Grizzland

About

Grizzland is a single player arcade action adventure game. It was developed by Kiepska Spółka and was released on July 17, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Jump, slash and explore a broken world! Welcome to the Grizzled Planet, a seamless open world platformer presented in retro style and filled with old-school challenges. Explore without pointers to uncover secret areas. Equip yourself with unique items and skills, even the ability to shrink and enlarge or explode and recombine. Only through self-discovery will you overcome enemy Dinos in epic comb…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

story3 negative mentions

Grizzland offers a unique and atmospheric exploration experience, blending minimalist design with a haunting soundscape that enhances its sense of mystery.
The gameplay emphasizes exploration and discovery, rewarding players for their curiosity and intuition without relying on traditional map markers or guides.
Combat, while challenging, encourages thoughtful engagement and timing, making each encounter feel significant and rewarding.

The combat can feel stiff and clunky, particularly due to a frustrating attack cooldown that may detract from the overall experience.
The game's minimalistic art style can lead to environments that blur together, making navigation and differentiation between areas difficult.
Some players may find the lack of clear objectives and the ambiguous narrative frustrating, leading to moments of aimless wandering.

story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The story is set on a dying planet, where players explore regions that subtly convey narratives through their design, such as ruined cities and lifeless forests. The minimalist storytelling encourages players to piece together the plot through exploration and journal entries, creating a contemplative experience that emphasizes mystery and interpretation. While the narrative is simple, it effectively blends old-school adventure elements with modern sensibilities, offering a unique take on the metroidvania genre.
- “The story unfolds on a dying planet where nature is fading and the last traces of life struggle to survive.”
- “Its blend of exploration, challenging combat, and minimalist storytelling captures the spirit of old-school adventure while infusing it with a modern sensibility.”
- “The fragments of story you uncover never form a complete picture, leaving players to interpret the meaning of the planet’s decay and the protagonist’s role in it.”
- “Unlike most of its peers, optional exploration does nothing to improve your character; it really is just story content and easter eggs.”
- “The world is sparse, but every object feels intentional, and the absence of overt storytelling gives the game a contemplative tone.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
37%
38%
The game's graphics feature a minimalist, lo-fi aesthetic with a resolution of 128x96 and a limited color palette, creating a unique atmosphere of isolation and mystery. While the art style effectively conveys a haunting mood and complements the sound design, some players may find the environments blend together and the visuals lack clarity, potentially detracting from the overall experience. Despite these limitations, fans of the genre may appreciate the game's artistic ambition and immersive world.
- “Beneath its rough, lo-fi aesthetic lies a carefully constructed world filled with secrets, danger, and a quiet melancholy that lingers long after the final scene.”
- “The minimalist art style creates a mood of otherworldly isolation, and the contrast between light and shadow gives each frame a sense of mystery.”
- “The clunkiness of your sword attacks combined with the graphics being a nondistinct mess should make this a non-starter for anyone used to playable games.”
- “The same can be said for the environments, which, while atmospheric, occasionally blur together due to the uniform art style.”
- “Built entirely in a resolution of 128x96 and limited to five colors, it is a starkly designed metroidvania-style exploration game that proves ambition isn’t tied to graphical fidelity or budget.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game features a catchy 8-bit track that players generally enjoy, particularly during boss fights where the soundtrack varies. However, the main gameplay is dominated by a single melody, which some players found repetitive over time. While the music is well-composed, a desire for more variety in the overall soundtrack has been expressed.
- “I personally liked it – it’s a fine 8-bit track from a very talented music artist, and it’s still stuck in my head several days after finishing the game.”
- “I love the music, especially the soundtrack which plays during boss fights.”
- “It plays different music when you fight bosses, and the song will be somewhat altered when you’re underwater or in the game’s cave area.”
- “It plays different music when you fight bosses, and the song will be somewhat altered when you’re underwater or in the game’s cave area, but for the most part you’ll be listening to a single melody.”
- “If that kind of thing bugs you then definitely consider having some mp3s to supplement the soundtrack.”
- “I wish the music was a little more varied, but the boss fights are fun and there's a lot of variation to the bosses, their attacks and patterns.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Grizzland excels in creating a meditative and alien atmosphere, combining minimalist visuals and audio to evoke a sense of scale and mystery. While the environments are immersive, their uniform art style can lead to some visual blending. Overall, the game offers a haunting exploration of a dying world, appealing to those who appreciate atmosphere over spectacle.
- “Grizzland, developed and published by kiepska spółka, is an exercise in minimalism and atmosphere that manages to achieve a sense of scale and mystery far greater than its simple presentation would suggest.”
- “Together, the visuals and audio produce an atmosphere that feels meditative and alien, as if you are exploring a half-remembered dream.”
- “For those who value atmosphere and exploration over spectacle, Grizzland is a small but resonant gem—a haunting journey across a dying world that feels alive precisely because of its emptiness.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Gameplay in Grizzland is highly praised for its seamless integration of exploration, platforming, and combat, delivering a precise and purposeful experience. While the music is enjoyable, it is limited to a single track for most of the game. Overall, players are likely to find the gameplay satisfying, especially if the preview aligns with their interests.
- “Gameplay is the backbone of Grizzland, and it blends exploration, platforming, and combat with precision and purpose.”
- “Amazing gameplay and special camera effects.”
- “Music is good, though there's only one song for about 90% of the gameplay.”
- “If what you see in the preview doesn't turn you off, then go ahead and buy; most likely your gameplay experience won't disappoint you either.”