Grimvalor
- October 10, 2018
- Direlight
- 8h median play time
Grimvalor is a hack and slash platformer set in a dark fantasy world, where you play as a lone warrior on a mission to restore a corrupted kingdom. Fight through hordes of enemies, discover the fate of the lost king, and explore atmospheric landscapes and dungeons in a massive story-driven adventure. Experience fast-paced combat, chain attacks, and upgrade your hero for increased power and abilities.
Reviews
- Incredible graphics and smooth gameplay, reminiscent of classic action RPGs.
- Challenging yet rewarding combat that keeps players engaged.
- No microtransactions or ads, providing a pure gaming experience.
- The game only offers a free trial for the first act, requiring payment for the full version.
- Some players find the controls unresponsive or difficult to manage, especially during boss fights.
- The game can feel repetitive after a while, with limited enemy variety and predictable mechanics.
- graphics1,372 mentions
- 84 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many users praising their stunning quality and smooth performance across various devices. The art style is often described as beautiful and immersive, reminiscent of classic titles like Dark Souls and Castlevania, while also being well-optimized for mobile play. Despite some minor criticisms regarding repetitiveness and occasional lag on lower-end devices, the overall consensus highlights the graphics as a standout feature that enhances the gaming experience.
“Easily lose a few hours disappearing into its subtle gothic world, stunning graphics, lighting, and near perfect depth of field.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, the animations are beautiful.”
“The graphics are amazing, the quality of picture is superb (I have a Galaxy S8), the music and sound effects are just out of this world.”
“I have to keep the graphics pretty low otherwise there is visual lag, which will get you killed very quickly in this game.”
“Needs some graphics work too.. the fire and the beasts might need a little texturing.. they look like a big blur.”
“Graphics are very low, running game there show me game was crashed, sometimes tell me internet connection required, some hang this game.. this is a waste of time.”
- gameplay822 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this mobile game has received widespread acclaim for its smooth mechanics, engaging combat, and challenging yet rewarding experience. Players appreciate the intuitive controls, beautiful graphics, and the blend of elements reminiscent of classic titles like Dark Souls and Metroidvania games. While some note minor issues with pacing and repetitiveness, the overall consensus is that the gameplay is addictive, well-designed, and offers a satisfying experience without intrusive microtransactions.
“The gameplay is surprisingly smooth and for the nice visuals it's not even that hard on the phone/battery, and I'm on a Samsung A71.”
“Gameplay is really challenging and rewarding.”
“The gameplay is fluid and well adapted to mobile.”
“Gameplay wise, this feels like one of those really bad Nintendo DS throwaway movie titles.”
“The gameplay is substandard and you only get one act before you have to pay for it.”
“Good game but it required payment for the complete gameplay.”
- story807 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it engaging yet somewhat simplistic or predictable. While some appreciate the intriguing plot twists and voice acting, others feel the narrative lacks depth and clarity, leaving certain elements vague or underdeveloped. Overall, the story serves as a decent backdrop to the gameplay, but many players express a desire for more extensive content and character development.
“The story is intriguing and well made, and the graphics are crisp and nice to look at.”
“The gameplay was lots of fun, the story was entertaining and engaging, the art and map layout is beautiful, I love the voice acting, I loved the main and side characters, and the bosses were hard but satisfying.”
“This game is a masterpiece of graphics, storytelling, and gameplay.”
“The story is almost nonexistent, but the hack and slash is fun and it's not a super slow game either.”
“The story is a bit shallow.”
“The storyline is captivating, but the story needs to be better integrated with the gameplay.”
- monetization217 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 56 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game is primarily based on a one-time purchase to unlock the full version, which effectively removes ads and avoids microtransactions, a feature that many players appreciate. While some users express frustration over the presence of ads in the trial version and the need to pay to access additional content, the overall sentiment is positive towards the lack of ongoing in-app purchases and the straightforward payment structure. Many players commend the game for providing a quality experience without the typical ad clutter and pay-to-win mechanics prevalent in mobile gaming today.
“A game under $10 with no ads, no microtransactions, and roughly 10 hours of playtime.”
“Absolutely no pay-to-win, or microtransactions beyond the one-time purchase of the full game.”
“The one-time purchase simply feels rewarding, making you want to see more of the game with no ads.”
“Figures are absurdly difficult from the start to incentivize you to watch ads to get ahead (or pay).”
“I don't like in-app purchases which intend to create a hole in your pocket.”
“Game sucks not because of gameplay or graphics but because there are ads every few seconds on a game you have to pay for.”
- music150 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with dramatic and haunting scores that fit the game's tone perfectly. Many players highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's emotional depth and engagement, while some express a desire for more variety in the music. Overall, the combination of excellent sound design and music is seen as a key element that elevates the gameplay and storytelling.
“The music truly immerses you in the game.”
“The soundtrack is perfect, with some dramatic scores, the likes of which you would expect to hear in a console game.”
“The atmosphere, music, and gameplay are spot on.”
“Music blows hard.”
“The game turns repetitive quite soon, as the same enemies, music, and levels get recycled, with a slightly different color scheme every time.”
“Awesome graphics & gameplay, just wish the soundtrack was better.”
- atmosphere57 mentions
- 72 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive graphics, atmospheric music, and engaging gameplay that evoke a dark, grim aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Dark Souls and Hollow Knight. Players appreciate the polished presentation and fluid controls, which enhance the overall experience, making it a standout in the mobile gaming landscape. Despite some critiques regarding the plot, the game's atmosphere remains a significant draw, contributing to its status as a compelling and enjoyable title.
“This game perfectly combines the gameplay of Swordigo, some aspects of Dark Souls, and the graphics, atmosphere, and music of the Infinity Blade trilogy all into one beautiful game.”
“Grimvalor has a beautifully haunting atmosphere and sound which intertwines well with the gameplay.”
“The atmosphere, music, and gameplay are spot on.”
“Mostly lacks the atmosphere, but provides decent hacking and slashing.”
“None atmosphere and graphics.”
“The game takes you to the PlayStation 1 experience atmosphere along with the Prince of Persia PC vibes.”
- optimization43 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for delivering solid performance across a range of devices, from low-end to high-end smartphones, with many users reporting smooth gameplay and impressive graphics. While some players experienced initial stuttering or issues on specific devices, enabling performance modes often resolved these problems, highlighting the game's adaptability. Despite a few criticisms regarding optimization on certain models, the consensus is that it stands out as one of the best-optimized mobile games available.
“The optimized load times and general play are highly polished.”
“I'm impressed by the optimization of the game and how it feels!”
“One of the best optimized games for mobile.”
“The game is good but only on menu lol, to be honest the auto optimized setting system makes the screen small and I couldn't even play it!”
“Need more optimization for Pixel 4.”
“I liked the game, but I think it is not very optimized and has a long download; besides, waiting for the game in a common version and a full version was not a good idea.”
- grinding37 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find it enjoyable and rewarding, especially for leveling up and acquiring gear, others feel it becomes tedious, particularly when facing challenging bosses or when the experience gain slows down. The game strikes a balance between skill and grinding, with many appreciating that it avoids pay-to-win mechanics, but some players wish for a more streamlined progression to reduce the grind.
“Not too difficult, and not grindy unless you want to try to get everything; though there is no reason to.”
“The only metroidvania platformer on mobile that tastes exactly like a classic metroidvania. Not too grindy, not too hard, but neither easy. Good controls and I really appreciate the pad support. Great game, great lore, and great gameplay. The soulslike elements give it that touch of perfection. 5/5!”
“One of the best-made games I've ever played, even on PC. The game mechanics are amazing, it isn't too grindy, level design is excellent, and boss fights feel rewarding and challenging at the same time. The only downside is that there isn't more of it. Excellent game overall.”
“It could feel a bit grindy as you progressed further into the game and items or the leveling-up threshold become more costly.”
“You don't get enough experience and resources to progress further than level 4 max! So, stuck at grinding the same levels over and over again.”
“Way too difficult & designed only for one thing to drive the player to in-app purchases to get good weaponry, skills & gold to continue (aka pay-to-play) without having to spend hours & weeks of endless grinding to get anywhere and sometimes that's not even enough - which takes the fun out of this game and amounts to nothing but a waste of your time.”
- replayability27 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate features like New Game Plus and the potential for discovering secrets, others feel that the lack of boss respawns and varied challenges limits long-term engagement. Some users report enjoying the game for a significant amount of time before it loses its replay value, suggesting that additional content or modes could enhance the experience. Despite these critiques, many still find the game enjoyable enough to recommend for multiple playthroughs.
“It's a wonderful game with lots of replay value.”
“Nothing but replay value and enjoyment out of this game over and over, and there's even still several loot catches and secrets I have yet to find or unlock.”
“Absolute 5-star game, wonderful scenery and mechanics, awesome RPG/platform, the new game plus just adds to the replayability and it is nice that the difficulty continues throughout new game and new game plus.”
“Probably spent 40 hours on before losing its replayability.”
“Game is very good but I won't give it a 5-star rating because it lacks replayability since you can't rechallenge bosses and New Game+ just gives you more items. There are not many trinkets that allow you to spec into savagery or mastery builds; you just use whatever you find, which makes all playthroughs feel the same.”
“Only weak spot is it needs more replayability by making all the mini-bosses and bosses respawn in their respective dungeons so the game has replayability, because after finishing New Game+ there's nothing else.”
- stability23 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 48 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while many users report smooth performance and no glitches on various devices, several players experience freezing issues, particularly during intense combat or specific game locations. Some have noted controller responsiveness problems, leading to frustration. Despite these issues, a significant number of players still find the game enjoyable and well-optimized.
“Great graphics and easy controls; no glitches either.”
“Looks great, runs great, gameplay is extremely fun... and there's controller support!”
“Amazing game, no glitches and bugs.”
“The game also freezes for a second or two when I fight too many enemies at once or when I deal too much damage to a boss too quickly.”
“I have plenty of storage space and good internet connection, but as soon as I get to the monastery entrance the game freezes and I cannot continue.”
“It's a really good game, but at some point in Act I, the game crashes every time I talk to the stranger guy I rescued to give me the key. The game just freezes and I have to restart, but I need to talk to him to progress.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both entertaining and clever, particularly noting the amusing features like transforming spiders for those with arachnophobia. The game's comedic elements, such as a cowardly final enemy and humorous graphics, contribute to an overall enjoyable experience that enhances its strategic gameplay. Many users highlight the game's ability to blend humor with engaging mechanics, making it a standout title.
“One of the best downloads I've made in a long time. Love this game, it's freaking funny as hell! It just took me a minute to understand it, but once I did.”
“It's very funny and interesting; there's a lot of strategy to it once you get into it.”
“Great game, funny, beautiful graphics.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally rewarding, highlighting its wholesome story and rewarding exploration. Many express a strong connection to the narrative, comparing it favorably to classic titles and noting its impressive execution in the mobile gaming landscape. Overall, it has garnered a dedicated fanbase due to its heartfelt experience.
“And the story of the game is so wholesome.”
“This is a wholesome game; it became my favorite. Love this game.”
“This game has made me a fan; playing this game made me feel like I was playing 'Prince of Persia.' The story of this game is great.”
- character development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted as a mixed aspect; while the character design is appreciated, the depth of character development and storytelling is seen as lacking. However, some players highlight the flexible character development system, suggesting that it offers a fun and engaging experience despite its shortcomings.
“Very good flow, very flexible character development.”
“Character development and the loot system are lacking a bit.”
“If you want character development and story, this isn't it.”