Grimoire : Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

About

"Grimoire: Heralds of the Winged Exemplar" is a turn-based fantasy RPG, inspired by classics such as Wizardry and Might & Magic. The game features 14 races and 15 professions, with over 144 magic spells and 244 maps to explore. With lush hand-drawn artwork and a runtime of up to 600 hours, it offers a massive and immersive RPG experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Grimoire : Heralds of the Winged Exemplar screenshot

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 525 reviews

gameplay23 positive mentions

grinding23 negative mentions

Grimoire is a nostalgic throwback to classic dungeon crawlers like Wizardry 7, offering a rich and expansive world to explore.
The game features deep character customization with a variety of races, classes, and skills, allowing for unique party builds.
Despite its rough edges, the game provides a challenging and rewarding experience for fans of old-school RPGs.

The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and inventory management frustrating.
There is a lack of documentation and a manual, leaving players to figure out complex mechanics on their own.
The game can be extremely punishing, with unbalanced encounters that may lead to frequent character deaths and the need for constant saving.

gameplay
147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
77%
7%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and clunky due to a poorly designed user interface, inconsistent mechanics, and a lack of clear instructions. While some appreciate the depth and challenge reminiscent of classic RPGs, others criticize the overwhelming complexity and grind, leading to frustration and a reliance on trial-and-error. Overall, the game appeals to fans of old-school mechanics but suffers from significant technical issues and design flaws that detract from the experience.
- “The 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.”
- “Now that I've figured out the mechanics, I love this game.”
- “Looks like, again, the author thinks that more = better and tries to cover broken and just not working mechanics behind layers of dozens of stats, skills, etc.”
- “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.”
- “The mechanics of the stats and characters are not working (extremely unbalanced or just do nothing).”
graphics
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
10%
The graphics of the game are a polarizing aspect, with many players appreciating the nostalgic, retro style reminiscent of 90s RPGs, while others criticize the dated visuals and clunky user interface. Some find the hand-drawn artwork and unique monster designs charming, while others feel the graphics are poorly executed and inconsistent, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals cater to fans of old-school aesthetics but may not appeal to those seeking modern 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.”
- “This game has some fun things you don't often find in modern games, such as: non-humanoid races (special mention goes to the eyeball snakes), the ability to choose the location where you want to start the game, and nice stylized graphics (a breath of fresh air when compared with the current realism-obsessed game industry).”
- “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 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.”
- “I can't speak to the difficulty; I only got 40 minutes and one fight into the game before the jarring, color-clashing graphics, terrible character art, clunky interface, and nonstop enemy chanting made me pretty certain that Grimoire is a hot disaster.”
story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
78%
4%
The game's story is noted for its depth and complexity, with many players appreciating the well-crafted lore and interconnected quests that enhance the overall experience. However, some reviewers criticize the lack of clear direction and guidance, making it challenging to follow the plot, especially for those accustomed to modern, more linear storytelling. Overall, while the narrative has its strengths, it may not appeal to everyone due to its non-traditional structure and the need for player initiative in piecing together the story.
- “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
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its nostalgic midi soundtrack that fits the retro dungeon crawler theme, while others find it repetitive and annoying, particularly during inventory management and combat. Many players appreciate the atmospheric changes in the music that enhance the gameplay experience, but some have noted that certain tracks can become grating due to their frequency. Overall, while the music evokes a sense of nostalgia for classic RPGs, it may require adjustments to avoid becoming overwhelming.
- “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.”
- “The midi music is well made, and each track is unique, and enhances each area it is used in.”
- “I had to turn down the music and game sounds because they were annoying.”
- “If I could offer one tip for the music, the music selection when you are in the inventory screen is a little grating since you spend so much time in there.”
- “The music and sound effects are so awful and repetitive you will want to rip your ears off.”
grinding
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring hours of repetitive battles to gain experience and progress. Many players find the interface clunky and unintuitive, exacerbating the frustration of grinding, while some appreciate the complexity despite its flaws. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant barrier to enjoyment, with calls for improvements to reduce monotony and enhance gameplay.
- “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). Endgame just increases enemy difficulty without actually giving you new tools to deal with them.”
- “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 silly gags. Overall, the humor adds a charming and entertaining layer to the gameplay, despite some criticisms of its execution.
- “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 noting it remains buggy and unbalanced even months after release. While some glitches have been addressed, significant issues persist, including graphical problems and inconsistent gameplay mechanics. Overall, players express hope for future patches to improve stability, but currently, the game is seen as a rough experience filled with frustrating bugs.
- “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 of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, blending nostalgic RPG aesthetics with unique environmental storytelling. Reviewers highlight the effective use of music and sound effects to enhance the mood, alongside well-designed dungeons and a strong sense of exploration. However, some critiques mention a lack of deeper world-building, suggesting that while the atmosphere is engaging, it may not fully resonate with all players.
- “Grimoire feels to me like a mix between World of Xeen (MM4-MM5) and indeed Wizardry 7 - two other great titles - but by no means is it a clone or a mere hybrid - it has its own signature, its own atmosphere.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “I loved the village of Crowl, where the old-school RPG aesthetics dovetail perfectly with the atavistic, left-behind small village atmosphere, completed by cranky suspicious priests and rude dudes roaming the streets.”
- “There's no 'soul' or world-building atmosphere.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the character creation process confusing and the leveling system random, leading to a lack of satisfaction. However, others appreciate the hybrid system that allows skills to increase through use while also permitting manual point allocation, reminiscent of classic CRPGs. Overall, while some feel the character development could be more robust, it still evokes nostalgia for the depth of earlier games.
- “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 exposition and your own imagination.”
- “The character development is on the lite side, like with Wizardry 7, and could use some enhancement, but other than that it is fantastic.”
- “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.”
- “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 discontent with the current emotional landscape of games, arguing that they often prioritize superficial power fantasies and emotional pandering over genuine struggle and catharsis. This shift is seen as a departure from the true sociological and narrative goals of gaming and drama, which should focus on meaningful emotional experiences and personal growth.
- “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 (simulating the exertion of power without the requisite struggle) and emotional pandering (which gives feelings of reassurance to the morally corrupt instead of catharsis).”
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 hours of gameplay have led to significant character progression, contributing to the overall fun and replayability of the experience.
- “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 criticized, with players noting that while it offers enjoyable gameplay for the first 20 hours, it ultimately suffers from poor design and performance issues. This lack of optimization detracts from the overall experience, overshadowing its redeeming qualities.
- “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.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for relying on generic elements commonly found in low-budget cash grabs, yet the developer's effective marketing and engagement with the target audience 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 extra.”

Buy Grimoire : Heralds of the Winged Exemplar

23h Median play time

207h Average play time

9-600h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 13 analyzed playthroughs

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