A blast from the past that stands up to and exceeds modern gaming standards. A genre worth revisiting.
GRAPHICS: 9
For an indie title the graphics are well done, high quality wall textures and lighting, monster models are interesting and varied, some nice particle effects upon killing monsters.
GAMEPLAY: 9
Character creation is interesting with nice variety. There are 4 races, Human, Minotaur, Lizardman, and Insectoid and 3 classes, fighter, rogue, and mage. You will be able to select their portraits, assign attribute points, skill points, and 2 traits. You will construct a party of 4 from the above choices.
Combat is done in real time with cooldowns for your characters attacks. You will need to maneuver around your enemy while waiting for your cooldowns if you want to play on the higher difficulty levels. Combat is basic but frenetic, especially with multiple enemies. I found the combat to be enjoyable with a mix of tactics and reflexes.
This is a rpg so of course there will be lots of loot. Part of the fun is scrounging through the dungeon looking for any scrap of loot that will help your party survive. The game is loaded with secrets and hidden rooms for you to discover.
Half of the gameplay is combat and exploration and the other half is puzzles. Think Portal 2 mixed with an rpg, if you want to escape from Grimrock you'll need to bring your thinking cap with you. This is definitely a game that puzzle fans should not skip out on.
Your characters have a hunger meter that you'll need to keep an eye on. You'll find bits of food in the dungeon and off of dead enemies that will fuel you as you delve deeper into the dungeon.
SOUND: 8
Has some nice music and ambient sound effects that create an immersive environment. Those that scare easily may be a little unnerved by the sounds echoing from the unexplored portions of the dungeon.
OVERALL: 9
This is a must buy for old school rpg fans and puzzle fans. It's also a great value, for $15 you'll get at least 10-20hrs of content. I recommend playing on hard difficulty with oldschool mode on for veterans of the genre. In fact I recommend playing with no map at all so you can really get the feeling of being lost and trapped in Grimrock.