RecommendedSteam player
Grime, is a 2-dimensional Souls-like in a large interconnected map that relies heavily on a parry mechanic. You level up like in Souls, you choose your armor like in Souls (by which one looks best, duh!) and you spam dodge while managing your stamina bar like in Souls. You'll probably also die a lot just like in Souls, but you'll respawn at generously placed checkpoints with shortcuts that minimize the amount of backtracking, just like... you guessed it, in Souls. The bosses are hard, but once you "git gud", they're pretty fair. It needs to be said, that despite checking almost every box in the Soulslike department, you do not lose your upgrade points upon dying, which makes failure a little more palatable. What makes this game different is that your parry mechanic actually lets you devour enemies (think Soul Reaver, fellow boomers) and if you do this often enough, you'll gain one of their abilities, which you can then learn at the next "bonfire". This mechanic is also what replaces your Estus flask, meaning for every 4 attacks you successfully parry you get a heal, which incentivizes you to use this mechanic even once you've gained an enemy's ability. The parry window is very generous, predictable and reliable. I want to give a special shout to to the very creative weapons I have received so far (a magial lantern that puts increasingly deadly stacks on enemies that you can detonate) as well as some very unusual abilities (you can manipulate objects in the levels by pulling them to you -- be that explosives or platforms) that give the game a very unique vibe. What puts it over the edge for me, and potentially makes this game one of the all-timers in my book, is the fact that once the game opens up (depending on your skill around hour 2 or so) it reveals its interconnected map that rivals most Metroid-type games, although the level design is closer to Ori than it is to Hollow Knight. Don't let the demo and the opening sections fool you in this regard. It's a Metroidvania through and through. The only negative I can think of so far is that while I do enjoy the art, so far it's been mostly variations of dirt with few exceptions -- but they still managed to make areas look fairly distinct. In my opinion, the game is closer to a Soulslike than to Metroid , despite some similar trappings (I have yet to unlock a double jump or an air dash), so keep that in mind when making your purchase. This game is easily worth your money.Show moreShow less
1.3 hours at review303 people found this helpful