Grunenberg

About

"Grunenberg" is a first-person game featuring Michael Soloman, a famous myth hunter, and his grandson Jimmy. Jimmy travels to Grunenberg to find his grandfather after receiving a mysterious letter. The game is designed to evoke the feeling of a VHS cassette tape, with an unsettling atmosphere and dynamic enemy AI that tracks your movements. Immersive progression, puzzles, interludes, and discoverable story content are blended together, with light and flashlight mechanics affected by the environment.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

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

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 16 reviews

story4 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The game features an outstanding atmosphere and sound design that enhances the horror experience.
It offers a gripping story and enjoyable puzzles, making it a good value for the price.
Despite some flaws, the game provides tension and entertainment, with effective jump scares.

The game suffers from stability issues, including crashes and poor AI behavior.
The gameplay can be repetitive, with similar areas and enemies, and the flashlight mechanics are frustrating.
Long audio tracks and excessive reading can detract from the overall experience.

story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it derivative and repetitive, while others appreciate its unique storytelling approach and gripping tension. The VHS aesthetic adds an interesting layer, though the heavy reading required may detract from the experience for some. Overall, many agree that the story is a highlight, contributing significantly to the game's value despite some technical issues.
- “Fun short horror with a great (but shocking, seriously, trigger warning) story.”
- “Definitely worth a few bucks, the story alone is worth it!”
- “It's a game full of tension and its story is gripping.”
- “However, that doesn't account for the absurd amount of reading involved in the repetitive story.”
- “One of the worst games ever; it runs poorly, has no story, and when I tried to crouch, I ended up no-clipping. It sucks.”
- “Yeah, the flashlight is bad and the story is derivative.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and terrifying qualities, effectively engaging players throughout their experience. Reviewers highlight the astonishing design that enhances the tension, particularly through the relentless presence of the monster, which adds to the overall sense of dread and entrapment.
- “The atmosphere of the game is astonishing.”
- “I really enjoyed the atmosphere and how it traps you from escaping the monster while it can just traverse over objects or through them.”
- “The atmosphere of the game attracted me and gave me a terrifying experience.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics of the game are praised for their outstanding quality, with a notable appreciation for the unique VHS aesthetic that adds an interesting visual element to the overall experience.
- “The sound design and graphics in the game were outstanding.”
- “I do appreciate the VHS aesthetic.”
gameplay
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The gameplay is praised for its engaging atmosphere and well-designed map, giving the game a sense of soul despite being developed by a single individual. Players enjoy replaying the game to improve their speed and mastery of the mechanics.
- “Obviously, this is a one-man-made new developer game, but the atmosphere, story, map design, and gameplay make it feel like the game has soul.”
- “Obviously, this is a one-man-made new developer game, but the atmosphere, story, map design, and gameplay feel like the game has soul.”
- “I played again and again to observe how the gameplay can be faster.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game effectively blends humor with suspense, delivering a thrilling experience that elicits both laughter and chills within a compact playtime of around 90 minutes.
- “The game gave me chills, made me jump, and made me laugh out loud, all in about 90 minutes.”
- “The humor in this game is spot on, with clever jokes and hilarious situations that kept me entertained.”
- “I couldn't stop chuckling at the witty dialogue and absurd scenarios; it really added to the overall experience.”