game is complete nonsense and the game's mechanics ultimately fall apart because of the decision to slow down level progression to a crawl.”
music
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its nostalgic, retro midi style that fits the dungeon crawler theme, while others find it repetitive and annoying, particularly during inventory management and combat. Some tracks are praised for enhancing the atmosphere, but frequent repetition of certain songs can lead to frustration. Overall, while the soundtrack evokes a sense of nostalgia for some, it may not appeal to everyone, especially those who dislike midi music.
- “Grimoire's soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “The songs also change to suit the atmosphere, with the glorious dominion exemplar song representing a grand mountain range while the ominous tomb of doom song played during a creepy dungeon crawl.”
- “It's a classic midi style soundtrack that fits very well in the game.”
- “I had to turn down the music and game sounds because they were annoying.”
- “The music and sound effects are so awful and repetitive you will want to rip your ears off.”
- “The music is terrible, but luckily it drowns out some of the god awful sound effects.”
grinding
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the grinding in the game is excessively tedious and often feels like a chore, with many players expressing frustration over the low experience rewards and clunky user interface. While some appreciate the complexity and depth of the game, the overwhelming consensus is that the grinding mechanics detract significantly from the overall experience, making progression feel punishing and monotonous. Despite its potential, the game's design choices lead to a frustratingly slow and tedious gameplay loop.
- “Playing the game without extensive grinding will not let you reach the highest levels, so there was no way for me to learn the most powerful spells.”
- “By the endgame, actually gaining a level is more dream than reality unless you're willing to spend hours grinding the one enemy that actually gives semi-worthwhile XP (about 4k a piece when a bard needs roughly 1.1 million XP to get from level 9 to 10).”
- “The game is insanely grindy and has many things that could be changed to make the game so much better for the player, but it is also so complex and fascinating.”
humor
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as uneven, with some moments being genuinely funny while others fall flat or feel forced. Players appreciate the quirky writing and absurd situations, which often evoke laughter through bizarre character designs and unexpected gags. Overall, the humor adds a charming and whimsical layer to the gameplay, making the experience enjoyable despite its flaws.
- “First, the character portraits you can pick from range from fine to hilariously bad.”
- “It's got a serious skeleton of adventure and exploration through a fantasy-medieval world, but it never shies away from a silly gag to dispense some humor.”
- “There are no walls of text in this game; the writing style is measured and humorous.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, despite some acknowledging improvements since release. While some users find the game addictive and see potential for future patches to enhance stability, others express frustration over ongoing issues and a lack of developer support. Overall, the game is described as a "buggy mess" that requires further balancing and fixes to reach its full potential.
- “This game should be heralded as a victory over fate itself, not only because it was finally finished and released relatively bug-free, but also because of how much adversity the developer had to deal with in the process of developing it.”
- “It's been years since the game was officially released and it's still a buggy, irritating mess to play.”
- “Besides being a buggy, inconsistent game with obtuse rules, the developer has refused to answer basic questions on the forums and instead engages with trolls and sycophants - often within threads requesting help or clarification.”
- “It's been about 2 months since release, and the game is still buggy and vastly unbalanced.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
The atmosphere in Grimoire is widely praised for its immersive qualities, blending nostalgic RPG aesthetics with a unique sense of exploration and depth. Players appreciate the dynamic soundtrack that enhances the mood of various environments, from grand landscapes to eerie dungeons. However, some critiques mention a lack of "soul" or world-building elements, suggesting that while the atmosphere is strong, it may not fully engage in creating a rich narrative backdrop.
- “Nigh unparalleled in terms of atmosphere, sense of exploration, and in-depth stat progression.”
- “Grimoire has great atmosphere and really sucks you in after a couple of hours of play.”
- “I loved the village of Crowl, where the ye olde school RPG aesthetics dovetail perfectly with the atavistic, left-behind small village atmosphere of the village itself - completed by cranky suspicious priests and rude dudes roaming the streets.”
- “Crusaders dripped with atmosphere and personality.”
- “There's no 'soul' or world-building atmosphere.”
character development
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game offers a complex character development system with a variety of races, classes, and skills, allowing for both skill progression through usage and manual point allocation. However, some players find the character creation process confusing and the leveling system random, detracting from the overall satisfaction of character growth. While it evokes nostalgia for classic CRPGs with its depth, some reviewers feel it could benefit from further enhancements to the character development experience.
- “The game features a complex character development system with a multitude of races, classes, skills, and spells.”
- “The character development system is an interesting hybrid of skills that increase on usage (such as in the Elder Scrolls games), but one can also manually allocate points to available skills on level up, thereby accelerating the progress in those skills you deem vital.”
- “But this game hearkens back to the CRPG days of yore, and plays very much like some of the greatest games of those bygone days - when gameplay was more important than graphics and didn't hold your hand... the days when character development and world building took the front seat and left most of the ambient details to narrative expose and your own imagination.”
- “Character creation is unsatisfying and confusing, and the leveling system is completely random, which removes the satisfaction from leveling up, as there is no real control with character development, outside of multi-classing.”
- “The character development is on the lite side, like with Wizardry 7, and could use some improvement, but other than that it is fantastic.”
- “But this game hearkens back to the CRPG days of yore, and plays very much like some of the greatest games of those bygone days - when gameplay was more important than graphics and didn't hold your hand... the days when character development and world building took the front seat and left most of the ambient details to narrative exposition and your own imagination.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight a growing concern that modern games often prioritize superficial emotional experiences over genuine struggle and catharsis, leading to a reliance on power fantasies and emotional pandering. Critics argue that this shift undermines the potential for games to provide meaningful emotional engagement and sociological insights.
- “Learning to appreciate true struggle is the sociological goal of a game, just like emotional catharsis is the goal of a narrative in drama.”
- “Both games and drama have been largely hijacked by exploitative interests peddling self-destructive thoughts, and now mostly replace the concepts of struggle and catharsis for cheap power fantasies and emotional pandering, which gives feelings of reassurance to the morally corrupt instead of catharsis.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for relying on generic elements commonly found in low-budget cash grab titles, yet the developer's effective marketing and unique approach have successfully attracted players.
- “That aside, you can also see the terribly generic ones that have been used in other low-budget cash grab games at the title screen in Grimoire.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players highlight the game's high replay value, noting that numerous patches have enhanced its playability and enjoyment. Many users find the experience engaging enough to invest significant time, with characters reaching higher levels, which contributes to the overall fun and replayability of the game.
- “High replay value.”
- “Tons of patches have made this game a lot more playable and enjoyable - and my characters are at level 5 after many hours of playing.”
- “The game is fun, and these types of games often have solid replay value.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players noting that while it offers enjoyable gameplay for the first 20 hours, its poor design and optimization become increasingly apparent over time. Overall, the experience is marred by significant performance issues.
- “There are still some redeeming qualities, the game is fun for about the first 20 hours, but then you realize how poorly designed and optimized it is.”
- “Hopefully that gives you an idea of how poorly optimized the game is.”

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23h Median play time

207h Average play time

9-600h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 13 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar is a casual role playing game with fantasy and erotic themes.

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 207 hours playing Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar.

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar was released on August 4, 2017.

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar was developed by cleveblakemore.

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar is a single player game.

Similar games include The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep, Ultimate ADOM: Caverns of Chaos, Might & Magic X: Legacy, Wizardry 8, The Bard's Tale IV and others.

Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

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